PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM MAY 10TH OUTBREAK...
Posted by Fred on 5/12/2010, 2:32 pm
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1150 AM CDT WED MAY 12 2010

...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM MAY 10TH OUTBREAK...

AS A RESULT OF THE TORNADIC SUPERCELLS THAT CROSSED THROUGH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA ON MAY 10 2010...WE RECEIVED MANY TORNADO REPORTS AND
DAMAGE REPORTS. THEREFORE...SIX SEPARATE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAMS WERE
DEPLOYED TUESDAY TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE. HERE ARE SOME PRELIMINARY
RESULTS.

REMEMBER THAT THIS INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING FURTHER
INVESTIGATION. WE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING OTHER DAMAGE AREAS AND IT
WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO COMPILE THE DETAILS OF EACH STORM.

SPECIAL THANKS GO TO VOLUNTEERS FROM THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS
LABORATORY...VORTEX 2...WARNING DECISION TRAINING BRANCH...THE STORM
PREDICTION CENTER...AND THE OU SCHOOL OF METEOROLOGY FOR THEIR
ASSISTANCE IN THE NUMEROUS DAMAGE SURVEYS REQUIRED.  ALSO THANKS TO
THE EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS AND CHASERS AROUND
OKLAHOMA WHO PROVIDED INVALUABLE INFORMATION BOTH DURING AND AFTER
THE EVENT.


...NORTHERN KAY COUNTY /TWO TORNADO TRACKS/...

NO SPECIFIC INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FOR THESE TORNADOES YET. TWO
PARALLEL TORNADO TRACKS WERE FOUND...AND THESE WERE THOUGHT TO BE
FROM THE SAME PARENT THUNDERSTORM.  ONE CROSSED INTO KANSAS NEAR
INTERSTATE 35...AND THE OTHER PARALLELED THAT TRACK ABOUT TWO MILES
TO THE SOUTH. BOTH OF THESE TRACKS EXTENDED WEST INTO GRANT
COUNTY...BUT THE SURVEY TEAM DID NOT HAVE TIME TO ASSESS THAT
SECTION OF THE TRACK.  

THE PORTION OF THE NORTHERN STORM TRACK IN KAY COUNTY ACHIEVED A
MAXIMUM RATING OF EF-3.  5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BRAMAN...A 3 STORY
HOUSE WAS DESTROYED WITH THIS TORNADO.  THE PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN
STORM TRACK IN KAY COUNTY ACHIEVED A MAXIMUM RATING OF EF-1. MORE
INFORMATION WILL BECOME AVAILABLE ABOUT THESE TWO TORNADOES IN
SUBSEQUENT DAYS.


...MOORE TO HARRAH TORNADO...

RATING:       EF-3
MAX WIDTH:    1/2 TO 3/4 MILES
PATH LENGTH:  AROUND 23 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 3.6 SSW MOORE
END POINT:    ABOUT 1.9 S HARRAH

THE TORNADO BEGAN SOMEWHERE JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND INDIAN
HILLS ROAD AND MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST. A BROAD AREA OF PRIMARILY
TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED THROUGH MOST OF THE TRACK IN MOORE...BETWEEN
THE INTERSTATE AND STANLEY DRAPER LAKE. THE DAMAGE PATH BECAME MORE
FOCUSED AND INTENSE AFTER THE TORNADO HAD PASSED OVER STANLEY DRAPER
LAKE.  AREAS OF EF-2 TO EF-3 DAMAGE WERE NOTED FROM NEAR HIWASSEE
ROAD AND SE 89TH THROUGH MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF THE TRACK. NEAR
INTERSTATE 40...THE TORNADO IMPACTED SEVERAL BUSINESSES...WITH EF-3
DAMAGE NOTED AT A LOVES GAS STATION AND EF-2 DAMAGE ACROSS THE
STREET TO THE SONIC RESTAURANT.


...NORTHERN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY...

