81 Oklahoma Tornado Facts: Read About The Horrors Caused By Them

Believe it or not, a large number of twisty tornadoes have flattened and destroyed many neighborhoods in Oklahoma and killing dozens.

Oklahoma has seen some real violent tornado storms throughout its history. Oklahoma has seen some of the worst tornadoes, more than the rest of the American states.

In Oklahoma, the period when the state starts experiencing tornadoes is no joke.

A tornado is a rotating column of air that is moving at high speeds that starts from a thunderstorm cloud in the sky and touches the ground. The width of most tornadoes is normally a bit narrow but at times, they can widen up to half a mile or even more!

The month of May is when most of the tornadoes take place in Oklahoma City and other parts of Oklahoma.

The state of Oklahoma sees about 57 tornadoes and storms in a year and the damage that they bring to the people and their homes is equally massive.

May 3, 1999, saw the most number of tornadoes and also some of the worst ones to hit Oklahoma and this event will never leave the minds of the people of the country.

Oklahoma City, which is the capital of Oklahoma also tends to get the most tornado hits because it is located near the Tornado Alley, a place in Oklahoma where the occurrence of storms, flash flooding, and tornadoes are frequent.

Oklahoma City has also been known to have experienced the same tornado or two different tornadoes about 26 times in a single day!

Even Moore is situated on the Tornado Alley and as a result, Moore has experienced around 20 tornadoes from 1890 to 2013.

The Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado wreaked havoc in Central Oklahoma, Bridge-Creek, Moore, Oklahoma City.

The day had begun with gloomy, gray weather but it wasn't one that raised warning bells among the residents. People got ready to go about on their agenda and work for the day while the kids got to their schools.

However as the day progressed, what was initially taken to be normal weather soon turned into severe weather.

The weather forecast observed a negative, broad, and tilted low-pressure trough that was forming and spreading towards the western part of the United States, with heavy rain and a storm breaking out.

Within this low-pressure, forecasters at the National Weather Service office recognized another small and faster occurrence zipping through the Desert Southwest and making its way to the Southern Plains and they speculated that it could have been the same storm moving at a fast speed.

This progressed into a deadly tornado that was about a billion dollars in damage. The Bridge Creek and Moore tornado struck about 36 residents, injured at least 583, and demolished many homes as the twister moved from town to town.

The strength of this tornado made the National Weather Service issue its very first tornado warning.

Another deadly tornado among all the tornados that Oklahoma and Oklahoma city has seen was the El-Reno tornado and this tornado hit Central Oklahoma, the Canadian county, and areas towards the south of El-Reno.

It was the widest tornado to be ever seen in the world to date, being equal to the North and South length of New York's Central Park.

This tornado killed around 13 people including the famous storm chaser Tim Samaras. Recently, it has been observed that an E5 tornado has not yet hit the country for a record period of eight years!

The massive size of this tornado, the speed at which it was moving in the air, and the severe storms and weather that accompanied it were the main factors that caught many storm chasers and motorists without any warning.

If you enjoy this article on Oklahoma tornado facts, be sure to check out our Indiana tornado history fun facts for kids or the Biggest tornado in history awesome facts that you are sure to enjoy.

Facts About Oklahoma's Tornadoes

Since 1950, the state of Oklahoma has had about 4,484 tornadoes which have led to around 348 deaths and 5,300 injuries.

Due to the frequency of tornadoes in the city of Oklahoma, the people living there and the local population have developed tornado shelters where they stock up essential items that they would need when a tornado or storm warning is issued by the National Weather Service.

The tornado season is one that is not taken lightly by the folks of Oklahoma state. Many tornado occurrences in the state remain fresh in the minds of many Okies.

For instance, the damage caused by the tornado that hit the tiny town of Pryor on April 27, 1942, killing 52 people, and another tragic tornado that hit the on May 3, 1999, that affected parts of Moore, Bridge-Creek, Central Oklahoma, and the capital, Oklahoma City.

Usually, violent and strong tornadoes occur in the month of April and most tornadoes occur in May. During these months, tornadoes start to form during the mid-afternoon to early evening periods.

Facts About Damage Caused By Tornadoes In Oklahoma

Tornadoes, be it in Oklahoma or any other state or city, tend to demolish anything and everyone that comes in their way. People lose their lives, the lives of their loved ones, their homes, their belongings, and their jobs.

Everything can be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

A tornado with high-speed winds can completely break bridges, flips cars and even trains, uproot some big and heavy trees, and demolish buildings. The damages that tornadoes cause are quite extreme because most of the time they are accompanied by severe storms and heavy rain.

Facts About Death Caused By Tornadoes In Oklahoma

Oklahoma City and its metropolitan area are highly susceptible to tornadoes and have experienced around 4,471 tornadoes in total since 1950. Even the southern suburb of Moore has seen some deadly and devastating tornadoes too.

Every time a tornado hits a city, people lose their lives mainly because they are either struck down by flying objects or unable to keep themselves safe with the right safety measures during a tornado.

In Oklahoma, the tornado that took place on April 27, 1942, took around 57 lives, injured many, and the tiny town of Pryor was almost torn down!

Another tornado called the Bridge-Creek and Moore tornado that occurred on May 3, 1999, claimed approximately 36 lives.

Again on April 12, 1945, a tornado twisted through the small town of Antlers. This tornado ended up killing 69 people who had no idea that a tornado was approaching their town.

Sadly, the following day, The Oklahoman didn't mention anything about this tornado but instead, the paper highlighted the unexpected death of Franklin. D. Roosevelt.

Facts About Oklahoma's Tornado History

Oklahoma has always been an American state that's known for its tornado reputation. The residents of this state have been through a lot and are still making coming to terms with the aftermath of all the tornadoes that the state has gone through.

There have been about eight F5/EF5 tornadoes in Oklahoma since 1950 and the state sees most tornadoes in the month of May but the deadliest ones in the month of April.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you like our suggestions for 81 Oklahoma Tornado facts then why not take a look at the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado or the 1997 Miami tornado.