Yes, the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013 has officially been rated EF3, but there is some controversey over this.
Tornado ratings are based on damage and have accompanying wind speed estimates. The damage caused by the tornado was no higher than EF3, which was the basis for the final rating. For some time, however, the rating of the tornado stood at EF5 as mobile Doppler radar detected wind gusts in the tornado to over 295 mph, well into the estimated EF5 range, which starts at just over 200 mph and has no upper bound. This measurement was made while the tornado was over open country where there were no structures to damage.
The National Weather Service ultimately chose to reject the wind speed measurement, and rate the tornado EF3 based on damage, which is the basis for ratings on the EF scale. This was likley the right decision, as the wind measurements were taken from a point several hundred feet up in the funnel, where winds would likely be much faster than they are near ground level, where damage occurs. The accuracy of the wind speed estimates of the EF scale have not been fully verified.
The El Reno tornado was approximately 2.6 miles wide.
The El Reno tornado was approximately 2.6 miles wide when it struck.
The 2013 El Reno tornado killed 8 people and injured 151. The 2011 El Reno tornado killed 9 people and injured 181.
The 2013 El Reno tornado killed 8 people.
No. The El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013 dissipated between El Reno and Yukon. The thunderstorm that produced the El Reno tornado did produce four other tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area. One of these, an EF0, caused some damage on the north side of Moore. The EF5 tornado that devastated Moore in 2013 occurred on May 20 and was unrelated to the El Reno tornado.
There have been two major tornadoes in the El Reno area in recent years. The first, an EF5 on May 24, 2011, killed 9 people. The second one on May 31, 2013 was rated EF3 (though it may have reached EF5 strength). It killed 8 people including storm chaser Tim Samaras.
The largest tornado on record, the El Reno tornado, occurred on May 31, 2013, and lasted for approximately 40 minutes. It reached a maximum width of 2.6 miles and was classified as an EF3 tornado. While it was not the longest in duration, its massive size and intensity made it particularly notable in tornado history.
Not necessarily. Although F5 tornadoes tend to be very large, ratings are based on damage severity, not size. The largest tornado on record, the El Reno Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013, was rated EF3, and the record holder for several years was the F4 tornado that hit Hallam, Nebraska on May 22, 2004.
The El Reno tornado, which occurred on May 31, 2013, was one of the largest tornadoes ever recorded. It had a maximum width of 2.6 miles, making it one of the widest tornadoes in history.
There were many tornadoes in Oklahoma in 2013. Here are the three most significant:The Shawnee EF4 tornado of May 19 touched down on the east edge of Norman and caused its worst damage just to the west of Shawnee, dissipating northwest of the town after killing 2 people.The Moore EF5 tornado of May 20 touched down north of Newcastle and passed through Moore, causing catastrophic damage and killing 24 people. The tornado dissipated east of Moore.The El Reno EF3 tornado of May 31 touched down southwest of El Reno and moved southeast across open country before turning east and then northeast. The tornado crossed I-40 between El Reno and Yukon, killing 8 people.
There were numerous tornadoes in Oklahoma in 2013, three of which were killers. The Shawnee EF4 tornado of May 19 killed 2 people. The Moore EF5 tornado of May 20 killed 24 people. The El Reno EF3 tornado of May 31 killed 8 people.
The largest tornado was the 2.6 mile wide monster that struck near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013.