RATING:       EF-3
MAX WIDTH:    1/2 MILE
PATH LENGTH:  AROUND 9 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 4.7 NNW PINK
END POINT:    ABOUT 5.0 NW SHAWNEE

THIS TORNADO DEVELOPED LESS THAN A MILE INSIDE OF THE POTTAWATOMIE
COUNTY BORDER AND MOVED NORTHEAST...LIFTING JUST BEFORE IT REACHED
INTERSTATE 40.  SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED ALONG THE PATH.
SEVERAL HOMES WERE DESTROYED EXCEPT FOR ONE OR TWO INTERIOR WALLS.
SOME TREES WERE DEBARKED.  METAL POLES FROM A BARN...EMBEDDED IN
CONCRETE...WERE RIPPED OUT OF THE GROUND WITH THE CONCRETE STILL
ATTACHED.  A TRAIN BOX CAR WAS ROLLED ABOUT 300 YARDS.


...NORMAN TO LITTLE AXE TO PINK TORNADO...

RATING:       EF-3
MAX WIDTH:    1/2 MILE
PATH LENGTH:  AT LEAST 16 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 3.2 S NORMAN
END POINT:    NOT YET ASSESSED

THIS TORNADO DAMAGE PATH IS NOT YET COMPLETELY SURVEYED. THE SURVEY
TEAM HAD TO STOP THE SURVEY JUST WEST OF THE CLEVELAND-POTTAWATOMIE
COUNTY BORDER.  AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THIS DAMAGE PATH
IS SEPARATE FROM THE DAMAGE PATH THAT BEGAN NEAR TECUMSEH. THIS
TORNADO DEVELOPED VERY CLOSE TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER CENTER. DAMAGE
INTENSITY INCREASED GRADUALLY ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PATH.  THE
MOST SEVERE DAMAGE WAS NOTED FROM NEAR THE LITTLE AXE SCHOOL TO THE
COUNTY LINE.  IN THE CLEAR DAMAGE PATH...TREES WERE STRIPPED OF SOME
BARK AND BRANCHES.  LARGE OBJECTS WERE THROWN CONSIDERABLE
DISTANCES...INCLUDING SOME CONCRETE PILLARS AND METAL BLEACHERS NEAR
THE LITTLE AXE SCHOOL THAT WERE TOSSED OR ROLLED SEVERAL HUNDRED
YARDS.  SOME APPLIANCES WERE ALSO LOFTED AS A DRYER WAS FOUND TO
HAVE SETTLED ABOUT 50 FEET UP IN A TREE.  THERE WAS ALSO
CONSIDERABLE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...AS SOME FOUNDATION HOMES WERE
MOSTLY DESTROYED.  THIS TORNADO ALSO CROSSED LAKE THUNDERBIRD AND
DAMAGED A MARINA WITH ABOUT 300 BOATS.


...OTHER NORMAN TORNADO...

RATING:       EF-1
MAX WIDTH:    NOT YET ASSESSED
PATH LENGTH:  AROUND 1.5 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 3.6 S NORMAN
END POINT:    ABOUT 3.6 SE NORMAN

A GAP IN DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE SOUTH OF THE MAIN DAMAGE PATH
CLOSER TO HIGHWAY 9.  ANOTHER TORNADO DAMAGE PATH WAS FOUND FURTHER
TO THE SOUTH. THIS SEPARATE TORNADO WAS ALSO CORROBORATED BY A FEW
INDEPENDENT EYEWITNESSES. MINOR DAMAGE TO HOMES AND TREE DAMAGE WAS
NOTED ALONG THIS PARALLEL TORNADO TRACK.


...TORNADO THAT MERGED EAST OF LAKE THUNDERBIRD...

RATING:       EF-2
MAX WIDTH:    1/4 MILE
PATH LENGTH:  ABOUT 7 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 8.5 ENE NOBLE
END POINT:    ABOUT 2.7 SW PINK

ANOTHER TORNADO DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL CLEVELAND COUNTY...AND THE
DAMAGE PATH CONTINUED NORTHEAST UNTIL IT WAS FOUND TO MERGE WITH THE
PRIMARY TORNADO TRACK THAT HAD CROSSED LAKE THUNDERBIRD.  IN
ADDITION TO TREE DAMAGE...A CELL TOWER WAS MANGLED AND DOWNED...AND
THE COUNTRY BOY LOCAL STORE ALONG HIGHWAY 9 RECEIVED SOME STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE. NEAR THIS STORE...AND TOWARDS THE MERGER POINT...THE
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND TREE DAMAGE WERE SUPPORTIVE OF AN EF-2 RATING.


