FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas Tornado Outbreak...

Just how unusual was the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas tornado outbreak?

The magnitude of the May 3, 1999 outbreak of tornadoes is not unusual. In fact, outbreaks of this magnitude occur about every 5 years.What is unusual is for a tornado producing F5 damage to hit a large city. But a careful look at population density will reveal that large cities occupy a very small percentage of total land area in the United States. Most strong tornadoes occur in rural areas.

How many people were killed or injured in the May 3rd Outbreak?

The Oklahoma State Department of Health conducted an investigation on the deaths and injuries resulting from the May 3, 1999 tornadoes. Here is their report: www.health.state.ok.us/program/injury/updates/tornado.pdf [77K PDF]

Should I park under an overpass if I am in my car during a tornado?

Three people lost their lives under or near overpasses on May 3, 1999. Two were up "under the girders" taking shelter from the storm. This idea may have been perpetuated by a well circulated video from a weak tornado in Kansas. Unfortunately, the circumstance of the infamous video was that the overpass did not directly experience the tornadic circulation of the weak tornado. On May 3, 1999 at least two overpasses were directly hit by an F5 tornado. People who tried to take shelter there faced severe injuries; nearly all of them were blown out and two of them died (a third fatality took place when a car parked under an overpass was thrown by another tornado). One woman's body was not found for several days, as it was buried under a large amount of debris. For more information on overpasses and safety in your car we recommend the following: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/papers/overpass.html

Can buildings be made strong enough to withstand a tornado's strong winds?

Following the May 3, 1999 outbreak, FEMA sent a team including forensic engineers to study the damage homes and businesses sustained from violent tornadoes. The Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) published their final report, "Midwest Tornadoes of May 3, 1999." The report is available from FEMA by calling 1-888-565-3896 to request Publication 342, or you can download the full report [PDF 6.7 MB] electronically The BPAT report includes recommendations which can be made to both existing and new structures to increase their resistance to strong winds.

Related links:

• Summary of the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma/Kansas tornado outbreak
• More details about what happened on May 3, 1999 from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman
• NSSL scientist Dr. Harold Brooks' Severe Thunderstorm Climatology web pages
• The Tornado Project for a complete listing of all tornadoes from 1950 to 1991 plus information on the Fujita Scale for rating tornadoes
• The National Climatic Data Center's Severe Events searchable database

Return to Tornado FAQ

1/22/07