Michael Armstrong posted on his Facebook page this morning that he hoped he was wrong, but he thought this was going to be a bad weather day. He was sure right.I think I'm going to pay lots of attention to what he posts from now on.

If you didn't see the live coverage on TV, MSNBC put together this 8 minute montage that forms a timeline of the day. Pretty incredible. Mike Morgan absolutely lays down the truth to the viewers. As much as we make fun of him around here, he was as right as he could be and saved lives today. They all did. Here's the montage from MSNBC
Montage-Tornado Timeline -The Last Word -MSNBC (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45755883/#51947409)

Mike Morgan is usually right. As sensational as he can be, every time his prediction comes closest to the truth.

Mike Morgan is usually right. As sensational as he can be, every time his prediction comes closest to the truth.

Agreed, when lives are totally in danger, hype is not in question. And some were bashing KFOR recently because KFOR was showing OKC and the Metro area in a high risk area when they thought the main risk was further East or North. No one has all of the answers when it comes to severe weather.

We sometimes complain and make fun of their hype and sensationalism, but thank God we have them. No question that today Mike, Gary and Damon saved lives. That is beyond debate. God Bless them, their crews and chasers. Those spotters and chasers risk life and limb to give coverage and warnings. I'm proud to have them.

I think the news teams have been fantastic. 4, 5, and 9. Great work.

+1

KOCO 5 Coverage is the best one of the news anchor just broke down in tears live on the air

Linda Cavanaugh seemed like she was somewhat medicated.

I will give props to the KFOR Helicopter pilot and cameraman. They did a great job from what I saw.

Jon Welsh or something like that, I believe. He understands reporting facts calmly in real-time. Also he makes it clear when he is stating opinions/speculation/assumptions.

When Jon first began as KFOR helicopter pilot I thought he seemed timid and unsure of himself. But yesterday he was stellar in his messages and calm demeanor. I was totally impressed with his professionalism.



I will give props to the KFOR Helicopter pilot and cameraman. They did a great job from what I saw.

Jon Welsh or something like that, I believe. He understands reporting facts calmly in real-time. Also he makes it clear when he is stating opinions/speculation/assumptions.

KOCO 5 Coverage is the best one of the news anchor just broke down in tears live on the air

Everyone has cracked from time to time. Amanda did on KWTV, Michael was close a few times as well. I don't think a person crying on air = best TV station though. We know you are a KOCO fan boy, so that's expected. :)

Reading back through the rest of the comments...there is a time and place when we can evaluate on various factors how they performed. In this case there is no reason to grade. If we want to grade them on forecast performance, no on really missed. Were the local TV stations blaring "high risks" warranted? No. People say that because they did don't understand the numbers behind risks. If we want to take the discussion to the meteorological we can, but let's be clear when we do go down that road.

KOCO 5 i think just went to its first commercial break since yesterday

KOCO 5 is back with its normal program

I just wanted to say that I hope Channel 9 can hang on to Michael Armstrong. He's incredibly knowledgeable and professional.

I just wanted to say that I hope Channel 9 can hang on to Michael Armstrong. He's incredibly knowledgeable and professional.Couldn't agree more

Is it wrong to not feel bad, in advance, should a certain too loud and dramatic newcomer to tv9 cuddle up too close to a west ok storm tonight?

I just wanted to say that I hope Channel 9 can hang on to Michael Armstrong. He's incredibly knowledgeable and professional.

I wonder why channel 9 seldom, if ever, uses Jed Castles during storm season. Sure he does morning weather but when its time for 'all hands on deck' channel 9 doesn't seem to use him.

I think Mike Morgan was very, very irresponsible for bringing a sense of panic for people by telling them to get in their cars and run from the storm. He placed more people in danger in their car than they would have been staying in their house. The traffic problems have been horrific, in part in my opinion, due to Mike Morgan's panic. Am I wrong?

