Weather Whys; April 1991 Tornadoes

This is weather-wise. On April 26, 1991, a series of powerful tornadoes swept through areas of North Central Oklahoma. But the storms which produced the tornadoes were not completely unexpected. The National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri had issued a statement indicating there was a higher risk of severe weather in a particular region of the plains that day. As a result, many scientists and other interested individuals were on hand to watch and film the storms as they developed. Those scientists took special instruments along that could help them probe the inner workings of the storms because they wanted to learn as much as possible about that process. The hope is that by learning more about the development of severe weather, meteorologists will be given the tools to make better forecasting predictions and to issue faster and more accurate warnings when they're necessary. The research may have paid off in an unexpected way because preliminary results indicate

one of the Oklahoma tornadoes may have had the fastest wind speeds ever recorded. The twister was massive and was rated a five on a scale of zero to five. At times, it may have even been a mile wide as it tore through noble counting. And some scientists believe it may have packed winds whirling at an incredible 287 miles per hour. Unfortunately, that tornado did cause major damage in the communities it crossed, but timely warnings apparently paid off. Many residents sought shelter ahead of the storm, so only a few injuries and deaths were reported. Whether wise is produced with the assistance of the National Weather Service Forecast Office and the National Severe Storms Laboratory, both in Norman, Oklahoma, and is made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation. Our writer is Christine Harbour, our editor is Brian Walkie, and our executive producer is Karen Hope. But whether wise, I'm Drew Barlow.