Oklahoma’s cyclones were all kinds of freaky

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http://grist.org/news/oklahomas-cyclones-were-all-kinds-of-freaky/

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A scene from Oklahoma last Friday.

Not only did Friday’s tornado outburst in Oklahoma lead to at least 20 deaths, but analysis by NOAA has revealed that it included the widest tornado ever recorded in the U.S. and one twister that spun the wrong way.

The diameter of the El Rino tornado, which on Friday killed three famous weather chasers, reached a mind-boggling and record-breaking 2.6 miles. Both the El Rino cyclone and the Moore tornado, which struck nearby a week earlier, were rated EF5, the most damaging type of cyclone on the Enhanced Fujita scale. From LiveScience:

“To have two EF5s within less than two weeks in the same general area — that’s highly unusual,” [University Corporation for Atmospheric Research scientist Jeff] Weber told LiveScience. “Off the top of my head, I haven’t heard of it happening before.”


The tornadoes were made possible by “perfect” tornado conditions in the area, which have been intermittent for weeks, Weber said. Specifically, the alignment of the jet stream is bringing dry, cold air down from the north and allowing it to interact with warm, moist air from off the Gulf of Mexico, which sets up a volatile situation.