2013 Moore tornado

File:Moore-2013-track-vs-1999.png (green), and the 2003 Moore–Choctaw tornado (blue)]]

On May 20, 2013, a prominent central upper trough moved eastward toward the Central United States, with a lead upper low pivoting over the Dakotas and Upper Midwest region. A Southern stream shortwave trough and a moderately strong polar jet moved east northeastward over the southern Rockies to the southern Great Plains and Ozarks area, with severe thunderstorms forming during the peak hours of heating. With the influence of moderately strong cyclonic flow aloft, the air mass was expected to become unstable across much of the southern Great Plains, Ozarks, and middle Mississippi Valley by the afternoon hours.{{cite web|title=May 20, 2013 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/archive/2013/day1otlk_20130520_1200.html|website=Storm Prediction Center|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=May 20, 2013|date=May 20, 2013|archive-date=June 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630042653/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/archive/2013/day1otlk_20130520_1200.html|url-status=live}}

Evidence of an unstable air mass included temperatures in the low to mid 80s °F (27–30 °C), dewpoints that ranged in the upper 60s °F (20 °C) to the lower 70s °F (20–22 °C), and CAPE values ranging from 3500 to 5000 J/kg. Deep-layer wind shear speeds of {{convert|40|to|50|kn|mph}} enhanced storm structure and intensity.{{cite web|title=May 20, 2013 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/archive/2013/day1otlk_20130520_2000.html|website=Storm Prediction Center|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225544/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/archive/2013/day1otlk_20130520_2000.html|url-status=live}} These were present ahead of a cold front extending from a surface low in the eastern Dakotas, southwestward to near the Kansas City area and western Oklahoma, and ahead of a dry line extending from southwest Oklahoma southward into northwestern and west-central Texas. Outflow remnants from the previous night and the early day convection across the Ozarks and the middle Mississippi Valley were a factor in severe weather development with the most aggressive heating and destabilization on the western edge of this activity across the southern Great Plains and just ahead of a cold front. The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma had warned as early as May 15 that there would be a possibility of severe weather on May 20.{{cite web|title=May 20, 2013 Newcastle-Moore Tornado|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/oun/wxevents/20130520/products_presentation.pdf|website=National Weather Service|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=June 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703050441/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/oun/wxevents/20130520/products_presentation.pdf |archive-date=July 3, 2015 }}

The most intense severe weather activity was expected to come across the southern Great Plains, specifically Central Oklahoma, during the afternoon hours on that Monday. As such, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms during the early morning hours of May 20 from southeastern Missouri to north-central Texas. The degree of wind shear, moisture, and instability within the warm sector favored the development of supercells. Very large hail and tornadoes were both expected with these supercells, with the possibility of a few strong tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch at 1:10 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) early that afternoon for the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas, and portions of north-central Texas. Given the atmospheric parameters thought to be in place at the time, the Storm Prediction Center inadvertently underestimated the threat of tornadic activity that afternoon; the probability table for the tornado watch – the 191st severe weather watch issued by the guidance center in 2013 – indicated a 40% (or "moderate") probability of two or more tornadoes and a 20% (or "low") probability of one or more tornadoes reaching between EF2 and EF5 intensity within the watch area. The watch did, however, say that "one or two strong tornadoes" were possible.{{cite web|title=Tornado Watch 191|url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/watch/2013/ww0191_prob.html|website=Storm Prediction Center|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423234330/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/watch/2013/ww0191_prob.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 28, 2013|title=2013 OUN Tornado Watch #191|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-A-0191/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201810|archive-date=April 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050352/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-A-0191/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201810|url-status=live}}{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Tulsa, Oklahoma|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 28, 2013|title=2013 TSA Tornado Watch #191|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KTSA-TO-A-0191/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201810|archive-date=April 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050352/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KTSA-TO-A-0191/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201810|url-status=live}}

File:Moore Tornado 2013.jpg

File:NWS 2013 Moore radar loop.gif

The thunderstorm that eventually produced the tornado developed less than one hour after the tornado watch was issued, around 2:00 p.m. CDT, across northern Grady County. Its rapid intensification resulted in the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Grady, northwestern Cleveland, northern McClain, and southwestern Oklahoma Counties (including southwestern portions of the immediate Oklahoma City area) at 2:12 p.m. CDT.{{cite web|title=2013 OUN Severe Thunderstorm Warning #316|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-SV-W-0316/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201910|publisher=National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|via=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=April 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050352/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-SV-W-0316/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201910|url-status=live}} The thunderstorm quickly attained supercell characteristics, with rotation at the mid-levels of the storm's cloud structure becoming apparent even before it was officially classified as severe, due to the sufficient amounts of wind shear present over central Oklahoma.

Due to the expected intensity of the storms, three of the Oklahoma City market's five television news outlets − NBC affiliate KFOR-TV (channel 4), ABC affiliate KOCO-TV (channel 5) and CBS affiliate KWTV (channel 9) − suspended normal programming and went into wall-to-wall weather coverage immediately after the tornado watch went into effect.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=2:45 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=124–127|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} Fox affiliate KOKH-TV (channel 25) and Telemundo affiliate KTUZ-TV (channel 30) began their coverage as the first severe thunderstorms erupted southwest of the state capital and subsequently began relaying their audio feeds to radio stations throughout central Oklahoma. As the forecast suggested that the most significant severe weather would occur in the mid-afternoon, around the time classes concluded for the day, many worried parents began arriving at schools throughout Moore and south Oklahoma City to pick up their children in advance of the storms.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=Plaza Towers Elementary, May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=122|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}}{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:05 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=143–149|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}}

At 2:40 p.m. CDT, as rotation in the supercell was increasing at the cloud base, a tornado warning was issued for far northeastern Grady, western Cleveland, northern McClain, and southern Oklahoma Counties, as the storm approached the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.{{cite web|title=2013 OUN Tornado Warning #24|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-W-0024/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201940|publisher=National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|via=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=April 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050352/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-W-0024/USCOMP-N0Q-201305201940|url-status=live}} The rapid formation of the storm may have been associated with a descending reflectivity core and interplay of complex cell mergers.{{Cite web |title=Tornadogenesis in High-end Tornadic Supercells (Part 3) Moore, Oklahoma EF5 on May 20, 2013 A Case Representative of Tornadogenesis |url=https://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/broyles/tgen3.pdf }}

{{Wikisource|NCDC Storm Data for the 2013 Moore tornado|NOAA's damage survey and analysis for the Moore EF5 tornado}}

