Tornado

Photo by Daphne Zaras from The National Severe Storms Laboratory: Norman, Oklahoma May 3, 1999 at 1:30 p.m. the initial stages of the storm that produced a continuous, deadly tornado which tracked from near Chickasha to Moore and Del City in the Oklahoma City metro area.

The storm was doing what scientists call "cycling": the original circulation had spun off toward the back side of the storm while a new circulation formed. The new circulation became the third, or possibly fouth tornado produced by the storm, and also was responsible for what became the Chickasha-Moore-Del City, Ok tornado.

The second, western storm had already produced a tornado and was clearly going to continue to produce tornadoes.VORTEX-99 intercepted 4 to 6 tornadoes on the second storm, for a total count of approximately 12 tornadoes on two storms.

Description: One of several tornadoes observed by the en:VORTEX-99 team on May 3, 1999, in central Oklahoma. Note the tube-like condensation funnel, attached to the rotating cloud base, surrounded by a translucent dust cloud.

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