Severe weather is anticipated to return to Oklahoma this week after tornadoes struck central areas of the state on Saturday, according to meteorologists.
The National Weather Service's survey teams in Norman assessed the damage caused by strong thunderstorms between Tuttle and Harrah Saturday night, classifying them as "weak" tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
May starts this coming weekend, and the arrival of the new month heralds some significant shifts in the weather around the country as compared to earlier in the spring.
One of the first climate worries that come to mind is the month's tornadic reputation, but the tropics must also be monitored, especially since we've seen many recent examples of hurricane season beginning early.
Confirmation of tornadoes this Saturday
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"We have indications of EF1 damage at a position 8 miles west of Harrah, based on what we've observed so far," said Forrest Mitchell, observational communications director at the National Weather Service in Norman. "It's EF0 near Tuttle, and thankfully mostly in open country," as per The Oklahoman.
Meteorologists were also surveying the weather in Lawton and Pauls Valley on Monday.
Although severe straight-line winds were ruled out as the source of the destruction in Lawton, "complex" early data revealed a weak tornado may have briefly touched down in Pauls Valley.
Wind speeds of 86 to 110 mph define EF1 tornadoes, which may destroy roofs, smash doors and windows, and force mobile homes to flip.
EF0 tornadoes, on the other hand, can be difficult to identify, but Mitchell says the key difference between them and straight-line gusts is the material patterns they leave behind.
When viewed from above, the damage on the ground generally has an intense, convective swirl to how the debris is positioned, according to Mitchell.
The direction of the debris is generally consistent in straight-line winds.
Mitchell explained that survey teams mostly depend on social media comments from people and TV coverage of extreme storms to determine if specific places should be studied further.
Severe storms and the threat of major flooding went out of Oklahoma and into Texas Sunday night, although meteorologists predicted that the risk will return later in the week.
Another storm system was expected to move through the central United States by mid-week, with scattered showers possible as early as Thursday in Oklahoma.
In most years, the peak of tornado activity in the United States comes in May. This is the period of the year when the components for severe thunderstorms are most likely to come together.
Disturbances in the jet stream moving out of the Rockies and into the Plains, meeting with warm air and plenty of precipitation, are characteristic of the setting for violent thunderstorms.
From Texas to Iowa, these elements have the best chance of coming together in May.
Tornadoes are more common this time of year, and there have been several tornadoes and severe weather outbreaks in May, as per the Weather Channel.
According to data from 2001 through 2020, the average amount of May tornadoes in the United States is 276.
That's much more than in April and June, which are the second (200) and third (194) highest months for twisters, correspondingly.
Of course, they are statistics, and the exact tornadic result in any particular year might vary. May during the last three years exemplifies this, with 510 tornadoes in 2019 and only 126 in 2020.
The total count for May 2021 has not yet been established, even though there were 289 tornado sightings, which is near to the month's average.
