FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN
National Weather Service April 13 tornado report

http://forecast.weather.gov/product....s&issuedby=oun

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1135 AM CDT THU APR 19 2012

...PRELIMINARY STORM INFORMATION FOR THE NORMAN OKLAHOMA TORNADO...

BEGINNING TIME: ~359 PM APRIL 13
ENDING TIME: ~412 PM APRIL 13
BEGINNING LOCATION: 3.7 MILES SW NORMAN (MCCLAIN COUNTY)
ENDING LOCATION: 1.8 MILES NE NORMAN (CLEVELAND COUNTY)
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 20
EF-SCALE RATING: EF-1 ( MAX WIND SPEED 90-107 MPH )

THE TORNADO DEVELOPED JUST WEST OF THE SOUTH CANADIAN RIVER... NORTH
OF SANTA FE AVENUE/SE 35TH STREET AND MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST TOWARD
THE CITY OF NORMAN. THE TORNADO ENTERED THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF NORMAN
AT 401 PM... AND CROSSED I-35 NORTH OF WEST LINDSEY STREET AT 404
PM. EF-1 DAMAGE WAS DONE TO ON EITHER SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AS THE
TORNADO BEGAN MOVING MORE NORTHEAST. ADDITIONAL EF-1 DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED NORTH OF MAIN STREET... BETWEEN LAHOMA AND PETERS AVENUES.
THE TORNADO FINALLY LIFTED NEAR NE 12TH AND ROBINSON STREET AT 412 PM.

OTHER DAMAGE THAT WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK WAS MORE
LIKELY DUE TO STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT.
MOST OF THIS DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO TREES AND POWER POLES/LINES.
THIS TORNADO INFORMATION SHOULD STILL BE CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AS
WE CONTINUE TO LOOK OVER INFORMATION.


Norman April 13 tornado track map

http://ow.ly/i/zIfy

I would like to know why it took the city of Norman so long to sound their sirens.

This tornado was doing damage and being shown on live TV on KFOR TV for perhaps 5 minutes before the sirens were sounded. I have heard it was reported by the other local TV stations before they sounded the sirens
This is the second time in recent years where there were TV reports of a tornado in Norman doing damage and the city tornado sirens did not sound in a timely way.

Depending on National Weather Service warnings is not enough. The city of Norman needs to monitor (Ch.’s 4-5-9) local TV coverage as well. Had they been monitoring local TV perhaps it would have lowered the injury totals. I hope it doesn’t take a much more serious event for it to finally wake somebody up in the city government offices to what appears to be poor management practices.

I would like to know why it took the city of Norman so long to sound their sirens.

This tornado was doing damage and being shown on live TV on KFOR TV for perhaps 5 minutes before the sirens were sounded. I have heard it was reported by the other local TV stations before they sounded the sirens
This is the second time in recent years where there were TV reports of a tornado in Norman doing damage and the city tornado sirens did not sound in a timely way.

Depending on National Weather Service warnings is not enough. The city of Norman needs to monitor (Ch.’s 4-5-9) local TV coverage as well. Had they been monitoring local TV perhaps it would have lowered the injury totals. I hope it doesn’t take a much more serious event for it to finally wake somebody up in the city government offices to what appears to be poor management practices.

I was at my parents' house in Norman when the tornado hit. Their neighborhood was in the direct path of the tornado. It was the first one I've ever seen and been in. The tornado sirens are located about a quarter mile from my parents' house and they went off AFTER the tornado had passed the neighborhood and was continuing north to Robinson. Fortunately, we were watching Channel 4 and they gave us about 45 seconds warning.