Synopsis

For the most part in 2021, Oklahoma saw a number of tornadoes far below its yearly average. However, an active October disrupted this trend, bringing the number up to status quo. This busy “second storm season” brought about 34 tornadoes, which shattered the previously-held record of 27 tornadoes in October of 1998. Thankfully, the strongest tornado of the outbreak was rated as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

I encountered a few of these tornadoes. Namely, my friends and I had a close call with the aforementioned EF-2 tornado while chasing its parent supercell. As we were making our narrow escape from the bear’s cage, I distinctly felt my ears pop with the decreasing pressure. On a different day (well, it was late at night) I saw a rotating wall cloud pass over my dormitory. Shortly after, it spawned an EF-0 tornado. This is an October that I will surely never forget!

Animated Map

Oklahoma October 2021 Tornadoes

Full Project Poster

Oklahoma October 2021 Tornadoes