Phenomenal Multi-vortex El Reno Tornado, Historic Rain Floods Oklahoma City, County

The video of the massive multi-vortex El Reno tornado that touched down 25 miles west of Oklahoma City Friday evening is phenomenal: multiple vortexes spinning out of a single massive tornado.

Phenomenal and ‘exciting’ for stormchasers including The Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes whose stormchaser vehicle was picked up and tossed a couple hundred yards by an estimated mile wide tornado. Phenomenal, exciting, and, horrifically heartbreaking to those who lost loved ones in this storm.

According to the latest news reports there were five deaths including a mother and baby discovered outside the twisted wreckage of their vehicle. According to a report from ABC News the woman and baby were caught up in a ‘barrage’ of tornadoes while traveling on Interstate 40 during rush hour ‘just miles from the city of Moore‘. Drivers seeking to escape their vehicles during the tornadoes were bombarded with softball sized hail.

According to a report from CNN parts of Interstate 40 and 35 in Oklahoma had become ‘parking lots’, jammed with stalled cars swamped from the estimated up to 11 inches of rain that fell Friday in Oklahoma County. According to Dr. Jeff Masters, yesterday’s rainfall totals were historic with an astounding 8-11 inches recorded in Oklahoma City, the deluge causing widespread flooding.

Related articles

• VIDEO: Reed Timmer chases El Reno tornado in Dominator (kfor.com)
• Damage reported after El Reno tornado (kjrh.com)
• New tornado develops close to Oklahoma (itv.com)
• Tornado Drops Down West Of Oklahoma City (dfw.cbslocal.com)
• Tornado on ground in suburb west of Oklahoma City (globalnews.ca)
• Multiple Tornado Deaths in Oklahoma City Area (blogs.woodtv.com)
• New Oklahoma tornadoes ‘kill five’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Photos: Tornadoes Slam Oklahoma, Missouri (photos.denverpost.com)
• A Weather Channel tornado hunt team was thrown 200 yards by a tornado near Oklahoma City. (shortformblog.com)