On May 3, 1999, forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center faced an uncertain situation. They knew that severe weather was going to occur across the Plains states. But would the greatest threat come from tornadoes. Or a squall line? Did the threat warrant a high risk classification? Data from the Tucumcari, New Mexico profiler allowed them to see that upper levels winds were stronger than forecast by the models. This gave them the confidence to upgrade to a high risk of severe weather. Emergency officials took their cues from this move, and the level of preparedness was much higher than it would have been otherwise. Lives were undoubtedly saved.
As the day wore on, forecasters fretted that the high risk might have been overblown. Finally, storms began to fire and become severe over southwestern Oklahoma. Before the horrible day was over, Oklahoma would suffer its worst tornadoes since the 1947 Woodward tornado. An outbreak of 76 twisters struck the Midwest. Multiple supercell thunderstorms produced and many large and damaging tornadoes in central Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening hours. Some of these storms were killers, including the twisters which moved through and/or near Chickasha, Dover, and Shawnee, and the Moore and southern Oklahoma City metropolitan areas. This tornado was a very strong F5, making it the first F5 in Oklahoma in 15 years. As a matter of fact, when it was near Moore OK, a truck-mounted Doppler radar measured a windspeed of 318 mph, the highest ever observed in a tornado.
Forty three people died in Oklahoma due to the twisters and approximately 680 were injured. More than 1,700 homes and businesses were destroyed. The Oklahoma City tornado ranks as the sixth deadliest twister in the history of the state. Five deaths, 100 injuries and heavy damage were also incurred in the Wichita, Kansas metro area.
Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma were faced with the unprecedented situation of a major tornado on the ground threatening their operational facility. As the major tornado was approaching the Oklahoma City metro area from the southwest, the SPC notified its backup, the Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska that they might have to assume operational responsibility if the tornado approached Norman. Fortunately, the storm remained several miles west of the facility and was visible from the SPC roof.
