Driving close to tornadic circulation south of El Reno, May 31, 2013

Video on car roof from 23:18 UTC to 23:29 UTC. We drive east on Jensen Road, which is south of El Reno and just south of Interstate-40. You see cop blocking south highway 81, which makes sense, because there is the tornado. At crossing Jensen Road / Radio Road, two miles further east, and at 23:23 UTC, we turn northwards, because we realize that the tornado would come too close on our further route east.

[@christinablakley7261]

Way back in the eighties, we used to buy beer at the store you stopped at at the end. I was just in high school but, they sold it to me. You brought back some old memories. Thanks😊

[@criticalthinking3709]

This El Reno was like a really nasty mini hurricane. 2.5 miles wide is almost unobservable when rain wrapped. Freak of a storm like no other.

[@Gildhattie]

I can't get enough of these videos (especially the El Reno tornado) I know the May 3 1999 was the strongest, but I think this one was the most dangerous and craziest tornado in history! (And it was right there as far as wind speed 295 vs 302)

[@si_xx]

Indeed. This doubled its width in under a minute, made a hard left turn and increased its ground speed. It also spawned sub vortices with winds well over 200 mph.

[@eg300]

Smithville Philadelphia and hackleburg. Were the strongest

[@peppergrand1072]

Were they...Jarrell was the sickest

[@Deucealive75]

@@si_xx The tornado slowed down after the left turn. It was moving fastest when it was running east before the turn. The damage path map has timestamps.

[@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net]

That is some of the most RELENTLESS rain and wind I've ever seen -- absolutely NO letup!

[@xapianoman]

Skip Talbot has a video where he discusses escape routes and concludes that yes, escaping northward into the storm's core is sometimes the best option, because it's better to take your chances with large hail than put yourself in the path of a large tornado. It looks like you were thinking the same thing that day. Good call!

[@joshuacorrington153]

That storm had many cores..

[@MrTedMcForehead]

skip talbot is a monday morning quarterback

[@aralornwolf3140]

@@MrTedMcForehead , He admits that he nearly was hit by the El Reno tornado... he's a professional storm chaser giving advice on how not to chase storms.

[@peppergrand1072]

​@@MrTedMcForeheadI. I believe that he also played in the game Sunday, so its his option to review game footage.

[@bdunk914]

​@@aralornwolf3140Skip Talbot was a a good distance from the tornado what are you talking about?Go look at his video and channel before you talk.

[@peppergrand1072]

I keep on thinking that you are driving without your windshield wipers .

[@xCmOn3yx777]

so basically the entire rotating mass of clouds (at the start of the video) became a 3mile wide f5 tornando?!

[@andie_pants]

Crazy, isn't it? If you want to see some incredibly dramatic footage of this one, look up Daniel Shaw's videos. He got hit by it and escaped unscratched.

[@nick128]

2.6 miles but ok

[@xCmOn3yx777]

@@nick128 close enough

[@badideass]

@@andie_pants Tim Samaras didn't

[@andie_pants]

@@badideass you're so edgy. we're all offended. oh em gee.

[@flappah]

Wow, that was a close call. The circulation would've caught up on you guys for sure if you'd continued on on Jensen Rd. Good call!

[@xCmOn3yx777]

was dan robison on the other side of the twister... ruteger road?

[@flappah]

@@xCmOn3yx777 He was on Reuter Rd. That's one road to the south from Jensen Rd.

[@bigthunder2860]

Richard your in the circulation already,and this cell is packing a RFD is huge,I don't think I would want to be in unless I had special glass so it don't blow in on me

[@flappah]

Yeah. This was a close call for sure!

[@thorntonmellon]

If they turned North onto Radio at 6:23 like it says in the description they probably would have been okay continuing east on Jensen. The Tornado was just crossing Router (and sadly hitting the Twistex team) at that time. Going North was absolutely the right choice, but I think they barely had time to continue east if they didn't dally.

[@lauragadille3384]

Weird how it's so sunny out and hear comes a tornado

[@sigsin1]

At the point where you turned, it was going to follow you no matter what direction you went. Glad you were okay.

[@melissaallinp.e.5209]

Yeah, he was exactly 1 mile north of the Twistex team at the exact moment they were hit. At 6:23 he is turning north on Radio Rd. off Jensen. The Twistex team got hit at 6:23 at the intersection of Radio and Reuter a mile south.

[@joeschoe4477]

@@melissaallinp.e.5209 Melissa, I think they turned north on Manning, which is 2 miles east of Radio. Given the path of the storm, had they continued on Jensen they probably would have been hit.

[@peppergrand1072]

​@@joeschoe4477 And they were hit

[@motherfuckerjones3854]

All it needs now is “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea playing over the whole thing.

[@sigsin1]

So, when you made the turn northward, Twistex was getting hit one mile to your south.

[@peterolbrisch1653]

It took some tornadic circulation to clear the toilet this morning let me tell you.

[@locadeloca9049]

LMAO

[@locadeloca9049]

Been there too buddy xD Been there too

[@melissaallinp.e.5209]

Wow. Beginning about 5:10 he starts over I-40 heading north on Radio Rd overpass. You can see the vehicles stopped in the westbound lanes of I-40 (to his right). He's crossing I-40 at about 6:24 pm CT. At 6:33 pm the tornado will cross I-40 just to the east of Radio Rd...so just 9 minutes later those people are directly in the path of this killer. :(

[@thorntonmellon]

The tornado started crossing I-40 closer to 6:26-27 local time. By 6:33 it was doing that weird little loop just north of I-40 sadly killing a woman and her child who were in a car on I-40.

[@joshuacorrington153]

I'm certain you weren't aware at that moment of the unprecedented monster that was about to drop down, still, that entire mesocyclone was much more ominous than usual.. Had to have some balls that clank driving through it..

[@TheLocalLt]

In the last part of the vid you were in the circulation

[@joshuacorrington153]

Could have been most likely RFD, which for this particular tornado, was a healthy and large mass of fast moving air.. Anybody in the actual tornadic circulation at the point of where this video ends, would be toast.

[@thorntonmellon]

@@joshuacorrington153 Dan Robinson WAS in the tornadic circulation at this point. His video is AWESOME if you haven't seen it.

[@cosmiccharlie8294]

We're chasers the only ones to die that day?

[@DrRyanHooker]

If there was no reason, could you imagine what this thing would look like?

[@elishanolan]

Very hard to see anything with the rain blobs. Would've been easier to watch if you used your wipers. Glad you made it safely away from this twisted.

[@dreemsnake1]

Elisha Nolan they said video was on the car roof.

[@elishanolan]

dreemsnake1 Aha. Thank you for the clarification. I missed hearing that. That's understandable then.

[@trevormaxwell3480]

Tornado that size would not happen very often so

[@marygeorge8969]

I would say you were in the outer xirculation. Scary to watch.

[@xCmOn3yx777]

easily

[@donnalromero4481]

That Twister has eyes

[@niagra898]

Thank God I didn't see RIP twistex for once.

[@notthefather3919]

niagra898 look again

[@GOOD-oc9kk]

When ?

[@lindashapeshifter8675]

RIP twistex

[@badideass]

Why is that bad?

[@vinny4411]

Trip wristwatch

[@JC-ht5nw]

What a bad video

[@JC-ht5nw]

A boring video

[@Chicken_Nugget1]

I disagree.