The tornado touched down at 2:56 p.m. CDT in northwestern McClain County, near Long Drive to the southwest of the North Country Club Road and SH-37 intersection, roughly {{convert|4.4|mi|km}} northwest of downtown Newcastle. Initially a narrow rope-shaped tornado, it first caused EF1 damage to a home and some trees before crossing SH-37 and rapidly intensifying as it struck a semi-rural subdivision, where several homes were destroyed, two of which were leveled at EF4 intensity.{{cite web|title=Damage Assessment Toolkit|url=https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer/|website=apps.dat.noaa.gov|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=November 25, 2014|archive-date=April 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423095631/https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/|url-status=live}} At this point, the tornado began to grow rapidly in size over the course of 2 minutes; the rope-like funnel started to swell into a large stovepipe, before maturing further into a barrel shape. A debris ball grew around the funnel itself as it finally evolved into a large, wedge-shaped structure. Slight ground scouring began in this area, and several homes in a subdivision further to the northeast sustained EF3 damage.{{cite web|title=NWS Damage Survey for 5/20/2013 Newcastle/Moore Tornado Event – Update 3|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130520|website=National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2013|archive-date=May 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523011727/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130520|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Damage Survey and Analysis of the 20 May 2013 Newcastle-Moore, OK, EF-5 Tornado|url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/94Annual/webprogram/Paper241554.html|author=Tim Marshall|author2=Kiel Ortega|website=American Meteorological Society|date=February 5, 2014|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=March 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313103301/https://ams.confex.com/ams/94Annual/webprogram/Paper241554.html|url-status=live}} By 3:01 p.m. CDT, the National Weather Service issued a second, more strongly worded warning for the area: in a severe weather statement updating the existing tornado warning, the Norman forecast office declared a tornado emergency for southern Oklahoma City and Moore as various storm spotters confirmed that the large, violent tornado was approaching the area. The Twin Lakes dual-polarization NEXRAD radar (near Lake Stanley Draper) detected a tornado debris signature one mile in diameter within the accompanying hook echo, as the tornado crossed into portions of south Oklahoma City in northern Cleveland County.{{cite web|title=Special Weather Statement: Tornado Warning|url=http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-W-0026/USCOMP-N0Q-201305202040|publisher=National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|via=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=April 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419050352/http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2013-O-NEW-KOUN-TO-W-0026/USCOMP-N0Q-201305202040|url-status=live}}{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:00 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=138–142|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} The supercell also produced straight-line winds of {{convert|80|mph|km/h}} for at least one mile surrounding the tornadic circulation.

File:EF5Moore2.jpg

The tornado maintained at least EF3 intensity as it crossed the Canadian River into Cleveland County and a decommissioned US 62/US 277 bridge was severely damaged; most of this bridge had to be demolished after the tornado ripped part of it from its mount and tossed it across I-44/US 62/SH-37.{{cite news|title=Oklahoma tornadoes: Historic bridge near Newcastle damaged beyond repair|url=http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-historic-bridge-near-newcastle-damaged-beyond-repair/article/3833278|author=Jane Glenn Cannon|newspaper=The Oklahoman|publisher=The Anschutz Corporation|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608231328/http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-historic-bridge-near-newcastle-damaged-beyond-repair/article/3833278|url-status=live}} The tornado then continued moving east-northeastward through the extreme southern portion of Oklahoma City towards Moore, roughly following Southwest 149th Street. At that point, it began to grow rapidly in width, and a second brief area of EF4 damage was noted near South May Avenue, where several homes were leveled, and one was swept clean from its foundation (this home was determined to have been nailed, rather than bolted to its foundation). A vehicle frame, engine block, and various other vehicle parts were found tangled within a grove of completely debarked trees in this area. As the tornado began to cross into south Oklahoma City, a traffic jam had occurred for a stretch of several miles along Santa Fe Avenue, as residents attempted to either escape from or pick up their children at schools located near the tornado's path. As the station's news helicopter was capturing live video of the tornado, then-KWTV chief meteorologist Gary England − upon seeing footage of the backup that was being relayed by pilot Jim Gardner − urged drivers caught in the jam that may have been listening to the station's audio simulcast on area radio outlets to use nearby streets to detour out of the tornado's expected track. The tornado weakened briefly to EF3 strength before re-intensifying to EF4 intensity near Forman Drive, flattening several homes as it moved through mostly rural areas south of Southwest 149th Street. As the tornado struck an oil production site, four oil tanks were blown away, one of which was never found. The others were thrown considerable distances; one was found a mile away.

The tornado maintained its intensity as it struck the Orr Family Farm and the Celestial Acres horse training area, where up to 100 horses were reported killed, some being tossed into and tangled in downed power lines or thrown on top of nearby buildings; several horses that survived the tornado suffered severe injuries, with some being impaled by tree limbs or boards.{{cite news|title=Farm battered by tornadoes: 'There is nothing there'|url=http://www.today.com/news/farm-battered-tornadoes-there-nothing-there-6C10016196|author=Scott Stump|website=Today|publisher=NBC News|date=May 21, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124212900/http://www.today.com/news/farm-battered-tornadoes-there-nothing-there-6C10016196|archive-date=January 24, 2014|access-date=January 24, 2014}}{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:23 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=208–213|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} Every building at Celestial Acres was either leveled or swept away at EF4 intensity, the ground on the property was scoured to bare soil, debris from structures was granulated, and vehicles were thrown and stripped down to their frames. Surveyors noted that based on the contextual damage, the tornado was likely at EF5 intensity in this area, though the construction quality of the affected buildings only permitted an EF4 rating. A 10-ton propane tank on the Orr Farm property was picked up and thrown more than a half-mile through the air by the tornado, and a strip mall near the farm was completely leveled as well.{{cite web|title=Moore Tornado | StateImpact Oklahoma|url=http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/tag/moore-tornado/|website=Stateimpact.npr.org|publisher=NPR|access-date=November 19, 2013|archive-date=October 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030063523/http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/tag/moore-tornado/|url-status=live}} The tornado continued east, heavily scouring an open grassy field before impacting Briarwood Elementary School, which was completely destroyed. The NWS originally rated this damage EF5, but further evaluation and a 2014 study published by the American Meteorological Society revealed evidence of poor construction at the school, and the rating was downgraded to EF4. Remarkably, no fatalities occurred at the school.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=451572|title=Storm Events Database – Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information|website=www.ncdc.noaa.gov|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512113956/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=451572|url-status=live}} Two 12,000-gallon water tanks that were also swept off of the Orr Family Farm grounds were thrown into this area; the roof of Briarwood Elementary was struck by one of them − potentially aiding in compromising the building's structural integrity as it bent the steel girders that held up the roof − shortly before the main vortex struck the building, while the other fell onto and destroyed a home a few blocks east of the school.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:15 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=160–166|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} Past Briarwood Elementary, the tornado intensified even further and entered densely populated areas just west of Moore, including the Westmoor subdivision where many well-built, anchor-bolted brick homes were flattened at EF4 intensity, and two were swept clean from their foundations, with damage at those two homes rated EF5.{{cite news|title=Tornado victims remembered: Shannon Quick|url=http://kfor.com/2013/05/24/tornado-victims-remembered-shannon-quick/|website=KFOR-TV|publisher=Local TV|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=May 27, 2013|archive-date=June 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610070513/http://kfor.com/2013/05/24/tornado-victims-remembered-shannon-quick/|url-status=live}}

