Norman, OK tornado genesis of Feb 26, 2023

I was pretty close to where the tornado started while at the South Research Campus of OU. Right at the beginning, the leaves completely switched direction as if either a sub vortex or a wind shift of another type passed overhead. The first power flashes were south of highway 9 and west of E12th. The bigger ones were probably when the tornado crossed highway 9 at rt 77. Large transmission line poles were taken down there. The last of the power flashes occurred when the tornado passed just southwest of Lindsey and E36th Ave.

[@djfelix2429]

Rain-wrapped AND nocturnal... double whammy of danger

[@TAStormChasing]

And the speed at which it was traveling.

[@Enjoyer.762]

Never leave home without a good radar app.

[@danadoozer9990]

Damn, that ROAR was incredible, it sounded like you were in the middle of the tornado! I was watching the chase last night and I'm glad you all were safe....if only barely!

[@chuckjosefy8555]

Turn the volume down duh...

[@Kishykat]

Wow! I've seen the wind shift like that and its crazy! but you could hear the roar before the power flashes. Great capture and glad you were safe!

[@dingusfinance8931]

I’m over off of 24th and Lindsey, and we took shelter when the sirens went on, then they turned off, the power went out, and the sirens came back on, then we were listening to ambulance and fire sirens for the better part of 2 hours. OG&E got power back on in under 50 minutes. Reagan Elementary was unscathed, but Washington lost some playground equipment from my understanding. KOCO mentioned rotation near NWC, but immediately went back to following what was going on in Mcloud and Newalla and we had no clue a tornado happened under a mile from us until we got ahold of someone on the non-emergency line.

[@tracy85777]

It's not a shelter kind of thing. It's more like an inner room kind of thing. OH! It just passed by me! 😂🤣😂 I don't think you should be out their Sir. WHATEVER IT WAS??!!! 😂

[@marskeins]

Rain wrapped tornadoes are so beyond deadly. The thing could literally be right in front of you and you not recognize it bcuz it's so engulfed in rain.

[@tomw2003]

The wind shift was bizarre (with the leaves) and a textbook example of what occurs beneath these storms!

[@graciel3725]

Glad you are ok!! Wayyyy to close!

[@cinnion]

Combination of two factors which I always hated chasing... rain-wrapping and at night.a First you say it and then you do it situation.

[@C21L01]

To take out power poles like that, it's got to be F1-F2 strength. We had several tear through South Australia in September 2016 which were as strong as that - two of which were rated high end F2 - low end F3 and completely snapped steel power towers over and smashed them into the ground. Hope everyone's OK.

[@sarar4510]

NWS Norman posted today that it was rated an EF2. I live here & gotta say, Sunday night was pretty scary. 🥲

[@ndolph2174]

Glad you are okay. That was a little to close!

[@StevenSagerIsSuperEpic]

NWS found EF-2 damage with this storm

[@alexsizemore8530]

Interesting hobby you have there, Jim. Good video. Glad everyone seems to be alright.

[@kjburns3226]

That wind shift was insane it happened so sudden

[@julymiller2308]

Glad you two are alright, that was scary

[@ljacks0264]

That wind shift was incredible. Also scary.

[@deriko8144]

You can actually hear the powerful roaring

[@danadoozer9990]

Imagine hearing that, while being totally exposed in a car, and not knowing exactly where it's coming from and where it's going! CHILLS.

[@WhoFlungPoo2024]

Nice to see a video post from one of the true chase and CFDG veterans. And very impressive catch of the tornado roar.

[@tublet172]

As most people know, it’s not the actual tornado itself that gets you but it’s satellites and debris (ex: many chasers would’ve survived El Reino, ofc with broken bones, if it weren’t for the many satélites El Reino produced)

[@AlaskaB83]

El Reno, chief. Some "actual" tornadoes are plenty strong enough to get you on their own

[@paulstejskal]

Whoa. Did you realize the tornado was that close?? Wow!!

[@HunterMacIntyre]

Tornadoes wrapped by rain and at night are scary as hell. Can’t see them at all can’t hear them until it’s too late.

[@paulstejskal]

@@HunterMacIntyre I know!

[@Enjoyer.762]

​@Hunter Macintyre You saw in the video that he had a weather radar app, looked like Radar Scope. There's no way he didn't see it on the radar.

[@paulstejskal]

@@Enjoyer.762 yes that was the app. But he seemed startled by the sudden power flash.

