Altus Oklahoma Produced One of the Most Photogenic Tornadoes Ever

The weather has been beating on Southwest Oklahoma all evening. From the Oklahoma border at Hollis to the edge of Snyder, inches upon inches of rain, huge hail, and tons of tornadoes have fallen out of two small but intense storms.

While the footage of the countless twisters can be found pretty much everywhere online by now, one piece of video stands out among the rest.

It's not so rare to see the scraggly beginnings of a tornado pretty clearly - what meteorologists now refer to as "tornado genesis" - it's when twisters grow in size that they usually become obscured by rain, and more often than not, the sun is going down and they disappear into the darkness.

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What made today different is the large and violent tornado that was threatening a run through Altus was so far on the edge of its storm that we're all being treated to some super-clear footage of a perfect laminar stovepipe to the ground.

TikTok's favorite meteorologist - localman_weather - was along for the ride and had this to share with the world.

@localman_weather BIG-BOY PIPE TORNADO WEST OF ALTUS, OK, INTERCEPTED BY TEAM DOMINATOR 5/23/24. #tornado #tornadowarning #oklahoma @Reed Timmer, PhD @Edgar ONeal - Storm Chaser ♬ original sound - LocalMan_Weather

He has been running with Team Dominator a handful of times this tornado season, and it seems he finally got up close and personal with a big 'ol Oklahoma twister.

#PraiseTheCameraMan

Of course, as the days linger on throughout Memorial Day Weekend, you're bound to see more accounts of this evenings meteorological activities roll through your own social media. After all, the sirens in Oklahoma inspire people to go outside and look rather than duck and cover. A long-held problem that OKC is tackling soon in the upcoming changes to their tornado siren protocols.

@nicekidd When you're from Oklahoma, tornadoes are just a part of the entertainment package #tornado #tornadowarning #oklahoma #oklahomaweather ♬ original sound - nicekidd | oklahoma ceo

@nicekidd every stinkin time #oklahoma #tornado #oklahoman #comedy ♬ Dumb Ways to Die - Tangerine Kitty

Odd and Unbelievable Tornado Facts

As far as we've come in the technology surrounding severe weather and tornadoes, there's still a massive amount science still doesn't understand. Yes, there is a generally agreed idea of how they begin, the conditions needed, and the usual atmospheric conditions, but twisters are still wildly unpredictable. Even more fascinating are the strange and almost terrifying facts about these powerful displays of nature.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Tornado Records from Around the Country

With tornadoes on our minds the last few days, I started to wonder about many of the tornado records. How many in one day, biggest outbreak, strongest tornado in history, etc... While we all feel Oklahoma is the home of terrible tornadoes, the stats are somewhat surprising.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

The Ten Most Tornado-Prone Counties in America

When it comes to the topic of tornadoes, Oklahoma is universally known around the world for producing some of the biggest, including the last F6 ever measured... but it'd probably surprise most Okies that the Sooner State doesn't even crack the top five of the most tornado-prone counties in America.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Filed Under: Tornadoes