{{Attached KML|display=inline|header=National Weather Service Tornado Damage Survey Map }}

File:EF5Moore1.jpg surveys a neighborhood that was devastated]]

The tornado continued generally northeast at EF4 strength, completely debarking trees and leveling entire neighborhoods as it moved into the western city limits of Moore. Many homes were flattened in neighborhoods to the east of South Santa Fe Avenue.{{cite web|title=Damage Survey and Analysis of the 20 May 2013 Newcastle-Moore, OK, EF-5 Tornado (Presentation)|url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/94Annual/webprogram/Handout/Paper241554/828_sls_ortega_et_al_moore_tornado.pdf|author=Tim Marshall|author2=Kiel Ortega|website=American Meteorological Society|date=February 5, 2014|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=March 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313124742/https://ams.confex.com/ams/94Annual/webprogram/Handout/Paper241554/828_sls_ortega_et_al_moore_tornado.pdf|url-status=live}} One anchor-bolted home that was reduced to a bare slab in this area was initially rated EF5, but was later downgraded to EF4 as closer inspection of the foundation revealed that the anchor bolts were missing their nuts and washers. The tornado then destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School at EF4 intensity, where seven children were killed when a cinder block wall collapsed on top of them. More than a dozen homes in a subdivision just to the south of Plaza Towers Elementary were swept cleanly away, though they were revealed to have been nailed rather than bolted to their foundations, and damage to this subdivision was subsequently rated EF4, though the tornado was likely violent as lawns in this area were completely scoured down to bare soil. Entire blocks of homes were flattened, trees were completely debarked and denuded, vehicles were thrown and mangled, and the ground was severely scoured in other residential areas nearby, with the damage also rated EF4 in these areas. Most of the fatalities from the tornado occurred in the Plaza Towers neighborhood of Moore. In one of these houses (a block away from Plaza Towers Elementary), a woman was killed as she tried to seek shelter in a closet.{{cite news|title=Tornado victims remembered: Deanna Ward|url=http://kfor.com/2013/05/24/tornado-victims-remembered-deanna-ward/|website=KFOR-TV|publisher=Local TV|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=May 27, 2013|archive-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618002230/http://kfor.com/2013/05/24/tornado-victims-remembered-deanna-ward/|url-status=live}}

File:The storm-ravaged Moore Medical Center, part of the Norman Regional Health System, stands in Moore, Okla., May 21, 2013, a day after an EF5 tornado with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour tore through 130521-F-QW604-902.jpg

Further to the northeast, at least a dozen cars were piled up against the front entrance of the Moore Medical Center, which sustained EF4 damage. One car was lofted and thrown onto the roof. Many homes in neighborhoods near the medical center were completely destroyed, including a row of four well-built brick homes with anchor bolts that were swept away, with damage to those four homes rated EF5. An open field directly behind this row of homes was deeply scoured, with only bare soil and clumps of dirt remaining. A nearby manhole cover was removed, and multiple vehicles were mangled beyond recognition and caked in mud in this area as well.{{cite AV media|title=May 20th, 2013 Oklahoma tornado damage about 1 hour after|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjFhz-fxGK4|author=Trevor Welch|medium=Motion picture|location=Moore, Oklahoma|via=YouTube|date=May 20, 2014|access-date=September 4, 2014}} The nearby Warren Theater was spared a direct hit, but still sustained considerable damage to its exterior.{{cite news|title=Assessing the Damage Along the Tornado's Path in Oklahoma|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-map.html?ref=science&_r=0|author=Mike Bostock|author2=Joe Burgess|author3=Amanda Cox|author4=Matthew Ericson|author5=Hannah Fairfield|author6=Ford Fessenden|author7=Tom Giratikanon|author8=Josh Keller|author9=Haeyoun Park|author10=Sergio Peçanha|author11=Kevin Quealy|author12=Graham Roberts|author13=Archie Tse|author14=Derek Watkins|author15=Timothy Wallace|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=May 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531171530/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-map.html?ref=science&_r=0|url-status=live}} A bowling alley in the area was leveled, and a 7-Eleven which was on the northern part of the damage path, was completely flattened with four people killed inside (including a three-month-old infant).{{cite news|title=Mother, infant who sought shelter in 7-Eleven among tornado victims identified|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/22/18419611-mother-infant-who-sought-shelter-in-7-eleven-among-tornado-victims-identified?lite|author=Elizabeth Chuck|author2=Gabe Gutierrez|website=NBC News|date=May 22, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608083219/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/22/18419611-mother-infant-who-sought-shelter-in-7-eleven-among-tornado-victims-identified?lite|url-status=live}} The nearby Moore Cemetery was heavily damaged as well.{{cite news|title=Volunteers clean Moore Cemetery in advance of burials|url=http://mooreamerican.com/local/x609260969/Volunteers-clean-Moore-Cemetery-in-advance-of-burials|author=Dale Denwalt|newspaper=The Moore American|publisher=Community Newspaper Holdings|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=June 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630045153/http://mooreamerican.com/local/x609260969/Volunteers-clean-Moore-Cemetery-in-advance-of-burials|url-status=live}}

The tornado briefly weakened and caused EF3 damage to some other businesses near I-35/US 77, before crossing the interstate and mangling several vehicles in the process. The tornado regained EF4 intensity on the other side of the Interstate as it tore through several neighborhoods and destroyed numerous additional homes (though the EF4 damage swath was narrower at this point). A large grassy field between two subdivisions in this area was scoured to bare soil, with wind-rowed structural debris and several mangled vehicles strewn to the east. One brick home on Hunters Glen Court sustained EF5 damage, with only the slab foundation and anchor bolts remaining. Very little structural debris or house contents was recovered from that residence, and the small number of debris that remained was wind-rowed well away from the site. Two vehicles were also lofted from the residence, one of which was thrown over {{convert|100|yd|m}}.

