TornadoLookup

Home / Oklahoma / Coal

EF1 tornado in Coal County, Oklahoma

Tornado May 20, 2013 · Coal County, Oklahoma

EF1
Rating
5.9 mi
Path length
250 yd
Path width
$30K
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 250 yards (0.14 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

Emergency management and spotters reported a tornado near Lehigh. Damage to trees and outbuildings occurred. Damages estimated.

The wider storm

A tornado outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening hours of the 20th. Several tornadoes occurred from central Oklahoma down through south central Oklahoma near the Red River. The strongest tornado touched down near Newcastle and traveled through Moore and south Oklahoma City. This tornado caused catastrophic damage in these areas, with a maximum rating of EF-5. The tornado claimed 24 lives and caused billions of dollars in damage. In addition to the tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds cause damage in many areas.

Began near Lehigh (34.4479, -96.2849).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

EF5 Moore Tornado (2013) 24 deadEF1 Stephens CountyEF0 Stephens CountyEF0 Lincoln County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 453289. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.