Preliminary EF-1 Tornado Rating for Pauls Valley, OK Storm
Wednesday’s morning scene in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma was not only wet and dreary but also damaged after a tornado hit the town, possibly producing winds up to 100 miles per hour.
NEW VIDEO – Many residents are waking up and picking up the pieces to their homes after strong storms passed through Oklahoma. The National Weather Service will be conducting a survey to see if this was a result of a tornado but for now, our thoughts are with those impacted.#OKWX pic.twitter.com/dK08YIeDzz
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) April 28, 2021
The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma sent meteorologists south on Interstate 35 to the town of Pauls Valley (and general area) to conduct a storm survey Wednesday. This is a common task after storm damage occurs, as meteorologists analyze the damage from ground level, sometimes taking in aerial views too, and compare it to radar data to come to a conclusion. In this case, meteorologists at NWS Norman released a preliminary estimate that this was a tornado of EF-1 intensity.
Despite the ongoing rain and flooding, we were able to survey some of the damage northeast of Pauls Valley today, damage from a tornado that struck around midnight. So far, we have confirmed EF1 damage, and we're still gathering inf to help us get a more complete picture. #okwx pic.twitter.com/wGa1Ylgo3H
— NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) April 28, 2021
The meteorologists could not finish their storm survey Wednesday because of constant rain and muddy roads in the area. It made travel very difficult to access all of the damage path As a result, more information will be gathered and released in the coming days.
The tornado rating is EF, short for Enhanced Fujita, and ranges on a scale from 0 being weakest to 5 being strongest. An EF-1 tornado’s winds range from 86 to 110 miles per hour.
Pauls Valley is in Garvin County, Oklahoma. It sits south of Oklahoma City along Interstate 35. The town’s population is around 6,000 people. The tornado was one of about a dozen observed tornadoes across Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado on Tuesday.