File:EF5damageMoore2013.jpg

The tornado continued through Moore's eastern neighborhoods. Highland East Jr. High's main building was spared, but the separate gymnasium building was completely destroyed, and a set of lockers from the structure was lofted and thrown a considerable distance into a nearby neighborhood. The Moore Public Schools administration building, a converted former hospital located a few blocks to the east, was also struck and destroyed.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:27 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=223–229|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} The tornado was noticeably narrower at this point, but was still causing a continuous swath of EF4 damage to numerous homes as it moved through multiple subdivisions. A well-built, anchor-bolted home at the corner of Heatherwood Drive and Southeast 5th Street was reduced to a bare slab, sustaining EF5 damage. A large, well-bolted-down home at the end of a private drive off of Southeast 4th Street (SH-37) was also swept cleanly away at EF5 intensity. Debris was scattered well away from the site, a vehicle was thrown over {{convert|100|yd|m}}, and wind-rowing was again noted at that location.

Further east, the tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it exited Moore, destroying six industrial buildings and damaging two others. A final small area of EF4 damage was noted nearby as two homes and a concrete building were leveled. The tornado then began to rapidly narrow and weaken, snapping and uprooting several trees and causing EF2 damage to a farm just east of Moore, where the house lost its roof and an outbuilding was destroyed. A pickup truck slid {{convert|200|ft|m}} away from the farm into a field while remaining upright. At 3:35 p.m. CDT, the tornado dissipated at a nearby tree line about {{convert|1/3|mi|km|spell=in}} east of South Air Depot Boulevard. The tornado traveled a total of {{convert|13.85|mi|km|abbr=out|sigfig=3}} over 39 minutes,{{rp|pages=|page=13}} moving at an average rate of {{convert|9.5|m/s|mph|abbr=out|disp=output only|order=flip}} ({{convert|9.5|m/s|km/h|abbr=out|disp=output only}}).{{rp|pages=|page=4}} It reached a maximum width of {{convert|1900|yd|m|abbr=out|sigfig=4}}.{{rp|pages=|page=13}}

The violent updrafts in the supercell that produced the tornado lofted debris from homes and other buildings in Moore at least {{convert|10|mi|km}} outside of the tornado's outer circulation, with reports of various objects and personal possessions being found as far away as Midwest City.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:35 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=235–242|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}}

File:Shown here May 22, 2013, is an aerial view of homes destroyed by a tornado in Moore, Okla 130522-F-IE715-379.jpg]]

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported that 25 people were killed (with another death indirectly attributed to the tornado). The Oklahoma Medical Examiner recognizes 25 fatalities.{{cite news |date=May 21, 2013 |title=Moore, Okla. Tornado Death Toll Rises |website=The Weather Channel |publisher=The Weather Company |url=http://www.weather.com/news/moore-okla-tornado-death-toll-rises-20130805 |url-status=live |access-date=November 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112031647/http://www.weather.com/news/moore-okla-tornado-death-toll-rises-20130805 |archive-date=November 12, 2013}} An estimated 1,150 homes were destroyed, resulting in an estimated $2 billion in damages.{{cite news|title=Satellite picture reveals the scar left behind by Moore tornado|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/satellite-picture-reveals-scar-left-behind-moore-tornado-6C10219235?franchiseSlug=sciencemain|author=Andrea Thompson|website=NBC News|date=June 5, 2013|access-date=January 24, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124204742/http://www.nbcnews.com/science/satellite-picture-reveals-scar-left-behind-moore-tornado-6C10219235?franchiseSlug=sciencemain|archive-date=January 24, 2014}} The number of injured was 377.{{cite news|title=Students, teachers from tornado-leveled school say goodbye|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/oklahoma-tornado-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t2|author=Josh Levs|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=March 14, 2014|archive-date=January 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127180539/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/oklahoma-tornado-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t2|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Tornado had winds over 200 mph|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/05/21/oklahoma-tornadoes/2344923/|author=Trevor Hughes|author2=Rick Jervis|author3=Jonathan Shorman|author4=William M. Welch|newspaper=USA Today|publisher=Gannett Company|date=May 21, 2016|access-date=March 14, 2014|archive-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521120222/http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/05/21/oklahoma-tornadoes/2344923/|url-status=live}} Entire subdivisions were obliterated, and houses were flattened in a large swath of the city. The majority of a neighborhood just west of the Moore Medical Center was destroyed.{{cite news|title=Assessing the Damage Along the Tornado's Path in Oklahoma|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-map.html?_r=1&|author=Mike Bostock|author2=Joe Burgess|author3=Amanda Cox|author4=Matthew Ericson|author5=Hannah Fairfield|author6=Ford Fessenden|author7=Josh Keller|author8=Tom Giratikanon|author9=Haeyoun Park|author10=Sergio Peçanha|author11=Kevin Quealy|author12=Graham Roberts|author13=Archie Tse|author14=Derek Watkins|author15=Timothy Wallace|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=May 24, 2013|archive-date=May 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523210213/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-map.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}} Witnesses said the tornado more closely resembled "a giant black wall of destruction" than a typical twister.{{cite news|title=Massive Tornado Hits Moore, OK|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/05/20/massive-tornado-hits-moore-ok.html|website=The Daily Beast|publisher=IAC|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 20, 2013|archive-date=May 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520223522/http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/05/20/massive-tornado-hits-moore-ok.html|url-status=live}}

{{see also|Cobb family staggering out of Briarwood Elementary School}}

Among the hardest hit areas were two public schools: Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers Elementary School. A preliminary study of Briarwood Elementary School conducted in September 2013 by a group of structural engineers found some structural deficiencies that led to its collapse during the tornado. Chris Ramseyer, a structural engineer and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma determined that the building's walls that were not reinforced with concrete, there had been a lack of connection between the masonry walls and support beams in several portions of the building, and anchor bolts were pulled from the ground by the tornado. Another engineer that was involved in the study stated that the deficiencies that Ramseyer pointed out were not uncommon building practices at the time, and that current building code standards would not ensure that Briarwood would have withstood winds in excess of {{convert|200|mph|km/h}}.{{cite news|title=Structural faults found in destroyed Moore elementary school, engineer says|url=http://newsok.com/structural-faults-found-in-destroyed-moore-elementary-school-engineer-says/article/3936119|newspaper=The Oklahoman|publisher=The Anschutz Corporation|date=February 21, 2014|access-date=March 11, 2014|archive-date=March 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309141155/http://newsok.com/structural-faults-found-in-destroyed-moore-elementary-school-engineer-says/article/3936119|url-status=live}}

