8 Years Ago Today

[Category 5]

The Most powerful and distructive tornado in U.S history. The tornado that pushed the limits of the Fujita scale.






I believe that this was the last confirmed F5 tornado in the U.S also.

[MGC]

I just returned from Norman OK a couple of weeks ago. One of the instructors of the class I was attending lives in Moore. We were talking about tornadoes and the May 99 F5 tornado came up. Seems the tornado tracked less than 100 yards south of his house. He said he though he and his family were going to die and that they said their goodbyes to each other while huddled in a closet. Luckly for them the twister swerved right and missed. He said the last look he had a the tornado it looked like a wall of churning debris. I was out in OKC a few weeks after the May 99 tornado. The swath of destruction was incredible. Thought I'd never see anything like it again until Katrina.......MGC

[Category 5]

[HurricaneBill]

I honestly think they've gotten stricter with the ratings. Especially after the La Plata tornado incident. It's like a can of worms got opened.

[Category 5]

Stricter or not, 318mph? thats an F5 on anybodys scale.

I haven't really looked over the EF scale yet, where would it rank as?

[Cyclenall]

I have no idea why the thread was made yesterday since the tornado actually occurred on May 3, 1999. Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history. Along with that, it was also the costliest tornado in US history causing around 1 billion dollars in damage. The funnel was beyond a mile wide at some points and was part of a 60 tornado outbreak that hit Oklahoma which is incredible.

[Category 5]

I have no idea why the thread was made yesterday since the tornado actually occurred on May 3, 1999. Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history. Along with that, it was also the costliest tornado in US history causing around 1 billion dollars in damage. The funnel was beyond a mile wide at some points and was part of a 60 tornado outbreak that hit Oklahoma which is incredible.

I originally titled it "8 years ago thursday" I changed it this morning.

[stormcrow]

What sticks out in my mind was seeing building slabs were everything was gone, including the grass.

[baygirl_1]

I definitely remember that night. My brother and his family were living in OKC. He was going to school in Norman. Actually, if memory serves me well, my brother came through on the interstate and made it to the house just ahead of the storms. They hunkered down in their basement near downtown OKC. That tornado went through about 2-3 miles away from their home. They said it was the most awful sound, even though it was a good ways from them. Then, all of us back here in 'Bama were on pins and needles til we heard from them. The pictures and stories out of there were horrible and terrifying.

[HurricaneBill]

Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history.

It wouldn't have been an F6.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/may3faqs.php

Of course, I'm not trying to downplay the tornado. This tornado was a monster.

[Category 5]

it was all happening right now

[CrazyC83]

Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history.

It wouldn't have been an F6.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/may3faqs.php

Of course, I'm not trying to downplay the tornado. This tornado was a monster.

They would have still classified it as F5 even if the winds were recorded at 418 mph. There is no way to give any clues of higher ratings if everything was flattened and blown away (the definition of F5).

[Valkhorn]

Most powerful and destructive?

The Udall, Jarell, Elkhart, Tri-State and Xenia tornados were at the top of the scale too.

[Cyclenall]

I have no idea why the thread was made yesterday since the tornado actually occurred on May 3, 1999. Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history. Along with that, it was also the costliest tornado in US history causing around 1 billion dollars in damage. The funnel was beyond a mile wide at some points and was part of a 60 tornado outbreak that hit Oklahoma which is incredible.

I originally titled it "8 years ago thursday" I changed it this morning.

That makes a lot more sense now then.

It wouldn't have been an F6.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/1999 ... y3faqs.php

Of course, I'm not trying to downplay the tornado. This tornado was a monster.

I know all that, it's just an idea that's played around with when talking about the DOW wind readings and how it was so close to going "over" the max F5 speed. They base the F5 on the damage and not the winds. I never have seen that link before but it's worth reading.

[HurricaneBill]

Most powerful and destructive?

The Udall, Jarell, Elkhart, Tri-State and Xenia tornados were at the top of the scale too.

The Elkhart tornado was an F4, although some suspect it may have been an F5.

[Valkhorn]

The Elkhart tornado was an F4, although some suspect it may have been an F5.

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnatu ... break.html

According to this it was a solid F5

[TampaSteve]

Today is the 8th anniversary of the most powerful tornado we have ever recorded. It's winds were around 318 mph...just 1 mph short of being the first F6 tornado ever to have occurred in recorded history.

It wouldn't have been an F6.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/may3faqs.php

Of course, I'm not trying to downplay the tornado. This tornado was a monster.

Exactly...to me, F5 is like Category 5 for hurricanes...it's open-ended at the top...there is no higher category in use.

[TampaSteve]

The Most powerful and destructive tornado in U.S history. The tornado that pushed the limits of the Fujita scale.

I believe that this was the last confirmed F5 tornado in the U.S also.

Yup...it's been 8 years, so we are way overdue for an F5. Unless, of course, the one in Greensburg, KS was an F5...sure looks like it could have been.