A Timeline Of Oklahoma's Destructive Tornado
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- From a meteorological standpoint, conditions for severe weather were perfect Monday. As many as 28 tornadoes struck the Midwest.
The worst of them started with a rotating thunderstorm Monday afternoon.
Fifteen minutes after the first tornado warning was issued near Newcastle and Moore, Oklahoma, the funnel dropped and quickly gained power.
The twister tore northeast directly through Moore. It flattened everything in its path while pulling and lifting debris along the way.
At its worst, the tornado was an estimated two miles wide.
Nearly 40 horrifying minutes later, the tornado weakened and dissipated. The worst of the storm was over. But the damage path stretching 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide tells the tale.
The National Weather Service categorized the storm as an EF-5, which is the strongest on the scale, with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour.