I just hope that our visitors to the immediate north of us (enconsed at La Quinta a couple of miles to the north of us) surfed the local channels other than Channel 4. Tornadoes are not unheard of in Minnesota (and, thankfully, they flew in this morning) but they had questions about sirens . . . and locations of The Threat. I had to respond to a couple of questions via cellphone to them to moderate their fears regarding global positioning in unknown territory vis-a-vis THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT SO GET IN YOUR CAR AND DRIVE AWAY FROM THE DANGER (so you can be stuck in traffic/flooding and let THE ACTUAL TORNADO ROLL OVER YOU (so to speak, c/o Channel 4 Coverage, Tie Guy Mike). My wife got on the phone to her for real BFF and said, "It's as far away as Branam from Isanti."

The classic, caught on video clip, would be when the In The Field other driver, had to HONK to get the Video Storm Chaser on the correct side of the center lane. In traffic. Could have been a minor tragedy. Or not.

My advice to the semi-freaked out (just like me) visitors from UpNord was: Come on down and have a bite . . . Dinner's waitin' fer ya'. I think the worst has passed. Those visitors: Flew in today c. 10:00. Me: 1974.=)

I wonder why channel 9 seldom, if ever, uses Jed Castles during storm season. Sure he does morning weather but when its time for 'all hands on deck' channel 9 doesn't seem to use him.

Probably it the Talent/Screen name.
Sounds too much like a Beverly Hillbilly.
Or a chess move.

I think Mike Morgan was very, very irresponsible for bringing a sense of panic for people by telling them to get in their cars and run from the storm. He placed more people in danger in their car than they would have been staying in their house. The traffic problems have been horrific, in part in my opinion, due to Mike Morgan's panic. Am I wrong?

I'm not certain that "irresponsible" covers the potential liability.
but that's okay . . . even a local media talking head can only be so much of a multi-tasker.

I think Mike Morgan was very, very irresponsible for bringing a sense of panic for people by telling them to get in their cars and run from the storm. He placed more people in danger in their car than they would have been staying in their house. The traffic problems have been horrific, in part in my opinion, due to Mike Morgan's panic. Am I wrong?

Hey, the guy told people to flee south. That's exactly where the storms turned to. Very irresponsible to even suggest outrunning such a widespread storm. I was shocked.

Kudos again to Gary England for a very sharp night and controlling the coverage. He slapped David Payne down a couple of times. That guy is out of control, seriously. Michael Armstrong, as I said earlier, is the consummate professional and sharp as a tack. I still think KWTV has time to somehow nix the David Payne deal as Chief Meteorologist after Gary leaves. Michael Armstrong is so much more prepared for the job.

Is David Payne a for sure thing?

Hey, the guy told people to flee south. That's exactly where the storms turned to. Very irresponsible to even suggest outrunning such a widespread storm. I was shocked.

I agree. I usually listen to Mike but yes he was very irresponsible for this. I wonder how many people are stranded because he told people to flee south.

It was irresponsible, but I bet people would have fled anyway after the May 20 storm. People and Morgan apparently were assuming it would behave like a typical thunderstorm and either go east or northeast.

Is David Payne a for sure thing?

Meteorologist David Payne leaving KFOR-4 to join KWTV-9 | News OK (http://newsok.com/meteorologist-david-payne-leaving-kfor-4-to-join-kwtv-9/article/3738318)

"Payne eventually will succeed Gary England as KWTV chief meterologist when he decides to retire, said David Griffin, CEO and chairman of Griffin Communications."

Maybe Payne will calm down some if he is stuck in the studio and not in storm chaser mode.

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard some of the weathermen tell people in OKC to get in their cars and drive south to escape the storms--only to have the storm turn southward. Getting in your car to outrun the storm is probably #3 on the list of things not to do. I'm sure people were injured because of it and the panic they caused. Unbelievable.

Apparently some of the praise heaped upon them this past week is not deserved.

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard some of the weathermen tell people in OKC to get in their cars and drive south to escape the storms--only to have the storm turn southward. Getting in your car to outrun the storm is probably #3 on the list of things not to do. I'm sure people were injured because of it and the panic they caused. Unbelievable.