...TECUMSEH TO CROMWELL AND POINTS EAST TORNADO...

RATING:       EF-3
MAX WIDTH:    3/4 TO 1 MILE
PATH LENGTH:  AT LEAST 30 MILES ONLY COUNTING NWS NORMAN PORTION
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 2.8 WSW TECUMSEH
END POINT:    CONTINUED INTO NWS TULSA AREA ABOUT 0.8 E CROMWELL

THIS LONG TRACK TORNADO MOVED FROM POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY INTO
SEMINOLE COUNTY...AND THEN CROSSED INTO OKFUSKEE COUNTY WHICH IS IN
THE NWS TULSA COUNTY WARNING AREA.  THE TORNADO CAUSED SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE ALONG THE ENTIRE TRACK...WITH NO NOTABLE GAPS IN DAMAGE ALONG
THE LENGTH OF THE PATH SURVEYED.  AT TIMES...THE DAMAGE FIELD
WIDENED TO ABOUT 3/4 OF A MILE WIDE...POSSIBLY UP TO 1 MILE WIDE.  
THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE SEEMED TO BE JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF
EARLSBORO NEAR THE POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE COUNTY BORDER.  IT WAS IN
THIS LOCATION THAT A 5 BEDROOM...2 STORY FOUNDATION HOUSE WAS
DESTROYED EXCEPT FOR SEVERAL INTERIOR WALLS NEAR THE BATHROOM. IN
THIS SAME VICINITY...A PICKUP TRUCK APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN LOFTED FOR
ABOUT 1/4 MILE...AND A SEMI TRAILER WAS ROLLED OR LOFTED FOR A FEW
HUNDRED YARDS.  BOTH OF THESE LARGE MISSILES WERE DRAWN FROM THE
NORTHERN HALF OF THE DAMAGE PATH TOWARDS THE CENTER.  A LITTLE
FURTHER EAST...7 HIGH TENSION TOWERS WERE DOWNED.  ALONG THE ENTIRE
PATH...TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED...AND A FEW TREES WERE DEBARKED AND
STRIPPED OF ALL THEIR BRANCHES.


...CENTRAL CARTER COUNTY...

RATING:       EF-3
MAX WIDTH:    400 YARDS
PATH LENGTH:  4.9 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 6.0 NNW LONE GROVE
END POINT:    ABOUT 7.0 N LONE GROVE

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AREA RESIDENTS INDICATE THIS WAS A WEDGE TORNADO.
AT LEAST FOUR MOBILE HOMES AND 1 FOUNDATION HOME WERE DESTROYED. THE
FOUNDATION HOME HAD NEARLY ALL EXTERIOR WALLS REMOVED WITH ONLY
INTERIOR WALLS REMAINING. OTHER HOMES AND OUTBUILDINGS IN THE AREA
SUSTAINED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE.  WIDESPREAD TREE AND POWER LINE
DAMAGE WAS NOTED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE TRACK...AND SOME HIGH
TENSION LINES WERE DOWNED NEAR THE AREA OF MOST INTENSE DAMAGE.


...EASTERN LOVE COUNTY...

RATING:       EF-1
MAX WIDTH:    150 TO 200 YARDS
PATH LENGTH:  AROUND 2 MILES
BEGIN POINT:  ABOUT 5.1 ENE MARIETTA
END POINT:    ABOUT 7.3 ENE MARIETTA

LOTS OF TREE DAMAGE NOTED ALONG THE TRACK. NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THE
PATH A LOCAL STORE WAS DAMAGED...AND THIS DAMAGE WAS RATED EF-1.
OTHER OUTBUILDINGS ALONG THE TRACK WERE DAMAGED. SURVEYORS FOLLOWED
THE TRACK AS FAR AS THEY COULD AS THE PATH ENDED NEAR THE RED RIVER.
SEVERAL INDEPENDENT EYEWITNESS REPORTS SUGGESTED THAT TWO TORNADOES
OCCURRED ABOUT 10 MINUTES APART...IN THE SAME DAMAGE PATH IN THIS
AREA. WE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THAT THEORY...AND IN THE MEANTIME
THE DAMAGE WILL BE CLASSIFIED AS ONE TORNADO.

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