Oklahoma’s Biggest Tornadoes Are More Rare Than We Think

Living in Oklahoma, especially those Millennials who've been here a long time, it's easy to believe the biggest tornadoes on Earth come with regularity during what we know as Tornado Season.

We've witnessed a lot of them in our lifetime.

That being said, we're currently living through the longest EF5 big twister drought in recorded history. We're coming up on twelve full years since the last monster swept through Moore, OK.

We've talked recently about how scientists have slightly changed the data to offer an explanation of why the really big tornadoes aren't happening, probably because it disrupts previous climate claims. Regardless of the arguments people have on the internet, EF5s have always been rare, even though they don't feel that way.

Why?

In recent history, we've had a swarm of big tornadoes. It was a practical trend in 2011 when six EF5s touched down across the Southern US. Four of which all happened on the same day (April 27th) as part of the 2011 Super Outbreak across Dixie Alley.

The other two EF5s came within a month, decimating Piedmont, OK, and Joplin, MO. A total of six EF5s in one season. It was enough to have meteorologists calling it a "Tornado Swarm."

The public perception became that this was how the weather was going to be as climate change continued to happen.

The next year was rather quiet, but then things ramped up again in May of 2013 when horror once again struck Moore, Oklahoma. The deaths were appalling.

EF5s were just something we were all going to have to get used to... and there hasn't been one that big since.

Now, nobody is complaining about this curious EF5 drought aside from storm chasers who would like to check the 'Finger of God' off their seen it/done it lists.

via GIPHY

Having come of age during so many EF5 twisters - starting with the infamous Bridge Creek-Moore F5 monster of 1999, and culminating in the 2013 Moore Tornado - the perception was easy to develop that this is how the world was going to be for Millennials.

The last twelve years have made a lot of people realize just how rare these large wedge twisters really are.

Recorded History.

While modern meteorology is relatively new, really just starting in the late 1950s and early 60s, there have been only 67 officially listed F5/EF5 tornadoes in history. The first was designated to have happened in 1764--it was after the fact, assigned due to historical accounts.

If you toss out the pre-1950s tornadoes, that total number is still 62 F5/EF5 twisters, most of which have happened in the US.

via GIPHY

While there's very little evidence, there's still a belief these big twisters come in cycles. That could explain why there are periods of tornado feast and famine, but the current EF5 drought blows a hole in that theory.

There has never been a period of time between EF5s this long since recording tornado size began. Even if we average the storms back to the first modern destructive twister, there's still a gap. 62 F5/EF5s in 72 years, and science can't explain it.

Some things aren't meant to be known.

As we roll into the peak of another Oklahoma Tornado Season, this odd weather trend is one we all hope will continue, but history isn't on our side.

It's never 'if,' it's always 'when.'