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On this day, May 20, 2013, 24 people were killed when an EF5 tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma.
2013 Moore tornado
The tornado as it was approaching the city of Moore.
Meteorological history
Duration: 39 minutes
Formed: 2:56 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), May 20, 2013
Dissipated: 3:35 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), May 20, 2013
Highest winds: 210 mph (340 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities: 24 (+2 indirect)
Injuries: 212
Damage: $2 billion (estimate)
Areas affected: McClain and Cleveland counties in Oklahoma; particularly the city of Moore
Part of the Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013 and Tornadoes of 2013
On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado ravaged through Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, with peak winds estimated at 210 mph (340 km/h), killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities ) and injuring 212 others. The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes across the Great Plains over the previous two days, including five that struck portions of Central Oklahoma the day prior on May 19.
The tornado touched down just northwest of Newcastle at 2:56 p.m. CDT (19:46 UTC), and stayed on the ground for 39 minutes over a 17-mile (27 km) path, crossing through a heavily populated section of Moore. The tornado was 1.08 miles (1.74 km) wide at its peak. It followed a roughly similar track to the deadlier 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, which was smaller in size but just as severe; however, very few homes and neither of the stricken schools in the area had purpose-built storm shelters in the intervening years since the earlier tornado struck Moore.
As of 2023, this is the most recent tornado to be rated EF5.
{snip}
The tornado as it was approaching the city of Moore.
Meteorological history
Duration: 39 minutes
Formed: 2:56 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), May 20, 2013
Dissipated: 3:35 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00), May 20, 2013
Highest winds: 210 mph (340 km/h)
Overall effects
Fatalities: 24 (+2 indirect)
Injuries: 212
Damage: $2 billion (estimate)
Areas affected: McClain and Cleveland counties in Oklahoma; particularly the city of Moore
Part of the Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013 and Tornadoes of 2013
On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado ravaged through Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, with peak winds estimated at 210 mph (340 km/h), killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities ) and injuring 212 others. The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes across the Great Plains over the previous two days, including five that struck portions of Central Oklahoma the day prior on May 19.
The tornado touched down just northwest of Newcastle at 2:56 p.m. CDT (19:46 UTC), and stayed on the ground for 39 minutes over a 17-mile (27 km) path, crossing through a heavily populated section of Moore. The tornado was 1.08 miles (1.74 km) wide at its peak. It followed a roughly similar track to the deadlier 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, which was smaller in size but just as severe; however, very few homes and neither of the stricken schools in the area had purpose-built storm shelters in the intervening years since the earlier tornado struck Moore.
As of 2023, this is the most recent tornado to be rated EF5.
{snip}