Apparently some of the praise heaped upon them this past week is not deserved.

Sorry, I responded to you in the Weather thread. Did you hear anybody but Mike Morgan say that? I know he did and couldn't believe it as there were cells close together and one was moving to the SE. It was incredibly irresponsible.

Sorry, I responded to you in the Weather thread. Did you hear anybody but Mike Morgan say that? I know he did and couldn't believe it as there were cells close together and one was moving to the SE. It was incredibly irresponsible.

No...sorry, I should have been more precise: Mike Morgan said it and it was repeated on TWC, which was apparently using Morgan's feed. So he was the only one who said it that I know of, but it went out through two separate sources.

No...sorry, I should have been more precise: Mike Morgan said it and it was repeated on TWC, which was apparently using Morgan's feed. So he was the only one who said it that I know of, but it went out through two separate sources.

Gotcha. Just crazy.

I'm not a Morgasm basher but admit my jaw dropped over this. We had loved one near NW 23/Penn asking us what to do. I urged him to drive south. Thankfully, he remained in place, suffering only mild hail (no damage). Horrific to imagine the traffic jam heading south, especially on the interstates.

I wouldn't call it "irresponsible" so much as a bad call. Hope Mike learns from it but doesn't beat himself up too much.

I'm not a Morgasm basher but admit my jaw dropped over this. We had loved one near NW 23/Penn asking us what to do. I urged him to drive south. Thankfully, he remained in place, suffering only mild hail (no damage). Horrific to imagine the traffic jam heading south, especially on the interstates.

I wouldn't call it "irresponsible" so much as a bad call. Hope Mike learns from it but doesn't beat himself up too much.

I don't know. It's pretty irresponsible in my view. I'm watching CNN's live coverage of all this and they're treating this like a scandal. The OEMA director just told Wolf Blitzer they'd like to know "how this rumor got started" to drive south out of the I-40 area. Well, they'll know soon enough it wasn't a "rumor" but real advice from Mike Morgan at Channel 4. NO, Gary England did NOT say this, in fact just the opposite. I have a feeling Mike will have to address this publicly and explain.

They are AGAIN talking about this "scandal" on CNN. Somebody will be held accountable said Chad Myers earlier.

Anyone listening to this guy going on a rant on CNN? He has some good points though. The comments he made about the flooding situation is dumb though. He made it sound as if there is no flooding going on at all around OKC.

Morgan I think is just setting himself up to head for an early retirement if KWTV keeps crushing them in the ratings. The other part is that they also had two chasers (if Reed was chasing for them today) get too close and suffer damage to their vehicles. KWTV had David and Val get a bit too close, but Gary jumped on top of it and got them repositioned quickly. Of course the icing on the cake was TWC's vehicle getting flipped for being aggressive know it alls. I'm sorry. I chased for 15 years, I knew when I screwed up, but I would never ever ever put myself in that position on a day like today.

About KWTV...Michael is really impressive lately. I think we might see where he stays in the studio and Payne is in the field. Though I wouldn't be shocked if there is some language in the contract with Payne if they find things not working out.

I don't know. It's pretty irresponsible in my view. I'm watching CNN's live coverage of all this and they're treating this like a scandal. The OEMA director just told Wolf Blitzer they'd like to know "how this rumor got started" to drive south out of the I-40 area. Well, they'll know soon enough it wasn't a "rumor" but real advice from Mike Morgan at Channel 4. NO, Gary England did NOT say this, in fact just the opposite. I have a feeling Mike will have to address this publicly and explain.

Yeah, it seemed irresponsible. I can't remember the exact phrasing but I'm pretty sure Mike said something along the lines of, “If you live in El Reno, Yukon, Mustang, anywhere along I-40 up to a couple miles north of I-40, you need to get in your car and head south right now or you will die."

