Manitou-Snyder, OK and Wichita Mountains N.W.R., OK tornadoes
NOTE: Here is the message I tried to post on Wednesday 11/9. Thanks to the ST moderators for providing me permission to post in the Target Area forum!
Record setting (for OK!) 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck about 40 miles northeast of Norman at 10:53 pm (0353Z) Saturday night (11/5). I was sitting in the living room watching TV when it struck. Shook the whole house with creaking and groaning. The dining room chandelier swaying back and forth. This earthquake felt even stronger (to me) than the one which struck much closer (on the east side of Norman) in Oct 2010. We had a 4.7 fore-shock at 2 am Friday night but I slept through that one. We had a minor aftershock on Monday evening before the SQUALL LINE hit. Someone under the squall line in OKC called TWC to report a "thunder quake." Yet another aftershock at 1905Z today, but we didn't feel it. Actually, lots of little aftershocks, but I haven't felt most of them.
I just finished a damage survery with Greg Stumpf (NWS/NSSL) and Chris Spannagle (NWS/WDTB). Last evening's (Nov 7th) squall line produced a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) tornado which caused EF-1 roof damage a house northeast of Blanchard about 1/3rd mile south of the OK 9/US 62 intersection. It died as it crossed the Canadian River on the sw edge of Norman.
Another EF-1 tornado (or RFD?) caused extensive hangar damage at Max Westheimer Airport in Norman...lots of hangar doors blown in/out. It was a narrow path and we found evident of a cyclonic circulation despite the fast movement (40 kt) diminishing the wind on the northwest side of the track. We shall see if WFO Norman decides to call it a tornado. The circulation itself was probably only EF-0 in intensity, but add the 40kt translation speed and you get EF-1 wind damage on the southeast side of the track. It produced EF-0 tree and shingle damage towards NE 12th avenue north of Rock Creek Rd.
Oh, and by the way, I had one of my best ever storm chases yesterday afternoon Nov 7). A long-track tornadic supercell tracked from Vernon,TX (at 20z) to Hinton, OK (at 00Z). It produced at least six (probably at least 7) confirmed tornadoes including some large, long-lasting, long-track, visually spectacular ones with roars. We missed seeing tornado #1 since our original target was the Jackson Co. (Duke), OK supercell. We still recovered in time for a spectacular show.
WFO OUN Storm Events 11/7/2011
Tornado #2 south of Snyder, OK may be my most visually incredible tornado video ever...with multiple vortices, various shapes and sizes including a Sunray, TX (1971) look-alike cylinder bathed in reddish dust and a "snake-in-a-can." I shot tripoded video from wall-cloud to dissipation and a handfull of digital pics. Chris shot 900+ high-quality digital pics grand total. Strong EF-2+ tornado I'm sure, but nothing much to hit out there to reveal its true intensity. RDF air was virtually ambient temperature which helped explain why the tornadoes lasted so long.
I rank the Manitou-Snyder clip as my best tornado video in 22+ years of storm chasing because of all the various shapes the tornado took, it's close approach w/roar, and the because the camcorder was on a tripod the entire time. Plus, it produced a small, wispy, cyclonic, satellite vortex very close to us (visible between 9:13-9:17 of the clip).
2011 November 7 Manitou-Snyder, Oklahoma Tornado:
Watch video >
We had to bail east on OK highway 49 out of the path of developing tornado #4 (beat it by 1-2 minutes) just west of the Wichita Mountains. We were parked right on the Kiowa/Comanche County border and had to reposition about 1.3 miles to the east. Got hit with hurricane-force RFD blast that almost took out the powerlines overhead. Tornado passed about 1/2 to 1 mile to our west. Someone in a pickup truck was caught in the outer edges of the circulation a few hundred yards to our west...his front bumper was dragging as he limped eastbound towards us. The tornado crossed the Wichita Mountain tops and passed through a windmill farm. Tremendous roar and a wet hook with large drops. Strong EF-2+ tornado as well, but nothing much to hit out there to reveal its true intensity.
The Wichita Mountains N.W.R. clip is also in my personal top 10 because of its close approach and roar.
2011 November 7 Wichita Mountains N.W.R., Oklahoma Tornado:
Watch video >
Not one, but TWO (2) Oklahoma mesonet stations were hit by tornadoes...Tipton and Ft. Cobb. What are the odds of that?
Mesonet Ticker
Jim Ladue has written an excellent
blog entry on the 2011-11-07 tornadic supercell which describes the background synoptic and mesoscale meteorology, the mesocyclone and tornado evolution, and his time lapse video clip of the Tipton tornado lifecycle.
The
Oklahoma Mesonet folks have a good page which describes all the incredible events which have occurred in Oklahoma so far in 2011:
http://ticker.mesonet.org/select.php?mo=11&da=09&yr=2011
http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x341227493/Record-breaking-year-tests-residents
Coldest temp
Greatest snowfall
2 blizzards
Largest hailstone (6-inches)
Strongest tornado (EF-5...tie!)
Stongest windspeed (by ground-based instruments...151 mph at El Reno mesonet with EF-5 tornado of 5/24/2011)
Hottest month for a state (in U.S. History!)
Hottest summer
Extreme drought (most of the state)
Strongest Earthquake in Oklahoma history
Strongest tornado for Oklahoma in November (EF-4 at Tipton on 11/7)
The only things we are missing in Oklahoma are volcano and tsunami!