Huge and deadly tornado leaves a trail of destruction in Oklahoma, USA
Image credit: The news helicopter from kfor.com caught this image of the shocking near-total destruction of a huge area of Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013.
Severe weather continues in contiguous US. An EF-4 tornado (winds 270 – 320 km/h, Enhanced Fujita scale 0 – 5) nearly 1600 meters wide touched down in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013 causing devastating damage. Moore tornado is likely to be one of the five most damaging tornadoes in history.
According to local police, entire neighborhoods were leveled. The tornado flattened homes and flinged cars through the air. At least two schools were crushed with children still in them. Authorities said many people remained trapped in crushed buildings.
By latest reports at least 91 people were killed and as many as 30 elementary students unaccounted for. At least 145 people are being treated for injuries.
The news helicopter from kfor.com caught this image of the shocking near-total destruction of a huge area of Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013.
Keli Pirtle, a spokeswoman for the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, said the tornado touched down at 2:56 p.m., 16 minutes after the first warning went out, and traveled for 20 miles (32 km). It was on the ground for 40 minutes.
- Images: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/oklahoma-plains-tornadoes-slideshow-20130520
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4z2G0ustls
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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