Morgan I think is just setting himself up to head for an early retirement if KWTV keeps crushing them in the ratings. The other part is that they also had two chasers (if Reed was chasing for them today) get too close and suffer damage to their vehicles. KWTV had David and Val get a bit too close, but Gary jumped on top of it and got them repositioned quickly. Of course the icing on the cake was TWC's vehicle getting flipped for being aggressive know it alls. I'm sorry. I chased for 15 years, I knew when I screwed up, but I would never ever ever put myself in that position on a day like today.

About KWTV...Michael is really impressive lately. I think we might see where he stays in the studio and Payne is in the field. Though I wouldn't be shocked if there is some language in the contract with Payne if they find things not working out.I heard Wolf Blitzer say that there was going to be an investigation into who said go out onto the highways and try and outrun the storm. Don't exactly know what he meant other than maybe just finding out who did it and that's that, from what I've heard it was Mike Morgan. I wonder if this will really hurt him and 4Warn?

I heard Wolf Blitzer say that there was going to be an investigation into who said go out onto the highways and try and outrun the storm. Don't exactly know what he meant other than maybe just finding out who did it and that's that, from what I've heard it was Mike Morgan. I wonder if this will really hurt him and 4Warn?

I think it's a big "YAWN" issue. There is no evidence that anyone had any significant problems because of that. The car vs. storm issues were mainly along I40 West of OKC. I'm not saying some people shouldn't have stayed home, just that I haven't heard of it causing major problems.

I think it's a big "YAWN" issue. There is no evidence that anyone had any significant problems because of that. The car vs. storm issues were mainly along I40 West of OKC. I'm not saying some people shouldn't have stayed home, just that I haven't heard of it causing major problems.Well that was another thought, if a big issue will be made or people will just forget about it. They sure were making a big deal on CNN awhile ago, but that's CNN lol

Well that was another thought, if a big issue will be made or people will just forget about it. They sure were making a big deal on CNN awhile ago, but that's CNN lol

Of course. Controversy provides ratings.

Of course. Controversy provides ratings.As always. My father owns a car rental company and after the May 20th twister, NBC rented two of my fathers cars for a week. The brought the car back 5 days early. As I was driving the reporter and his assistant, or whoever, back to the airport, I asked why he left so early and I was told the death toll was not high enough to justify them being there(dropped from 90 to 21). The reporter told me he was disappointed, but that's the it happens sometimes.

As I was driving the reporter and his assistant, or whoever, back to the airport, I asked why he left so early and I was told the death toll was not high enough to justify them being there(dropped from 90 to 21). The reporter told me he was disappointed, but that's the it happens sometimes.

Oh well, back to Afghanistan then where there are more bodies.

As always. My father owns a car rental company and after the May 20th twister, NBC rented two of my fathers cars for a week. The brought the car back 5 days early. As I was driving the reporter and his assistant, or whoever, back to the airport, I asked why he left so early and I was told the death toll was not high enough to justify them being there(dropped from 90 to 21). The reporter told me he was disappointed, but that's the it happens sometimes.

To quote Don Henley: "It's interesting when people die- give us dirty laundry.

I think it's a big "YAWN" issue. There is no evidence that anyone had any significant problems because of that. The car vs. storm issues were mainly along I40 West of OKC. I'm not saying some people shouldn't have stayed home, just that I haven't heard of it causing major problems.

It was a dumb call to tell people, in essence, "FLEE, FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!" Norman was quite literally gridlocked before the crap really started to fly in this area.

I went to a local diner this morning to eavesdrop on the zeitgeist and a lot of the talk centered around telling people to get out in it and drive. One guy said he was trying to get home in Norman and saw people in SUVs and even lighter vehicles driving into ridiculously deep ditches, embankments, etc, trying to get around traffic and get onto a major artery. He also said people were abandoning their cars and even came to his elderly father's house and begged to be let in. The old man supposedly didn't even use his cellar, the dirt and grass had kinda grown over part of the door, so he handed them a shovel and said "if you want to use it, dig it out", and several of them did. (The old man went back inside to his dinner and TV).

