Tornado with wind speed of 320 kmph killed at least 91 including 20 children in the US city of Oklahoma in the early morning hours today, 21st of May. More than 145 people, 70 of them children are reported to be injured in the storm that was as wide as 1.6 km and kept pounding Moore, suburb of the city for 40 minutes while being on the ground. According to the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, the tornado touched down 16 minutes after the first warning went out, and traveled for 20 miles.
It struck the town of Newcastle and traveled about 10 miles to Moore, a populous suburb of Oklahoma City. In the past, Moore was hit hard by a deadly tornado in 1999 as well. The tornado on Monday was the deadliest in the United States since 2011, when a storm in the central community of Joplin, Missouri killed 161 people.
Severe weather forecast for next two days
This weather system (Tornado) is expected to move east through mid-week. Severe thunderstorms are possible over eastern Texas, Middle Mississippi Valley and southern Great Lakes that could be under threat from large hail and damaging winds. Areas that should prepare for the threat include Dallas, Shreveport, Saint Louis, Chicago, Columbus and Ohio during the next two days.
Photograph by Harald Richter
