Oklahoma's Tornado Forecast: What To Expect On May 19

Over this past weekend, Oklahoma went from having a chance of strong thunderstorms today (Monday, May 19) to a forecast describing what could be a historic day in Sooner State history.

How much of this is real weather forecasting vs grabbing ratings during May sweeps?

As always, it's hard to tell. Expect the worst and be relieved when predictions are wrong.

@weather We are tracking yet another multi-day severe weather threat beginning today for the storm-weary central U.S. Meteorologist #JimCantore breaks down what you need to know. #weather #alert #tornado #weathertok #meteorologist #forecast #severeweather #severeweatherday #headsup #oklahoma #storms #fyp #foryou #weatherchannel ♬ original sound - The Weather Channel TV

This forecast is a dreaded one nobody in Oklahoma wants to hear. Strong, long-track tornadoes. Those have historically been the worst naders on record.

Bridge Creek-Moore 1999. El Reno-Piedmont 2011. Moore 2013. All incredible F5-EF5 long-track massive wedge tornadoes.

I would imagine that there's a heaping amount of pressure on our meteorology personalities to sell the drama. Nobody gets their news from the news anymore. It's all online hours before they'll say it on TV, but the weather is live, local, and constantly breaking as it happens, and Oklahomans stay pretty glued to it. Me included.

Of course, this is probably why some Oklahoma meteorologists aim to mix in a little entertainment during the lulls in coverage. It lightens the mood and makes for great local television.

@vesperlynd_c4 We take our storms seriously… But we also know that when the radar’s lit up and the meteorologists are fired up, we’re in for some accidental comedy gold! Welcome to Oklahoma! #SpicyWeatherSeason #OnlyInOklahoma #StormChasingLaughs #tornadoes #davidpayne #weathertok #oklahomacheck #okie ♬ original sound - Brandi | Code 4 & Carrying On

Truth be told, nobody knows what today will bring weather-wise... They just know what could be possible under the ideal conditions that have a very good chance of happening.

As always, keep an eye on the weather throughout the day in your portion of Oklahoma. Best case scenario, they're all wrong, at which point we should be thankful instead of angry we wasted a day worrying about the weather. That's certainly better than the worst-case scenario happening in real time.

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

Things You'll Need in Your Oklahoma Tornado Prep Kit

Even though the odds of your life being affected by a tornado are extremely thin, there's no harm in being prepared with basic necessities. Even if the storm misses your home you could still find yourself without power or water for days to weeks. Here's a quick rundown on the basics every home should have for tornado season in Oklahoma.

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