I don't know if the herd was spooked or what, but this seems like an atypical Oklahoma response to tornadoes, many definitely didn't "act like ya been there before." It was like a scene from the apocalyptic movie 2012 in many parts of the city.

Seriously, you can't say "life-threatening situation" (like Gary said ~7:15) and expect people to react naturally so soon after May 20th. Should have left it at "Take your normal tornado precautions."

But between out-of-state through traffic and unmoved Oklahomans who wanted to still get out on Friday night, and fierce rain that probably ruined visibility...I'm not sure that things would have been 100% better if people had not tried to outrun the storm.

Friday is a particularly bad day for tornadoes.

It doesn't help that channels 4 and 9 are now stocked with raving lunatics either. Perhaps one of our local TV personalities' repeated calls to "get out of the way" on air and on radio factored in as well.

Seriously, you can't say "life-threatening situation" (like Gary said ~7:15) and expect people to react naturally so soon after May 20th. Should have left it at "Take your normal tornado precautions."

But between out-of-state through traffic and unmoved Oklahomans who wanted to still get out on Friday night, and fierce rain that probably ruined visibility...I'm not sure that things would have been 100% better if people had not tried to outrun the storm.

Friday is a particularly bad day for tornadoes.


I think this post is the best summary of what happened.

Perhaps some people tried to "flee" the tornado. But I think it was a combination of the following:

-Amateur wanna-be chasers out there
-People who held the mentality "it's never as bad as they say it will be"
-Clueless people
-People leaving and going to/from work
-People 'fleeing' from storm paths. (there was a tornado emergency issued for OK county. But sirens were going off throughout ENTIRE metro area regardless of storm path)


The bottom line is there should have been almost no traffic Friday evening. The drill was, go home from work - watch the weather and be prepared for action. NOT, go home - get ready to go about normal plans to eat at Applebees and then go out for a few drinks with friends and "ohmergerd I hope we don't get sucked up in a tornado, lolz".

People are selfish when it comes to weather events - most of those people on the roads last night were simply being selfish.


To touch on what I bolded above, the city really needs to get together and see if there is a way to prevent sirens from going off in areas where there is no immediate danger. I feel the sound of sirens gives people a sense of panic and makes people drive crazier.

I agree on the sirens part. Norman spent a few million on a completely new system a couple years back and one of the features was to segment the city. However it seems they are still blowing citywide even when just the Northern sliver of Norman is warned. There we are talking about a city of 110 sq miles, which is still pretty large compared to most cities, but now apply that to a city 620 sq miles and its just a mess.

The whole fleeing yesterday was just a mess. If you are on a road way that has the tornado going down it - by all means get off of it and move out of the way. Don't run out and get in your car when there are people already out there trying to get away. You should be in your shelter/safe place and stay put.

There are a lot of people who do not pay attention to local news or weather reports and are typically caught off-guard by the rapidly changing weather. They just feel they don't have to keep up with it, they don't watch the news, have apps on their phone or have a weather radio. I saw a lot of it in Austin, some in OKC and even up here where we can have 80's one day and 6" of snow the next. A large segment of the population will only respond if the sirens go off.

The siren issue is complex because people need to be aware, but they also need to be calm and informed. The way I've noticed they have done it, is sound for a brief period in places that are at risk but then turn them off if an area is not in immediate danger. That seems like a reasonable way to handle it.

And with I-40 and I-35 being so heavily trafficked by out-of-towners, I think having the sirens go off so that they become aware that the weather is severe may be what they need to get off the road and toward a structure...It's not like someone from Kansas City on their way to Dallas is going to be able to tune in to the radio and understand the threat difference between a tornado in Mustang and a tornado at May Ave.

I always fear for the people driving westbound on I-40 during severe weather.

More than fixing sirens, Emergency Management needs to create a plan to shut down the interstates during tornadoes. We're good enough at predicting these things a day in advance that we can be at the ready on days of particular high risk. As soon as a particularly strong supercell develops, all proper personnel are in place to close off on-ramps and blockade the highway forcing people off the highway and onto city streets where they can find shelter.

