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.
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.
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 ONETHE 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 TWOTHE 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 THREETHE 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.