Storms swept through Oklahoma City area on Friday generated an EF5 tornado and violent flash floods. The tornado was the widest one ever recorded it was 2.6 miles long.
Oklahoma emergency officials have said many of those who died in Oklahoma City were drowning victims who were swept away while taking shelter from the tornado in storm drainage ditches.
Nine of the 20 victims died from blunt force injuries typical from flying debris in tornadoes. The cause of death for two of the victims is listed as drowning. The storm broke the record held by a 2.5 mile wide Hallam, Nebraska tornado.Researchers dont know why the tornado got as big and powerful as it did and its strength wasnt immediately apparent as it went through a rural area leaving few of the physical clues that help determine wind speeds.
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| Flooding in Oklahoma |
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| Storm chasers |
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| Some of the damage |
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| The storm ripped a road up |
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| The tornado |
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| Tornado Hunter car tossed 200 feet |
The twister was originally rated an EF 3 before measurements after boosted the storms rating to EF5 the highest possible.The huge funnel that tore through El Reno was also made up of multiple smaller tornadoes rotating like horses around a merry go round one scientist said. But no one knows what gave them there strength.Severe flooding was the big issue Saturday as officials began surveying damage from
tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City metro area Friday killing 9 and injuring more than 100 people.The storm the second fatal one to strike the region in 11 days made several tornadoes toppled cars and left commuters trapped on an interstate highway during Fridays evening rush. Law enforcement officers and Red Cross workers headed to hard hit areas after dawn to assess the damage.The storm also brought heavy rain and hail. Floodwaters topped 4 feet in Oklahoma City early Saturday and were expected to rise as flash flooding continued in parts of the state. Across east and central Oklahoma repeated rounds of thunderstorms have produced between 4 to 7 inches of rain since midnight Saturday.Some highways were still closed because of downed powerlines.The storm hit El Reno hard which was a city that was hit hard from the weeks tornadoes before and 20 people died there.
