EF3 tornado in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

A tornado touched down near Southeast 59th Street and Eastern Avenue in Oklahoma City, and moved north along Eastern Avenue, then northwest crossing Interstate 35 near and south of Southeast 44th Street before turning west and dissipating near Southeast 44th Street and Lindsay Avenue. The most significant damage occurred just east of Interstate 35 where a motel sustained significant damage losing most walls on the second floor (DI 6, DOD 8) and significant damage to many recreational vehicles at an adjacent RV park. While not directly related to the tornado, one woman perished while seeking shelter from the tornado in a below ground storm cellar. Heavy rains flooded the cellar, and the woman drowned.

A potent Spring storm system took shape across the Southern and Central Plains. Strong surface cyclogenesis took shape during the day, allowing ample moisture to return northward with strong southerly flow. At the same time, a strong upper level shortwave trough allowed strong mid level westerlies to overspread much of the Plains region. With large instability and wind shear, the stage was set for widespread severe storm development. Storms initiated within the open warm sector ahead of the dryline. The first storm developed near Lawton and moved northeast along I-44 into parts of central Oklahoma, resulting in several tornadoes and large hail. Additional supercells spawned tornadoes across northern Oklahoma, and the slow moving nature of storms lead to several occurrences of flash flooding. Storms continued well into the night.