2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado
2011 EF-5 tornado in Oklahoma / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado was a long-tracked and deadly EF5 tornado that struck central Oklahoma on the evening of May 24, 2011. The tornado impacted areas near or within the communities of El Reno, Piedmont, and Guthrie, killing nine and injuring 181. After producing incredible damage in several locations along a path of more than 60 miles (97 km), the El Reno–Piedmont tornado was given a rating of EF5, the highest category on the Enhanced Fujita scale. It was the first tornado rated EF5 or F5 to strike Oklahoma since the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado. A mobile radar found that the tornado possessed possible wind speeds of up to 295 mph (475 km/h).
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | May 24, 2011, 3:51 p.m. CDT (UTC–06:00) |
Dissipated | May 24, 2011, 5:35 p.m. CDT (UTC–06:00) |
EF5 tornado | |
on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
Highest winds |
|
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 9 |
Injuries | 181 |
Areas affected | Canadian County, Kingfisher County, Logan County, Central Oklahoma, United States |
Part of the tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 |
2011 was a prolific year for tornadoes and tornado-associated fatalities, with multiple destructive outbreaks. The El Reno–Piedmont tornado occurred during an outbreak across Oklahoma and the Great Plains that produced multiple violent tornadoes near the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on May 24, and was itself part of a tornado outbreak sequence spanning May 21–26. The Oklahoma storms came just two days after a devastating EF5 tornado in Joplin, Missouri on May 22, which killed 158 people and became the costliest tornado in U.S. history.
El Reno has infamously been the site of other intense tornadoes. On May 31, 2013, a tornado just south of the town became the largest ever recorded, with a width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km) and radar-indicated wind speeds well over 200 mph (320 km/h). The massive multiple-vortex tornado killed eight people, including three storm chasers, and received a damage rating of EF3.[2][3] In 2019, a brief tornado spawned from an intense squall line struck just southeast of El Reno, killing two people and injuring dozens while again receiving a rating of EF3.[4]