In The Vortex

Tag: oklahoma

  • 02/10/09 Oklahoma Tornadoes Recap

    As I was blogging LIVE on Tuesday, a severe weather outbreak resulted in some damaging and even deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma.  The first tornadoes were reported on the northwest side of Oklahoma City, and then the same storm went on to generate 2 more tornadoes, one damaging many homes and businesses in Edmond.  Only minor injuries were reported there.

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    Later in the evening, an even worse tornado struck the small town of Lone Grove near Ardmore, reportedly completely destroying two trailer parks along the way, killing 8 people and producing EF4 damage.

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    Below is the preliminary release from the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma

    PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
    435 PM CST WED FEB 11 2009

    …PRELIMINARY SURVEY INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TORNADOES IN
    CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10…  

    AT LEAST THREE TORNADOES OCCURRED IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA
    YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

    ..TORNADO ONE      

    THE FIRST TORNADO OF THE DAY TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 233 PM IN
    FAR EASTERN CANADIAN COUNTY ABOUT 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF BETHANY. THE
    TORNADO TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA CITY
    AND NORTHWEST EDMOND CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. THE TORNADO
    DISSIPATED APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF SEWARD IN
    SOUTHERN LOGAN COUNTY AT ABOUT 307 PM. THE INTENSITY OF THIS TORNADO
    VARIED FROM EF0 TO EF2…WITH THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE OCCURRING IN
    NORTHWEST EDMOND.

    ..TORNADO TWO      

    THE SECOND TORNADO WAS SPAWNED BY THE SAME SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM
    THAT PRODUCED TORNADO NUMBER ONE. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT
    ABOUT 330 PM APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SOUTH OF LANGSTON. THE TORNADO
    TRACKED NORTHEAST ACROSS RURAL AREAS AND DISSIPATED APPROXIMATELY 3
    MILES SOUTHWEST OF STILLWATER AT ABOUT 355 PM. THE INTENSITY OF
    THIS TORNADO REMAINS UNKNOWN.

    ..TORNADO THREE      

    THE THIRD TORNADO LIKELY APPROACHED THE RED RIVER NEAR PETERSBURG IN
    EXTREME SOUTHEAST JEFFERSON COUNTY AT ABOUT 650 PM. THIS TORNADO WAS
    UP TO ONE-HALF MILE WIDE AS IT TRACKED NORTHEAST CROSSING NORTHWEST
    LOVE COUNTY AND SOUTHERN CARTER COUNTY WHERE IT STRUCK THE TOWN OF
    LONE GROVE BETWEEN 725 AND 730 PM CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. THE
    TORNADO PRODUCED 8 FATALITIES AND NUMEROUS INJURIES IN THE LONE
    GROVE AREA. THIS TORNADO REACHED EF4 INTENSITY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF
    LONE GROVE IMPLYING WINDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 170 MPH. THE
    TORNADO THEN CONTINUED NORTHEAST CROSSING INTERSTATE 35 NORTH OF
    ARDMORE BEFORE DISSIPATING IN FAR SOUTHEAST MURRAY COUNTY
    APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DOUGHERTY AT AROUND 800 PM.  

    THIS INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND DETAILS MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY AS
    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. SOME AREAS REMAINED
    INACCESSIBLE TO SURVEY TEAMS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FINAL EF
    RATINGS MAY VARY SLIGHTLY OR THAT ADDITIONAL SURVEYS REVEAL BREAKS
    IN SOME OF THE TORNADO TRACKS SUGGESTING SEPARATE SHORTER TRACK
    TORNADOES OCCURRED.

    For more videos about these tornadoes, please see the article on my main website.

  • 02/10/09 Severe Weather Outbreak

    021009svrwxoutbreak1

    Well I blew that forecast!  Currently there is a train of supercell storms marching across Oklahoma and now developing down in to Texas.  While not a closed “line” per say, the storms are closely spaced and moving quickly to the northeast.  Several have the potential for producing tornadoes at this time!

    At least one tornado has been confirmed by storm chaser Jeff Snyder, who reports it was on the ground for 10 min.  It appears at this time this tornado struck Edmond, OK with a large area without power and damage reports coming in.  As of this writing no injuries have been reported.

    3 tornado watches are currently in effect in Oklahoma and Texas at this time.  These storms are also producing hail as large as tennis balls.

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    I will update this post on the tornado damage as I get more firm information.

    UPDATE 4:32pm CST: Reports are schools in the area stopped school buses and kids were held in the schools.  No reports of schools being hit at this time.  Hearing reports of roofs torn off houses and similar damage.  Power lines and tree limbs down all over the area hindering efforts for emergency crews to get in the area.

    UPDATE 5:00pm CST: Initial touchdown appears to have been in the Rockwall & NW Expressway.  Tornado appears to have lifted then and touched down some distance northeast of there, perhaps in the Quail Springs area?  Rockwall & 150th area is being mentioned a lot. No serious injury reports surfacing yet.  A good portion of northern Oklahoma City area is without power.   Report is there might have been a multiple vortex tornado south of Stillwater as well.   This is all still VERY breaking news info and subject to inaccuracies.

    UPDATE 5:11pm CST: Associate Press is reporting six homes were damaged or destroyed near Edmond. No casualties were immediately reported. Schoolchildren were being kept in locked down schools until the storm passed. Some structural damage was also reported in northwest Oklahoma City. One wall of a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant collapsed and windows were blown out, but no injuries were reported.  Signs were stripped and cars were damaged in the parking lot. Power lines, debris and debris littered an intersection in northwest Oklahoma City, and motorists were told to stay in their cars until crews could clear the power lines.  Oklahoma Gas and Electric spokesman Brian Alford said about 14,000 customers lost power. Lara O’Leary, a spokeswoman for Emergency Management Services Authority, said one injury had been reported so far. The person was cut by from a window.

    UPDATE: 7:37pm CST: Appears we have another confirmed tornado in Montague County, TX with one structure reported destroyed.

    UPDATE: 9:08 PM CST: Lone Grove, OK in southern OK near Ardmore has been hit with a devatating tornado.  Early reports from the Highway Patrol are that there are fatalities. No word on numbers yet.  Easrly reports are a trailer park may have been destroyed as well as the UPS facility.

    UPDATE:  10:30 PM CST: 3 confirmed dead and up to 50 injured in the Lone Grove tornado.