It’s spring in Oklahoma. That means one thing: severe storms.
On Wednesday, Oklahomans stayed glued to the TV as local stations provided live coverage of the storms scattered across the state. We all knew something would happen since technology has allowed meteorologists to predict possible severe storms a week in advance.
I could geek out over how the storms developed, what caused them, and the secret ingredient to spawn these supercells, but I won’t. That could be a whole post! But I have to show you the radar. Weather geeks: You must have RadarScope on your phone and desktop.
Fujiwhara (named after the scientist who discovered the phenomenon) is when two hurricanes, usually typhoons in the Pacific, dance when they get close to each other. The interaction, usually between a small and large typhoon, can lead to the larger one absorbing the smaller one.
My area had three hailstorms. I expect insurance agents and roof companies to be out and about today.
But overall, Oklahoma saw eight tornadoes in total on Wednesday. The monster that went through Cole and Shawnee killed two people.
If you’re a weather geek like me, you must follow Reed Timmer. He takes you into the action…literally.
Reed caught the tornado’s formation in Cole, a small town with only 624 people, about 30 minutes south of OKC:
A storm tore through the small town of Cole on Wednesday, causing two deaths and significant damage.“Based on the damage reports that we’re getting back, as significant as it is, there could be more injuries or deaths that we don’t know about at this time,” said Gibbons.Deputy Gibbons said the next of kin has been notified for both fatalities. As of 1:20 a.m. Thursday, it’s not clear how old the victims were.As for the damage, KFOR talked with the owners of the Scissortail Silos wedding venue, which is now destroyed.The owner said she had to call a bride who was supposed to get married there on Saturday and let her know her dress was destroyed.
The county’s sheriff’s department confirmed a third death.
The storm went to Pink and turned north to Shawnee, a city with almost 30,000 people. The tornado damaged Oklahoma Baptist University:
University President Heath Thomas called this the worst disaster in the university’s history.Buildings were significantly damaged, but Thomas said they can be rebuilt and they are happy no one on campus was injured. University officials are assessing the damage, saying it was bad.Shawnee Hall and the Raley Chapel were severely damaged. The chapel is history and had a shelter in it where students went into Wednesday night.
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