A massive tornado that has been reported to have killed at least 91 people (officially 24 deaths on Tuesday morning) on the outskirts of Oklahoma City had wind speeds up to 200 mph. The tornado directed much of its ferocity on Moore, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma tornado is the worst to hit the United States since a May 22, 2011 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 158 people and injuring 1,100 (Video courtesy: Michael Welch, Blanchard, OK).
The National Weather Service has upgraded the May 20, 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado to an EF-5 with winds in excess of 200 miles per hour. An EF-5 is the most dangerous of all tornadoes. There have been only 58 EF-5 of them since 1950. The tornado is believed to have been 1.3 miles wide.
The Moore, OK 2013 tornado touched down at 2:56 p.m. CDT Monday May 20, 2013 and remained on the ground for approximately 40 minutes — traveling a 20-mile long path and had previously thought to have been up to two miles wide at its peak.
The tornado touched down west of Newcastle, Oklahoma and then crossed a heavily populated section of Moore, Oklahoma.
Before the tornado touched down, a large rotating wall cloud was clearly visible on helicopter video on KWTV coverage. The tornado started out as a cone tornado and then enlarged to a huge wedge tornado within 10-15 minutes. The tornado apparently touched down northeast of Bridge Creek in extreme northeastern Grady County near the interchange of Interstate 44 and State Highway 4.
View Moore Tornado 05.20.2013 in a larger map
Blue = Path markers. Red = Points of Interest.
SEE ALSO KFOR.COM Interactive Map of May 3, 1999 Tornado Path; May 8, 2003; and May 20, 2013 Tornado Path …
Dashcam video of violent tornado striking Moore, OK from Lawrence McEwen (Live Storms Network).
Moore, OK Tornado from Spencer Basoco.
Path markers:
Touch down near the interchange of Interstate 44 and State Highway 4
I-44 near the Canadian River bridge
Traveled east-northeast along 149th Street between I-44 and Pennsylvania Avenue
Crossed Pennsylvania Avenue near SW 134th Street (map showing proximity to Plaza Towers Elementary School)
Interstate 35 near the 134th Street interchange (SW 4th Street on the Moore local grid)
The tornado continued east-northeast across the eastern part of Moore
Rural area extreme southeastern Oklahoma City at Sunnylane Avenue
The weakened after passing Sooner Road and eventually roped out and dissipated near the northern edge of Stanley Draper Lake.
Large, violent tornado plowed through Moore, OK. Basehunters intercepted the tornado from within a half mile by Southmoore High School.
Bill Nye talks to Piers Morgan about tornadoes, the magnitude of the Moore, Oklahoma, and the chance something like the Moore tornado could happen again.
Ginger Zee with the latest breaking news and storm developments.