Sirens are not designed for making people aware of weather (you should already be aware as this is the point of forecasts). They are for telling people to go below ground or in an interior room. The fact that sirens are going off in places where people do not need to take such shelter, creates chaos and panic that could then funnel into actual danger areas. It is a slippery slope.

Bottom line is if the sirens in your area are going off, take tornado precautions. When sirens go off everywhere at once, people begin freaking out and like we say yesterday, start driving to places in dangerous fashion.


EDIT: To keep this thread on topic. Yes you should never get in a car to flee if a tornado is imminent. I am against local mets giving such suggestions. However, I feel like some local media are taking unnecessary flack. OKC proper had a long time to adhere to the warnings. People waiting last minute have no one to blame but themselves. The warnings were there. You knew your local surroundings and the local traffic. Do not blame others for ones own mistakes.

I think closing I-40 also created a giant mess as when it was blocked, people got off the interstate to find alternate routes. It was just a really bad situation and nobody but passerbys should have been on the road in the first place.

Sometimes I wonder if we need a better way to shut down interstates when severe weather is crossing. Now I am thrilled that ODOT finally pulled their heads out and posted a weather alert on the large signs. However, I still think they need to be posting things like "Tornado Watch Until 12AM" or "Tornado Warning Oklahoma County"...something to just get in the drivers faces of stay alert or even don't proceed and find shelter. Heck maybe the digital billboards should show live radar or something to. Who knows.

My husband, bless him, was one of the people who got spooked by listening to Mike Morgan yesterday. He and his co-workers left work in a panic and tried to outrun the storm. Instead they drove right into it. No meteorologist should EVER tell people to try to outrun a storm! That's ridiculous.

I was watching KOCO, so when Husband called me and said "GET OUT GET OUT RIGHT NOW" I was like "????". Damon Lane never said anything about imminent death, just that things were looking pretty unstable in the Moore/Norman area and to stay alert.

For those that missed it...

Morgan telling people to go south. It starts around 1:38ish.

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My husband, bless him, was one of the people who got spooked by listening to Mike Morgan yesterday. He and his co-workers left work in a panic and tried to outrun the storm. Instead they drove right into it. No meteorologist should EVER tell people to try to outrun a storm! That's ridiculous.

I was watching KOCO, so when Husband called me and said "GET OUT GET OUT RIGHT NOW" I was like "????". Damon Lane never said anything about imminent death, just that things were looking pretty unstable in the Moore/Norman area and to stay alert.

This is one of the reasons I hate the TorCon. Its making everyone believe tornados are the only parts of the storm to worry about. EF4+ tornados have a statistically low chance of occuring and you will be fine in the interior part of a structure in almost every case. Unless you live on the outskirts of town with a quick escape route out of the city its a dumb idea to try to outrun a storm.

NOT EVERY TORNADO IS GOING TO BE AN EF5!

The Mike Morgan video, go back to it. If you only watched the "go south" at 1:38 or so, please continue watching or start it at the 2:30 mark. That's the PLEA he makes to go southbound. Then continue watching. That was what so many found shocking. Listening to the whole thing from that 2:30 point helped make me realize why it's so bad. It's just a wow moment for anyone who saw the gridlock. This played a huge factor in the I-40, I-35, I-240 mess. This was also live on the Weather Channel at the same time it was on 4.

The Mike Morgan video, go back to it. If you only watched the "go south" at 1:38 or so, please continue watching or start it at the 2:30 mark. That's the PLEA he makes to go southbound. Then continue watching. That was what so many found shocking. Listening to the whole thing from that 2:30 point helped make me realize why it's so bad. It's just a wow moment for anyone who saw the gridlock. This played a huge factor in the I-40, I-35, I-240 mess. This was also played live on the Weather Channel.

This will probably put an end to the "get out of the way" pleas the local meteorologists usually give before these storms. Mike was likely expecting this to move E-NE like they usually do, not go SE.