Deadly Oklahoma tornado anniversary

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Today marks the anniversary of a deadly tornado that tore through Oklahoma in 2013, Storm Center 7 Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs said.

On May 31, 2013, a wide wedge tornado with a complex path claimed the lives of eight people southwest of El Reno, Oklahoma.

“The tornado reached a maximum EF Rating of EF-3, with a path width of 2.6 miles and a track length of 16.2 miles,” Vrydaghs said. “The damage was much larger than the actual path width due to non-tornadic downdrafts.”

The eight people who were killed were in vehicles at the time of the tornado. Three of the deaths were experienced severe storm researchers who were killed as the tornado took a sudden turn and crossed their path, Vrydaghs said.

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