At Plaza Towers, the second school to be hit, parents had been allowed to collect their children early in preparation for the oncoming storm. Therefore, by the time the tornado struck only about 75 students and teachers were in the building. Many students and teachers took shelter in bathrooms and closets, but in a newer addition to the building which housed the school's second and third grade classrooms, seven fatalities occurred. Third grade teacher Jennifer Doan was taking shelter with eleven of her students in a hallway when the tornado struck. Doan and her students were trapped when the walls of the corridor collapsed on top of them. Doan, who was two months pregnant with her third child at the time, suffered severe injuries to her back, but did not lose the baby. She and five of her students were pulled out, with the children suffering only minor to moderate injuries. Another six of her students along with a student from another third-grade class died.{{cite news|title=Oklahoma lowers tornado death toll amid frantic search|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tornadoes-idUSBRE94J0TK20130521|author=Carey Gillam|author2=Ian Simpson|work=Reuters|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305153424/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tornadoes-idUSBRE94J0TK20130521|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=The Hallway|url=https://oklahoman.com/article/3855448/the-hallway|author=Phillip O'Connor|author2=William Crum|newspaper=The Oklahoman|date=June 23, 2013|access-date=January 6, 2021|archive-date=January 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106074738/https://oklahoman.com/article/3855448/the-hallway|url-status=live}}

The Moore Medical Center was heavily damaged, but no one present in the building was injured by the tornado. The center's staff had to relocate 30 patients to a hospital in Norman and another hospital. Part of I-35 was shut down due to debris that had been thrown onto the freeway.{{cite news|title=Massive Tornado Kills At Least 24 In Moore, Hits Elementary Schools|url=http://www.news9.com/story/22301266/massive-tornado-kills-at-least-51-in-moore-hits-elementary-school|website=KWTV-DT|publisher=Griffin Communications|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609100128/http://www.news9.com/story/22301266/massive-tornado-kills-at-least-51-in-moore-hits-elementary-school|url-status=live}} On May 21, Moore still did not have running water.{{cite news|title=The day after, tornado survivors tell harrowing stories|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/oklahoma-tornado-scene/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|author=Ashley Fantz|author2=Ed Lavandera|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 22, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521234123/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/oklahoma-tornado-scene/index.html?hpt=hp_t1|url-status=live}} There were more than 61,500 power outages related to the tornado.{{cite news|title=President pledges to aid Moore disaster recovery|url=http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x6238249/President-pledges-to-aid-Moore-disaster-recovery|author=Mark Schlachtenhaufen|newspaper=Edmond Sun|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630010806/http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x6238249/President-pledges-to-aid-Moore-disaster-recovery|url-status=dead}} More than 100 people were rescued from areas that sustained significant damage from the tornado.{{cite news|title=Oklahoma tornado spread destruction like a 'two-mile-wide lawnmower blade'|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522182303/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html|url-status=live}}

File:May 20, 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado search and rescue.jpg]]

The Oklahoma Department of Insurance estimated that insurance claims for damage would likely be more than $1 billion.{{cite news|title='We will come back strong,' governor vows|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/21/live-tornado-devastates-oklahoma-city-area/|author=Jason Hanna|author2=Rachel Clarke|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608064616/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/21/live-tornado-devastates-oklahoma-city-area/|url-status=dead}} Some meteorologists estimated that the energy released by the storm could have been eight to more than 600 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.{{cite news |author=Borenstein |first=Seth |date=May 21, 2013 |title=Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb |work=Associated Press News |url=https://apnews.com/779e55edec9f466581043606bfd5f8ea |url-status=live |access-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010132424/https://apnews.com/779e55edec9f466581043606bfd5f8ea |archive-date=October 10, 2023}}

File:Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, second from right, stands with a family that survived the May 20, 2013, tornado in Moore, Okla., May 28, 2013 130528-Z-VF620-4765.jpg stands with a family that survived the devastating Moore tornado]]

In addition to erroneous reports concerning the status of Briarwood and Plaza Towers students, various reports regarding fatality and injury counts as well as persons unaccounted for were circulated by traditional and social media outlets in the immediate hours after the tornado struck, which could not immediately be confirmed or refuted due to communications disruptions in the affected areas or were the result of incorrect counting due to miscommunication of estimates.{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=3:45 to 6:00 P.M., May 20|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=243–256|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}}{{cite book|title=The Mercy of the Sky|chapter=May 21|author=Holly Bailey|publisher=Viking Books|pages=266–277|year=2015|isbn=978-0-525-42749-0}} Within the first two days, it was reported that between 237{{cite news|title=Oklahoma governor says 237 people injured in tornado – as it happened|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/21/oklahoma-city-tornado-live-updates|author=Tom McCarthy|author2=Haroon Siddique|newspaper=The Guardian|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124213824/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/21/oklahoma-city-tornado-live-updates|archive-date=January 24, 2014}} and 240 people had been injured, with the tally later increasing to over 350.{{cite news|title=Severe storms slam recovering Oklahoma City area|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/oklahoma-tornado-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t2|author=Josh Levs|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2013|archive-date=May 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523180245/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/23/us/oklahoma-tornado-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t2|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Death Toll Revised Lower in Oklahoma Tornado|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/death-toll-revised-lower-in-oklahoma-tornado/1665174.html|website=Voice of America|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610044325/http://www.voanews.com/content/death-toll-revised-lower-in-oklahoma-tornado/1665174.html|url-status=live}} The final count of injuries was later adjusted downward to 212.{{cite web |title=F5/EF-5 Tornadoes in Oklahoma (1905-Present) |url=https://www.weather.gov/oun/tornadodata-ok-f5tornadoes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814192923/https://www.weather.gov/oun/tornadodata-ok-f5tornadoes |archive-date=August 14, 2023 |access-date=October 10, 2023 |website=National Weather Service in Norman, OK |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}

