Oklahoma tornado caught on video
It may have been small and lasted 30 seconds, but it counts!
It may have been small and lasted 30 seconds, but it counts!
A small tornado that touched down in rural Oklahoma on Sunday was given a preliminary rating of EF-0 — the smallest possible awarded by the National Weather Service — with wind speeds of 40 to 72 mph.
The mini twister was captured on video shortly before 5 p.m. near the town of Arcadia, Okla., weather officials said. No one was injured, and there were no reports of damage.
December tornadoes are relatively rare in Oklahoma. Before Sunday, the last one recorded in the state in that month was on New Year's Eve 2010, the weather service said.
It's been a tame few years for tornadoes. USA Today reports that the United States has experienced fewer twisters in the past three years than in any other three-year span:
So far this year, just 348 EF-1 or stronger tornadoes have touched down across the country, marking the third-lowest number on record. An average year sees about 500 EF-1 or greater tornadoes. A total of 364 EF-1 or stronger tornadoes touched down in 2012 and 404 in 2013.
Meteorologists blame the dearth of tornadoes on cooler temperatures that have limited atmospheric instability — conditions necessary for tornadoes to form.
"The area of the country usually most productive for tornadoes again experienced below-normal temperatures," Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, told the newspaper.
But Carbin notes that there is no such thing as a long-range tornado forecast. "There are simply too many small-scale variables," he said.