[@Enjoyer.762]

@Paul Stejskal Maybe you don't know how GPS works. The apps will show you your local on the map via GPS. When you can see a supercell tornado velocity couplet on the radar heading toward your location it's not a surprise. He's using Radar Scope, the same radar app that professional storm chasers use.

[@cheddar2648]

Nice catch. I was in bed when an EF-0 went by a half mile away, and the rain was marching up the window of the bedroom. Good call on the changing of the winds.

[@stephenlevine011]

Amazing, captivating video. However, being in that situation is not a risk I would dare take. And that windshift was a big red flag.

[@TheDalyn]

Was at the apartments on 12th and Hwy 9 this night. Basically right in the path. The change in wind speed/direction was actually insane to witness in-person. Powerlines went down just at the apartment entrance, trees were bent, and insulation from the adjacent apartments was everywhere.

[@katarinavina]

Was it a transition at 0:55 ? That part messed with my brain lol

[@sophiak1354]

Wow. I didn't even know there was a tornado there. Tornadoes terrify me but luckily there aren't a lot of tornadoes in Michigan, heh heh.

[@Nisha-bo3nr]

Best and closest footage I have seen so far! I live right off of 12th and hwy 9 and my BF said he could hear it, but this video captures that scary sound! You can't see it, but you know it is there.

[@yurapit88]

That may be the scariest thing I’ve seen

[@greerstroud]

I live on 36th and Lindsay. It hit us not 2 minutes after our power was cut.

[@iceresistance]

This was just to my west by 25 miles, and I had 60-70 mph inflow winds at my house. It was insane

[@anacruz5254]

Cause I’m terrified of tornadoe they are my worst nightmares

[@carltuckerson7718]

The one up north of you just missed us around Lake Hefner. Lights were flickering a little bit when the storm was crossing I-40 and Rockwell.

[@mmmr856]

I saw this video and thanked god I live in nevada where there's none of this horrific stuff happening. Stay safe out there! This is frightening man, oklahoma is wild

[@marthafast6613]

We heard the roar as it went over us in our shelter, too.

[@geeky12ful]

He was weather watching while on the phone with his wife when tornado formed and went by him to his South.

[@Spitfirethedragon]

I used to lived not far from where the damage took place. I know the area well. Hopefully everybody is alright? I still have friends from high school living there.

[@anacruz5254]

Come and chase in Victorville CA

[@loricrockett-owens5117]

Glad you're alright.

[@anacruz5254]

Cause imma be crying at night

[@5burowz]

Sheesh...that thing was right on top of you.

[@donniewinter5331]

Embedded supercell, and positioned perfectly, kudos

[@SixStringSteveDelivers]

He is extremely fortunate that it formed and moved that direction instead of straight towards him.

[@kenanacampora]

New sub. #464. 😊

[@chevy427ify]

wow,,

[@olivia5348]

Our Mother Earth is so powerful and terrifying!!!

[@SixStringSteveDelivers]

It most definitely was a "get in the shelter kinda thing". Someone has a lot to learn.

[@robinj707]

I was thinking the same thing. Not a good idea to think we know that much about weather that we know exactly how dangerous something will be.

[@nathandahl9233]

Jim Ladue is one of the foremost experts on tornadoes and tornado damage you will find anywhere. The guy heads the committee in charge of maintaining and updating the EF scale, for crying out loud! So no, he does not have "a lot to learn." He's absolutely right. QLCS tornadoes like this one do not get above EF-3 intensity, like, ever. Easily survivable in an interior closet or bathroom unless you live in a mobile home or double-wide or something flimsy like that.

[@robinj707]

@Nathan Dahl Wow. Okay, Nathan. Good to know. I think I will verify this with the National Weather Service. Clearly, we have all been misled about when and where to seek shelter. Also, they are clearly wrong when they say that EF-3 tornadoes are considered severe - something appropriate for a shelter. I don't care about someone's credentials..anyone can be wrong and say the wrong thing. People who are really good can admit that.

[@nathandahl9233]

@@robinj707 You: "I don't care about someone's credentials." Also you: "I think I will verify this with the National Weather Service." Pretty big contradiction there, if you think about it. By all means, verify it. Trouble is, you're not going to find anything that contradicts what I (or Jim) said. If you actually look at the official EF scale degrees of damage for a single family home, anything short of an EF-4 will leave walls standing for small interior rooms, meaning that sheltering there is a viable option. Anybody who says that it is NECESSARY to get underground or in a custom-built tornado shelter to avoid death or injury (which is what Jim meant by "a shelter kinda thing") for a tornado like this is simply wrong. The NWS doesn't say it; they say "get to the safest shelter you can" as a general rule, but that's as far as they go. Taking that general guidance to the extent you're talking about would mean jumping into the tornado shelter every time a severe storm rolls through because such storms can produce (at least weak) tornadoes with little or no advance warning and "ya never know." If that's the way you want to operate, fine. Enjoy. Some of us can evaluate the actual level of risk and respond accordingly without freaking out or going overboard, though, and it's not because we have a lot to learn; it's because we've already learned a lot. Food for thought.