On the morning of May 21, the medical examiner's office incorrectly stated that 91 bodies of tornado victims had been received.{{Cite news |last1=Oxford |first1=Nick |last2=Schwirtz |first2=Michael |date=May 20, 2013 |title=Vast Oklahoma Tornado Kills Dozens |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/tornado-oklahoma.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214183052/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/tornado-oklahoma.html |archive-date=February 14, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} This number was up from the earlier report of 51 bodies that were incorrectly stated as having been received. Upon the office's discovery that some victims were mistakenly counted twice due to communication errors made by Moore rescue response units that the bodies were admitted to area funeral homes (nearly all of the deceased were actually transported to the examiner's office in Oklahoma City), the actual number was revised downward and later confirmed at 24 tornado victims.{{cite news|title=Crews shift from rescue to recovery a day after Oklahoma tornado, official says|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html|author=Chelsea J. Carter|author2=Brian Todd|author3=Michael Pearson|website=CNN|publisher=Time Warner|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522182303/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/21/us/severe-weather/index.html|url-status=live}} The number was later increased to 25, with one indirect victim. The first two deaths occurred in a house in the Westmoor subdivision east of Briarwood Elementary School; the next was a homeless person who was standing at the intersection of SW 144th St and Santa Fe Avenue; seven occurred following a wall collapse at Plaza Towers Elementary; nine occurred in the neighborhood immediately west of Plaza Towers Elementary between SW 10th Street and SW 14th Street, including one on SW 6th Street near Telephone Road; three occurred at a 7-Eleven Gas Station at the SW 4th Street and Telephone Road intersection, including a pregnant woman and a gas station employee; one occurred in the neighborhood alongside the east side of Interstate 35; and one occurred in a home that was destroyed between Eastern Avenue and Bryant Avenue. The medical examiner's office increased the death toll to 25 after a 90-year-old woman who suffered a fractured skull during the tornado died on August 1.{{cite news|author=Diana Baldwin|title=Victim dies 73 days after tornado|url=http://newsok.com/article/3868413|newspaper=The Oklahoman|date=August 2, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=December 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211123846/http://newsok.com/article/3868413|url-status=live}} On May 6, 2018, nearly five years after the tornado, a 14-year-old survivor who suffered posttraumatic stress disorder after losing seven of his friends at Plaza Towers Elementary School committed suicide.{{cite web|title=2013 teen survivor of Moore school destroyed by tornado commits suicide|url=http://kfor.com/2018/05/10/2013-teen-survivor-of-moore-school-destroyed-by-tornado-commits-suicide/|publisher=KFOR News|date=May 10, 2018|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511080156/http://kfor.com/2018/05/10/2013-teen-survivor-of-moore-school-destroyed-by-tornado-commits-suicide/|url-status=live}} The 2013 Moore tornado was the deadliest tornado recorded in the U.S. since the Joplin, Missouri tornado that killed 158 people in May 2011.{{cite news|title=Whole neighborhoods razed by Oklahoma tornado that killed 24|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tornadoes-idUSBRE94J0TK20130521|author=Carey Gillam|author2=Ian Simpson|work=Reuters|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305153424/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tornadoes-idUSBRE94J0TK20130521|url-status=live}}

Patients were taken to Integris Southwest Medical Center and The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Over 140 patients, including at least 70 children, were treated at hospitals.{{Cite news |date=May 20, 2013 |title=Hospitals treat more than 140 after Oklahoma tornado, including 70 children |work=New Haven Register |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Hospitals-treat-more-than-140-after-Oklahoma-11399601.php |url-status=live |access-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231010133415/https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Hospitals-treat-more-than-140-after-Oklahoma-11399601.php |archive-date=October 10, 2023}}

{{clear}}

File:U.S. President Barack Obama talks on the telephone with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin following the 2013 Moore tornado.jpg talks on the phone to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin in the Oval Office]]

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency on May 20. She held her first post-tornado news conference at noon on May 21. The Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed urban search and rescue teams to the tornado-hit areas, and provided incident command personnel to organize and support rescue efforts.{{cite web|url=https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2013/05/20/fema-federal-partners-support-response-severe-storms-oklahoma|title=FEMA, Federal Partners Support Response to Severe Storms in Oklahoma|publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=February 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201145150/https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2013/05/20/fema-federal-partners-support-response-severe-storms-oklahoma|url-status=live}} The Oklahoma National Guard was also deployed. Governor Mary Fallin requested assistance from then-President Barack Obama{{cite news|title=Oklahoma governor calls out National Guard |url=http://www.khou.com/news/national/Oklahoma-governor-calls-out-National-Guard-208229051.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620153648/http://www.khou.com/news/national/Oklahoma-governor-calls-out-National-Guard-208229051.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 20, 2013 |agency=Associated Press |website=KHOU |publisher=Belo Corporation |date=May 20, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2013 }} who declared a major disaster in the state and ordered federal aid to the affected areas.{{cite news|title=Obama declares major disaster in Oklahoma |url=http://www.boston.com/news/weather/2013/05/20/obama-declares-major-disaster-oklahoma/HhzzzIWG55dgOrW8tsoKBP/story.html |agency=Associated Press |website=Boston Herald |publisher=News Corp. |date=May 20, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2013 }}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Governor Fallin quickly dismissed an idea to make a law that would require all schools in Oklahoma to have a shelter that would protect children during severe weather (prior to the tornado, only two of the twelve schools in the Moore Public Schools district had storm shelters, Kelley Elementary and Westmoore High School, which were rebuilt with concrete safe rooms after both were destroyed in the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado).{{cite news|title=Gov. Fallin: Okla. will not have law requiring storm shelters in schools|url=http://kfor.com/2013/06/05/gov-fallin-okla-will-not-have-law-requiring-storm-shelters-in-schools/|website=KFOR-TV|publisher=Local TV|date=June 5, 2013|access-date=November 19, 2013|archive-date=November 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119200935/http://kfor.com/2013/06/05/gov-fallin-okla-will-not-have-law-requiring-storm-shelters-in-schools/|url-status=live}}

Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie Counties received federal funding for hazard mitigation measure statewide.{{cite web|title=Gov. Fallin Announces Federal Assistance Granted for Oklahomans Devastated by Tornadoes|url=http://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/newsroom/newsroom_article.php?id=223&article_id=11852|website=The State of Oklahoma|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522182719/http://www.ok.gov/triton/modules/newsroom/newsroom_article.php?id=223&article_id=11852|url-status=live}} Obama visited the disaster-stricken areas on May 26.{{cite web|title=President Obama Tours Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma: "We've Got Your Back"|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/05/26/president-obama-tours-tornado-damage-moore-oklahoma-weve-got-your-back|author=Ezra Mechaber|date=May 26, 2013|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|access-date=May 28, 2013|archive-date=January 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125162427/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/05/26/president-obama-tours-tornado-damage-moore-oklahoma-weve-got-your-back|url-status=live}}

