EF3 Tornado — Canadian, Oklahoma

2019-05-25 · near El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma

Event narrative

An intense QLCS tornado developed south of El Reno, just south of Interstate 40 and about a mile west of US-81. Initially the tornado affected rural areas, but as it moved east-northeast, it moved through the northwestern portion of an automobile dealership at the northwest corner of Interstate 40 and US-81. There it overturned or displaced a number of vehicles and removed the roof and collapsed many exterior walls of an automobile service building.

Immediately northeast of the automobile dealership, the tornado moved through the southeastern portion of a mobile home park destroying many mobile homes. Although the tornado was relatively narrow, the destruction of mobile homes was complete in the path while mobile homes just a couple of blocks away suffered minimal damage. Two residents of one mobile home were killed when their home was destroyed.

Just to the northeast of the mobile home park, the tornado hit a two-story motel. Most walls of the second story were collapsed in the portion of the motel that was in the most intense part of the tornado path and the tornado was rated EF3 at this motel.

Crossing US-81, the tornado significantly damaged another automotive service building and produced significant roof damage to a home on SE 27th Street. The tornado weakened as it moved east-northeast along and just north of SE 27th Street damaging trees before dissipating near Alfadale Road.

Wider weather episode

Scattered supercells merged into a linear system that produced a variety of severe weather on the 25th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.5000, -97.9550)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 830307. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.