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2013 Moore tornado
Clockwise from top: The tornado as it was approaching the city of Moore; EF5 damage to a home in eastern Moore; radar images of the Moore tornado with a debris ball and hook echo signature | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 20, 2013, 2:56 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | May 20, 2013, 3:35 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 39 minutes |
| EF5 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 210 mph (340 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 24 (+2 indirect) |
| Injuries | 212 |
| Damage | $2 billion (estimate)[1] |
| 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 | |
The 2013 Moore tornado was a large and violent EF5 tornado that ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas on the afternoon of May 20, 2013, with peak winds estimated at 210 miles per hour (340 km/h), killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities)[2] and injuring 212 others.[3] The tornado was part of a larger outbreak from a slow-moving weather system that had produced several other tornadoes across the Great Plains over the previous two days, including five that had 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 (19:56 UTC), and quickly became violent, persisting for 39 minutes on a 13.85-mile (22.3 km) path through a heavily populated section of Moore, causing catastrophic damage of EF4 to EF5 intensity, before dissipating at 3:35 p.m. CDT (20:35 UTC) outside of Moore. The tornado was over one mile (1.6 km) across at its peak width.[4]: 13 The 2013 Moore tornado followed a roughly similar track to the deadlier 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, which was rated F5; neither of the stricken schools in the area had acquired purpose-built storm shelters in the intervening years.[5]
The tornado caused catastrophic damage around the city of Moore, with 1,150 homes destroyed as a result. Damage estimates ranged up to $2 billion, making it the costliest tornado since the 2011 Joplin tornado. Taking a path through the heart of Moore, an estimated 13,500 people were directly affected by the tornado.[6] Large swaths of the city were completely destroyed and unofficial estimates placed the number of severely damaged or destroyed buildings at 1,500 with another 4,000 affected.[7] In contrast to the violent nature of the tornado, the death toll was relatively low. The tornado was ranked as the ninth-deadliest tornado in the state's history.[8] The lack of further fatalities was attributed to a 16-minute lead time on the Moore tornado given by the National Weather Service forecast office in Norman.[9] As of 2025, this tornado is the most recent to be rated EF5 officially before the EF5 drought.[10]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
damageswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
may1018was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma (2013). Oklahoma Event Report: EF5 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Archived from the original on May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
American Meteorological Societywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Obama offers solace in tornado-ravaged Oklahoma". AFP. May 27, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013 – via Yahoo! News.
- ^ "May 20, 2013 EF-5 Tornado Path and LandScan Population" (.jpg). National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma (Image). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ^ "Assessing the Damage Along the Tornado's Path in Oklahoma". The New York Times. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
- ^ "Top Ten Deadliest Oklahoma Tornadoes (1882–Present)". National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. January 12, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ Carey Gillam & Ian Simpson (May 22, 2013). "Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived". Reuters. Moore, Oklahoma. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ^ Henson, Bob (May 25, 2021). "It's been a record-long time since the last EF5 tornado. What does that mean? » Yale Climate Connections". Yale Climate Connections. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
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