2019 brought a record-setting number of twisters to one state in Tornado Alley
By
Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jan 2, 2020 9:56 PM EDT
Situated smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley, Oklahoma is no stranger to damaging twisters, but in 2019, more tornadoes than ever before were reported in the state.
A record number of tornadoes occurred in Oklahoma in 2019 with a total of 147 just beating the old record of 145 set in 1999, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston.
This image made from video provided by KWTV-KOTV shows two funnel clouds formed in Crescent, Oklahoma, Monday, May 20, 2019. An intense storm system that weather forecasters labeled "particularly dangerous" swept through the southern Plains Monday, spawning a few tornadoes that caused some damage and a deluge of rain. (KWTV-KOTV via AP)
AccuWeather’s 2019 forecast released in February accurately pinpointed the areas to be hit hardest this year, with a higher frequency of severe weather risks in the traditional Tornado Alley -- notably Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Texas – which is more than those areas had experienced on average the previous three years.
"The previous record in 1999 was set in part thanks to a devastating tornado outbreak on May 3 and 4 which included the famous F5 twister that pummeled Moore, Oklahoma, located just south of Oklahoma City," Boston said.
Although the number of tornadoes in Oklahoma was a record this year, most were rated EF0, with wind speeds around 65-85 mph, and EF1, with speeds ranging from 86-110 mph, according to Boston.
There were 10 EF2 twisters and only three EF3 twisters, with no EF4 or EF5 tornadoes reported in the state in 2019.
Emergency workers search through debris from a mobile home park in El Reno, Oklahoma, Sunday, May 26, 2019, following a tornado touchdown late Saturday night. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
"The most significant tornado was an EF3 twister that plowed through Bryan County bordering Texas along the Red River in the southeastern part of Oklahoma. The twister occurred on April 30 and killed four people, destroyed 19 homes and damaged 20 more," Boston said.
"The 'setup' which brought Oklahoma the record tornado count in 2019 was multiple storm systems moving out of the southwestern United States northeastward right across Oklahoma combined with an abnormally persistent southeasterly low-level flow of warm and humid air originating off the Gulf of Mexico," Boston said.
Spring and summer were usually warm and muggy in Oklahoma, helping to fuel severe weather episodes, according to Boston.
A deadly EF3 tornado hit El Reno, Oklahoma, for the second time in six years, killing two, injuring 29 and leaving an extensive trail of damage in a short amount of time.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and his daughter, Piper, examine tornado damage in El Reno with first responders on May 27, 2019.
(Photo/Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt)
El Reno Mayor Matt White described the scene at the mobile home park as "horrific" during a press conference after the event.
The inflation-adjusted annual tornado running total – which attempts to remove overcount by multiplying the preliminary total by 0.85 – is 1,442, according to NOAA. Tornadoes killed 41 people in 2019, which fell well below the average of 80 U.S. fatalities annually, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center reported.
Tornado-related fatalities have been trending downward in recent years despite more people living in tornado-prone areas.
In 2018, the U.S. set a record low for the number of fatalities with just 10 people killed, the lowest number since tornado fatality record-keeping began in 1875. The previous record low total was 12 in 1910.
The reasons for this trend include advances in weather science and technology, the increasing accuracy and speed of processing warnings and the effectiveness of warning methods such as through mobile apps, as well as better cooperation between government weather services and the American weather industry that includes AccuWeather.
AccuWeather is a proud and early partner of NOAA’s WeatherReady Nation resiliency program, which helps to continue this trend, and the company is proud to get these lifesaving warnings out to the public rapidly and accurately through its apps and website.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
2019 brought a record-setting number of twisters to one state in Tornado Alley
By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jan 2, 2020 9:56 PM EDT
Situated smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley, Oklahoma is no stranger to damaging twisters, but in 2019, more tornadoes than ever before were reported in the state.
A record number of tornadoes occurred in Oklahoma in 2019 with a total of 147 just beating the old record of 145 set in 1999, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston.
This image made from video provided by KWTV-KOTV shows two funnel clouds formed in Crescent, Oklahoma, Monday, May 20, 2019. An intense storm system that weather forecasters labeled "particularly dangerous" swept through the southern Plains Monday, spawning a few tornadoes that caused some damage and a deluge of rain. (KWTV-KOTV via AP)
AccuWeather’s 2019 forecast released in February accurately pinpointed the areas to be hit hardest this year, with a higher frequency of severe weather risks in the traditional Tornado Alley -- notably Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Texas – which is more than those areas had experienced on average the previous three years.
"The previous record in 1999 was set in part thanks to a devastating tornado outbreak on May 3 and 4 which included the famous F5 twister that pummeled Moore, Oklahoma, located just south of Oklahoma City," Boston said.
Although the number of tornadoes in Oklahoma was a record this year, most were rated EF0, with wind speeds around 65-85 mph, and EF1, with speeds ranging from 86-110 mph, according to Boston.
There were 10 EF2 twisters and only three EF3 twisters, with no EF4 or EF5 tornadoes reported in the state in 2019.
Emergency workers search through debris from a mobile home park in El Reno, Oklahoma, Sunday, May 26, 2019, following a tornado touchdown late Saturday night. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
"The most significant tornado was an EF3 twister that plowed through Bryan County bordering Texas along the Red River in the southeastern part of Oklahoma. The twister occurred on April 30 and killed four people, destroyed 19 homes and damaged 20 more," Boston said.
"The 'setup' which brought Oklahoma the record tornado count in 2019 was multiple storm systems moving out of the southwestern United States northeastward right across Oklahoma combined with an abnormally persistent southeasterly low-level flow of warm and humid air originating off the Gulf of Mexico," Boston said.
Spring and summer were usually warm and muggy in Oklahoma, helping to fuel severe weather episodes, according to Boston.
A deadly EF3 tornado hit El Reno, Oklahoma, for the second time in six years, killing two, injuring 29 and leaving an extensive trail of damage in a short amount of time.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and his daughter, Piper, examine tornado damage in El Reno with first responders on May 27, 2019.
El Reno Mayor Matt White described the scene at the mobile home park as "horrific" during a press conference after the event.
The inflation-adjusted annual tornado running total – which attempts to remove overcount by multiplying the preliminary total by 0.85 – is 1,442, according to NOAA. Tornadoes killed 41 people in 2019, which fell well below the average of 80 U.S. fatalities annually, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center reported.
Related:
Tornado-related fatalities have been trending downward in recent years despite more people living in tornado-prone areas.
In 2018, the U.S. set a record low for the number of fatalities with just 10 people killed, the lowest number since tornado fatality record-keeping began in 1875. The previous record low total was 12 in 1910.
The reasons for this trend include advances in weather science and technology, the increasing accuracy and speed of processing warnings and the effectiveness of warning methods such as through mobile apps, as well as better cooperation between government weather services and the American weather industry that includes AccuWeather.
AccuWeather is a proud and early partner of NOAA’s WeatherReady Nation resiliency program, which helps to continue this trend, and the company is proud to get these lifesaving warnings out to the public rapidly and accurately through its apps and website.
Report a Typo