1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak

1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
A tornado near Anadarko, Oklahoma, on May 3, 1999
DurationMay 2–8, 1999
Highest winds
Tornadoes
confirmed
152
Max. rating1F5 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2
6 days, 1 hour and 35 minutes
Largest hail4.5 in (11 cm) in diameter (multiple locations on May 3)[3]
Fatalities50 fatalities (+7 non-tornadic), 895 injuries
Damage$1.5 billion (1997 USD) 2.76 Billion (2024 USD) [4]
Areas affectedCentral and Eastern United States

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak was a significant tornado outbreak that affected much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States, with the highest record-breaking wind speeds of 301 ± 20 mph (484 ± 32 km/h). During this week-long event, 154 tornadoes touched down (including one in Canada). More than half of them were on May 3 and 4 when activity reached its peak over Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas.

The most significant tornado first touched down southwest of Chickasha, Oklahoma, and became an F5 before dissipating near Midwest City. The tornado tore through southern and eastern parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs of Bridge Creek, Moore, Del City, Tinker Air Force Base and Midwest City, directly killed 40 people and 45 people total,[5] destroyed more than 8,000 homes, and caused $1 billion in damage. With a total of 72 tornadoes, it was the most prolific tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history, although not the deadliest.

  1. ^ "Doppler On Wheels". 3 May 1999. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Tennessee Event Report: Thunderstorm Wind". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  3. ^ "Storm Events Database: May 2–8, 1999 Hail 4.00 in and Larger". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  4. ^ "Storm Events Database: May 2–7, 1999 Tornadoes". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  5. ^ "Oklahoma tornado deaths-3 May 1999". NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

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