Moore tornado of 2013 was one of the most destructive tornadoes in Oklahoma history. It struck Moore, Oklahoma, and other communities near Oklahoma City on May 20, 2013. The powerful storm killed dozens of people and left a wide path of destruction.
At about 2:45 p.m. on May 20, during a severe thunderstorm, a tornado began to form southwest of Oklahoma City. At 2:56 p.m., the tornado touched ground about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the town of Newcastle. Growing in intensity, the tornado struck Newcastle. It then continued north and east, reaching Moore at 3:17 p.m. Observers described the twister as unusually wide, measuring more than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) across. The tornado traveled a total of about 17 miles (27 kilometers) before dissipating around 3:35 p.m.
The Moore tornado had wind speeds of more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, the scale commonly used to classify tornadoes, it measured EF5—the strongest rating. See Tornado (table: The Enhanced Fujita scale) .
The tornado leveled entire neighborhoods in Moore. It struck two schools, including Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students were killed. For days after the tornado, residents and emergency personnel worked to free people trapped under rubble and debris. Officials reported that 24 people had died, and more than 200 were injured.
Central Oklahoma has one of the highest incidences of tornado strikes in the world. It lies in an area known as Tornado Alley, which stretches across the central and southern United States. In May 1999, one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded—with winds of up to 318 miles (512 kilometers) per hour—struck Moore and other communities nearby. Dozens of people were killed, and about 2,000 homes were destroyed. Very strong tornadoes also struck the town in May 2003 and May 2010.
Less than a week before the Moore tornado of 2013, on May 15, a powerful tornado struck the town of Granbury, Texas. The EF4 tornado killed six people and destroyed dozens of buildings.
On May 31, a powerful EF3 tornado up to 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) wide struck the Oklahoma City area near El Reno. National Weather Service officials called the tornado, which killed nine people, the widest in U.S. history.
See also Tornado ; Tornado Alley .