File:NWS 2013 Moore EF5 damage.jpg

At noon on May 21, the U.S. Senate held a moment of silence for the victims.{{Cite news |last=Cox |first=Ramsey |date=May 21, 2013 |title=Senate holds moment of silence for victims of Okla. tornado |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/video/senate/151171-senate-holds-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-okla-tornado/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010134031/https://thehill.com/video/senate/151171-senate-holds-moment-of-silence-for-victims-of-okla-tornado/ |archive-date=October 10, 2023}} Delegates from several countries and Pope Francis offered condolences,{{cite web|title=The Queen's message to President Obama|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2013/TheQueensmessagetoPresidentObamafollowingthetornad.aspx|website=Monarchy of the United Kingdom|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607154118/http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2013/TheQueensmessagetoPresidentObamafollowingthetornad.aspx|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Tornade aux Etats-Unis|url=http://www.elysee.fr/communiques-de-presse/article/tornade-aux-etats-unis/|website=Élysée Palace|language=fr|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605100557/http://www.elysee.fr/communiques-de-presse/article/tornade-aux-etats-unis/|archive-date=June 5, 2013|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|title=Kondolenztelegramm von Bundeskanzlerin Merkel an US-Präsident Obama |url=http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/Content/DE/Pressemitteilungen/BPA/2013/05/2013-05-21-kondolenztelegramm-obama.html |website=Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany |language=de |date=May 21, 2013 |access-date=May 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109032541/http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/Content/DE/Pressemitteilungen/BPA/2013/05/2013-05-21-kondolenztelegramm-obama.html |archive-date=November 9, 2013 }}{{cite news|title=Pope praying for children, others struck by Oklahoma tornado|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/27273/pope-praying-for-children-others-struck-by-oklahoma-tornado|author=Estefania Aguirre|agency=Catholic News Agency|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612060845/http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-praying-for-children-others-struck-by-oklahoma-tornado/|url-status=live}} and the United Nations offered assistance in the recovery efforts.{{cite web|title=UN global disasters forum opens with condolences for Oklahoma City tornado victims|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44959&Cr=disaster+risk&Cr1=#.UZzO_dJwrSh|website=United Nations|access-date=May 22, 2013|date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=October 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010005434/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44959&Cr=disaster+risk&Cr1=#.UZzO_dJwrSh|url-status=live}} The Canadian Red Cross accepted donations of money and supplies for their American counterparts to assist with disaster relief and recovery.{{cite web|title=2013 Tornadoes and Severe Weather USA |url=http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=45673&tid=001 |website=Canadian Red Cross |access-date=May 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209100121/http://www.redcross.ca/donate/your-donation-in-action/past-appeals/international/2013/2013-tornadoes-and-severe-weather-usa |archive-date=2014-02-09 }}

File:Tornado damage Moore, OK view from air June 24, 2013.jpg

The United Methodist Committee on Relief,{{cite press release|title=UMCOR Assists Tornado Victims in Oklahoma|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/umcor-assists-tornado-victims-in-oklahoma-208403441.html|agency=PR Newswire|date=May 22, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2013|archive-date=January 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117035924/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/umcor-assists-tornado-victims-in-oklahoma-208403441.html|url-status=live}} Direct Relief,{{Cite news |last=Cervenka |first=Rachael |date=June 3, 2013 |title=Oklahoma tornadoes: California-based nonprofit donates medical supplies |work=The Oklahoman |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifestyle/health-fitness/2013/06/03/oklahoma-tornades-california-based-nonprofit-donates-medical-supplies/60928933007/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010134412/https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifestyle/health-fitness/2013/06/03/oklahoma-tornades-california-based-nonprofit-donates-medical-supplies/60928933007/#lnkdikpklm8h548486r |archive-date=October 10, 2023}} Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder,{{cite news|title=Sports Xchange: Durant donates $1 million to tornado victims|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-kevin-durant-donation-tornado-victims-20130521,0,2177194.story|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|publisher=Tribune Publishing|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522015822/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/chi-kevin-durant-donation-tornado-victims-20130521,0,2177194.story|archive-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=dead}} Continental Resources,{{cite news|title=Continental Resources Supporting Oklahoma Tornado Relief With $2.5 Million Donation |url=http://www.wfsb.com/story/22346299/continental-resources-supporting-oklahoma-tornado-relief-with-25-million-donation |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130623120524/http://www.wfsb.com/story/22346299/continental-resources-supporting-oklahoma-tornado-relief-with-25-million-donation |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 23, 2013 |website=WFSB |publisher=Meredith Corporation |date=May 21, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2013 }} Devon Energy,{{cite news|title=Devon Energy Pledges Millions To Tornado Disaster Relief|url=http://www.news9.com/story/22313269/devon-energy-pledges-millions-to-tornado-disaster-relief|website=KWTV-DT|publisher=Griffin Communications|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=June 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609044059/http://www.news9.com/story/22313269/devon-energy-pledges-millions-to-tornado-disaster-relief|url-status=live}} ONEOK,{{cite press release|title=ONEOK to Donate $1 Million to Tornado Disaster-Relief Efforts in Oklahoma|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oneok-to-donate-1-million-to-tornado-disaster-relief-efforts-in-oklahoma-208388061.html|website=ONEOK|location=Tulsa, Oklahoma|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2013|quote=ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE) today announced that the ONEOK Foundation will donate up to $1 million to support disaster-relief efforts in Oklahoma following this week's devastating tornado outbreak.|archive-date=January 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117035921/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oneok-to-donate-1-million-to-tornado-disaster-relief-efforts-in-oklahoma-208388061.html|url-status=live}} Koch Industries,{{cite news|title=Koch Industries, Inc. Donates to Oklahoma Tornado Relief|url=http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/05/21/2706806/koch-industries-inc-donates-to.html|newspaper=Fort Mill Times|publisher=The McClatchy Company|via=The Herald|date=May 21, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619210403/http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2013/05/21/2706806/koch-industries-inc-donates-to.html|archive-date=June 19, 2013}} Hobby Lobby,{{cite news|title=Oklahoma tornadoes: Hobby Lobby pledges $2 million to tornado relief|url=http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-hobby-lobby-pledges-2-million-to-tornado-relief/article/3834119|newspaper=The Oklahoman|publisher=The Anschutz Corporation|date=May 25, 2013|access-date=May 25, 2013|archive-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614044357/http://newsok.com/oklahoma-tornadoes-hobby-lobby-pledges-2-million-to-tornado-relief/article/3834119|url-status=live}} and Carrie Underwood all pledged donations to the relief efforts.{{cite news|title=Carrie Underwood's Incredibly Generous Donation to Oklahoma|url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/carrie-underwood-incredibly-generous-donation-oklahoma-172358677.html|website=Yahoo! News|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=May 24, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608010810/http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/carrie-underwood-incredibly-generous-donation-oklahoma-172358677.html|url-status=live}}

Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis stated that he would attempt to get an ordinance passed requiring storm shelters or safe rooms in new housing projects.{{cite news|title=Oklahoma-Moore-Ordinance |url=http://www.wyff4.com/news/national/URGENT-Oklahoma-Moore-Ordinance/-/9324256/20252020/-/usq73/-/index.html?absolute=true |website=WYFF |publisher=Hearst Television |via=CNN |access-date=May 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226095822/http://www.wyff4.com/news/national/URGENT-Oklahoma-Moore-Ordinance/-/9324256/20252020/-/usq73/-/index.html?absolute=true |archive-date=December 26, 2013 }}

The third season finale of the sitcom Mike & Molly, titled "Windy City", was pulled by CBS from its original May 20 airdate within hours of the event due to the episode featuring a plotline involving a tornado descending on Chicago; the network later rescheduled the episode to air ten days later on May 30, 2013.{{cite news|title='Mike And Molly' Finale: Tornado-Themed Episode Pulled In Wake Of Oklahoma Tragedy|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/mike-and-molly-finale-tornado-episode-pulled_n_3308913.html|author=Chris Harnick|website=The Huffington Post|publisher=AOL|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2013|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522133827/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/mike-and-molly-finale-tornado-episode-pulled_n_3308913.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=CBS' 'Mike & Molly' Tornado Finale Rescheduled for May 30|url=http://screencrush.com/cbs-mike-molly-tornado-finale-windy-city/|website=Screen Crush|date=May 28, 2013|access-date=October 2, 2013|archive-date=October 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013802/http://screencrush.com/cbs-mike-molly-tornado-finale-windy-city/|url-status=live}}

On May 29, 2013, NBC aired Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert, a fundraising concert that was held at Chesapeake Energy Arena in downtown Oklahoma City. The benefit was hosted by country singer and Oklahoma native Blake Shelton and featured performances from Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Usher, Darius Rucker and Luke Bryan. The concert raised more than $6 million for the United Way of Central Oklahoma.{{cite magazine|title=Blake Shelton Tornado Relief Concert Raises $6 Million|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blake-shelton-tornado-relief-concert-raises-6-million-20130531|author=Erin Coulehan|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=June 3, 2013|archive-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614073706/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/blake-shelton-tornado-relief-concert-raises-6-million-20130531|url-status=live}}

On June 2, 2013, Discovery Channel aired an hour-long documentary about the storm titled Mile-Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster. The documentary provides a comprehensive look at the tornado's impact and drew comparisons of the storm to the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore tornado.{{cite web|title=About Mile Wide Tornado: Oklahoma Disaster|url=http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/oklahoma-tornado/about/about-the-show.htm|website=Discovery Channel|publisher=Discovery Communications|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-date=June 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622225215/http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/oklahoma-tornado/about/about-the-show.htm|url-status=live}}

The Moore City Council proposed a measure making twelve changes to its residential building codes, include requiring that new home construction in the city include hurricane clips or framing anchors, continuous plywood bracing and wind-resistant garage doors in order for homes to withstand winds up to {{convert|135|mph|km/h}} (equivalent to a high-end EF2 tornado). When the measure was passed in a unanimous vote held on March 17, 2014, Moore became the first city in the United States to adopt a building code addressing the effects of tornadoes on homes, which exceed the national standards set by the National Association of Home Builders.{{cite web|title=Moore considers enacting a stronger building code|url=http://newsok.com/moore-considers-enacting-a-stronger-building-code/article/3941631|newspaper=The Oklahoman|publisher=The Anschutz Corporation|date=March 10, 2014|access-date=March 11, 2014|archive-date=March 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311195817/http://newsok.com/moore-considers-enacting-a-stronger-building-code/article/3941631|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Moore City Council takes historic step in bolstering homes|url=http://newsok.com/moore-city-council-takes-historic-step-in-bolstering-homes/article/3944338|newspaper=The Oklahoman|publisher=The Anschutz Corporation|date=March 17, 2014|access-date=March 30, 2014|archive-date=March 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318131723/http://newsok.com/moore-city-council-takes-historic-step-in-bolstering-homes/article/3944338|url-status=live}}

{{stack|{{Portal|Oklahoma|Weather}}}}

• Tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013
• 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado – a tornado that struck nearby areas 14 years earlier
• Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2003 – a tornado outbreak that spawned an F4 tornado that struck similar areas almost ten years earlier
• Tornado outbreak of May 10–13, 2010 – a tornado outbreak that spawned an EF4 tornado that struck nearby areas three years earlier
• 2013 El Reno tornado – largest tornado on record that struck nearby areas 11 days later
• List of tornadoes in Cleveland County, Oklahoma
• List of tornado-related deaths at schools
• List of notable media in the field of meteorology

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=914721 Preliminary Reconnaissance of the May 20, 2013, Newcastle-Moore Tornado in Oklahoma] (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
• [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=tornadodata-city-moore Moore, Oklahoma Tornadoes (1890–Present)] from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• {{YouTube|HncWemM5fJc|Radar loop of the Moore tornado}}
• {{YouTube|XMF22_MEMJU|Formation and initial impact of the Moore tornado}}
• {{YouTube|77jiaIn4BoY|"Inside" The Moore Tornado}}
• {{YouTube|xTpceWd8UE4|"Outside" The Moore Tornado}}
• {{YouTube|UTNg5hwseZU|May 20, 2013 Moore Tornado}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140504071249/http://peterfriedlander.org/delgado-family-that-lived-through-the-2013-moore-oklahoma-tornado/ Family that lived through the tornado]

• [//google.org/crisismap/2013-oklahoma-tornado?hl=en&llbox=35.324705%2C35.318166%2C-97.513319%2C-97.527192&t=CUSTOM&layers=9%2C7%2C11%2C8%2Clayer2%2Clayer11%2C10%3A100 Satellite images of Moore taken on May 22, 2013 – two days after the tornado] from Google Crisis Response
• [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/20/us/oklahoma-tornado-map.html Map of tornado path and damage] from The New York Times
• [http://graphics.latimes.com/storyboard-major-oklahoma-city-tornadoes/ Map of tornadoes in OKC metro area since 1950] from the Los Angeles Times
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140514004444/http://www.cityofmoore.com/sites/default/files/main-site/MooreOKMap2011.pdf 2011 Moore City Map] from City of Moore
• [http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/maps/state/2013/map_state_2013_inset-okc.pdf 2013 Oklahoma City Metro Map] from Oklahoma Department Of Transportation

{{F5 and EF5 tornadoes}}

{{2013 tornado outbreaks}}

{{10 costliest US tornadoes}}

{{Coord|35.284|-97.628|display=title}}

Moore tornado

Moore tornado

Category:F5, EF5 and IF5 tornadoes

Category:Tornadoes in Oklahoma

Moore tornado

Category:May 2013 in the United States