Archive

Oklahoma Tornado Topped Scale at EF-5

POWERFUL

17 miles long, 1.3 miles wide.

cheats/2013/05/21/oklahoma-tornado-was-ef-5-top-of-the-scale/tornado-states-iowa_npj6c7
Lori Mehmen/AP

A day after the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, was classified as an EF4, the National Weather Service upgraded its status to a scale-topping EF5, which the tornado achieved with winds over 200 miles per hour. The Weather Service said the storm's path was 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide. Of 1,000 tornadoes to hit the U.S. each year, only about one achieves EF5 status. As the storm's power rose on the scales, its human toll was lowered: after having reported as many as 91 dead Monday night, officials revised the death count to 24.

Read it at USA Today