[@robinj707]

@Nathan Dahl no food for thought for me. I thought this was about safety, Nathan. I never said that underground is necessary, but if you have a shelter, you should it because you don't know for sure what will happen. He was surprised that the tornado turned up right next to him. Sometimes things are unpredictable.I suppose if I research it there will be no instance of a collapsed inner room with an EF2-3? Is that correct? No instance where debris or a collapsed ceiling happened that caused injury or otherwise?

[@ajharvey]

I literally live 2 mins north of the research campus, and could see those power flashes from my apartment 😮

[@Cenlaweather]

Great video, and demeanor. Thanks for sharing.

[@jamesroets800]

Hey Jim. Nice to see another Oswego alum on the scene! Good work.

[@loganbundy9314]

I was on 1st floor parking at Jenkins it’s crazy this thing was showing strength of tiny rotation and inflow all the way in dibble

[@daniellesharp3197]

That tornado was so close to my house. Thank God I wasn't hit

[@surfacebased]

Wow. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@KrisOsterhout]

Did they not have a shelter? If they did, that is ALWAYS the safest place. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick QLCS spin up. Why not play it safe rather than regretting it later?

[@SixStringSteveDelivers]

For sure. I'm very puzzled at his non-concern attitude. That will get people killed in the future.

[@nathandahl9233]

QLCS spin-ups are not intense enough to merit a "shelter or bust" attitude. They just aren't. Unless your home is flimsy (mobile or manufactured), an interior closet or bathroom is just fine for these things.

[@KrisOsterhout]

@@nathandahl9233 That isn’t what I said. What I’m saying is that a storm shelter is always the safest place. If I had a storm shelter and I was under a tornado warning, I would ALWAYS move to the shelter regardless of the storm mode or parameters unless there was not enough time to move there. Why wouldn’t you? Why would you take even a small risk when the mitigation action is so simple?

[@nathandahl9233]

@@KrisOsterhout You partly answered your own question by saying "unless there was not enough time to move there." It's not always so simple to get into a shelter. Laying the inconvenience aside, if the shelter is in an exposed area (outside or in an exterior part of the home; for example, mine is in my garage), the time spent in that area prior to actually being sheltered (e.g., fiddling with the door, negotiating stairs or other obstacles with supplies and/or small children, potentially in substantial darkness) can pose an increased danger. For a potentially-violent tornado, the reduction in risk from "closet or bathroom" to "storm shelter" outweighs that, but for a tornado like this one, that reduction is really, really small, and the time window for securing it is compressed because trying to warn QLCS tornadoes in advance sucks. (Their only saving grace is that, again, they don't get as intense as the real "big boys" can.) Short version: You're right that the storm shelter is always the safest place in a tornado. However, for a tornado like this, the difference in safety between a shelter and a small interior room (in a decently-built house, anyway) is not substantial. Under these circumstances, there a several potential factors that may make the decision not to get in the shelter a reasonable one.

[@scoobydoo7346]

that's a big one!

[@joshuacamp1903]

Yeah, this sucked. We where sandwiched in-between this tornado and the one in Yukon.

[@Enjoyer.762]

Nader sammich...

[@McKinneyLiz]

holy crap

[@jessica.zamora]

yikes bro

[@loveandlight8286]

Wow

[@tornadoclips2022]

Woah incredible

[@ironfae]

Welcome to Oklahoma. The typical weather we live with.

[@yomudd4x443]

Not in Feb.

[@ironfae]

@@yomudd4x443 True, but tornados are notoriously random.

[@jacksloan911]

Great video of tornado passing in front of you. I'm familiar with lightning blinding you and only seeing tornado after you review video. Stay safe and keep chasing!!

[@stevenpeters3723]

Glad you are ok! God is merciful!

[@patmo131]

Dude, WHY did you think you could sit on the close north side of a tornado?

[@sexytexanbabe4105]

That’s not fun. I’d be terrified. Of course my son wants a Timelapse of a tornado going by our home. Hope everyone was okay.

[@tonedef221]

That’s nuts