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EF1 tornado in Noble County, Oklahoma

Tornado May 13, 2009 · Noble County, Oklahoma

EF1
Rating
4.6 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 50 yards (0.03 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

Radar data and damage reports indicate the tornado traveled from one and one-half miles southwest of Billings to four miles east-southeast of Billings. Trees and power lines were damaged along its path as it moved east-southeast. Monetary damage estimates were not available.

The wider storm

A cold front moved south into Oklahoma during the evening of the 13th and early on the 14th. Widespread thunderstorms developed over much of the eastern two thirds of Oklahoma. Deep moisture and favorable atmospheric conditions allowed for thunderstorms to become severe along and south of the cold. A strong cap over western Oklahoma didn't allow for much development, although thunderstorms were able to develop west during the late evening hours. All forms of severe weather developed as several supercell thunderstorms developed. Hail up to baseball size, wind gusts over 60 mph, and four tornadoes were reported as the evening progressed. Damage was reported, especially with the tornadoes. The worst damage was reported with a tornado that moved from Gracemont to near Anadarko. Luckily, no injuries were reported with any of the damage.

Began near Billings (36.5140, -97.4540).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

3 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 175480. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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