"Only" 3 tornadoes in three years?? I have never seen a tornado but have had a couple of close calls--once inside the heavy hail band, the second during the derecho storm a few years ago.
I've spent >30 years on or near the coast in the South, and I've seen three hurricanes. One per decade on average, and we usually get 3-4 days advance warning.
Hope the damage in OKC isn't too bad.
Yeah, the first one was in Shawnee on May 19 2013 - I was working at a Braum's and a guy walked in and said "Tornado's comin'". I, being a masterful pilot and expert on all things weather, didn't believe him. Sky got incredibly dark, clouds started doing weird things, I thought there was no way that it could happen. Tornado touched down to the west and started heading our way. I remember standing in the parking lot watching in complete awe as it became visible thinking that the world was over.
I asked where the storm shelter was and they said there wasn't one - WHAT?? How could you live somewhere with those terrifying things and not have a shelter in every workplace or house?? Are you nuts! Where do we go? The milk room - surrounded by glass. Awesome. So we're sitting there, I'm fully expecting to die at this point, and I hear over the headset...
*ding ding* Yeah, I'd like two number 7's, a number 4 with--
That's as far as he got. I told him to pull forward. Stormed out of the milk room, flung open the drive through window, and told him to go the hell home. The tornado was visible on that side of the building, the sirens are right across the freakin' street, and you're gonna go order food???
So the tornado cuts a path north and dissipates and I think it's all over and done with. No. That was the single busiest night we had since I started. All 3 stores ran out of meat, we lost like 3 workers who "had to go help" and it was 3 of us running the whole store. It was a war zone - natural disaster must make people hungry for fast food.
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So after being incredibly frustrated because it was basically the end of my 2 week notice for work at the sales job north of OKC, and I wanted to just walk out, I decided to wait it out. I got the new job, and on the
first day of training, there were more severe weather patterns and I was being told about it as I got there in the morning.
We went to go park our cars in the hangar. I asked why, and I was told due to hail. "Like dime/quarter size?" I asked. They actually laughed, and proceeded to show me pics of baseball, nearly softball size hail wrecking some guy's pool on youtube. Awesome. So sufficiently scared with my car parked in a corner of the hangar, we go walking back to the main building. When suddenly, off in the distance, I hear that magical sound. The sound of tornado sirens cranking up. And I don't even stop to ask - I just take off running. As fast as I possibly can to the main building.
I trip and fall and wreck my brand new work pants and roll right back into running and make it inside. Everyone asks what happened and why my pants are destroyed. I told them the sirens are on, and they start laughing. I actually had to have a write-up later about why I injured myself. Reason - running from tornado. Resolution - don't run from tornado.
Anyway, so this huge hook echo passes DIRECTLY over the building on radar on the TV. I know this because I wasn't in a storm shelter because, naturally, they don't have one either. We waited and waited, there was noise, wind, stuff running into the building, but nothing that would break it down. Against my judgement we went outside soon after the noise stopped and ended up dropping not too long after.
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Being completely paranoid about every cloud in the sky like it was going to pick up my car and throw it into the air, I asked to go home. And had to poke and prod to be able to do so, considering I lived over an hour and 10 mins away. And I'd like to be home before the proverbial feces hits the fan.
And with my luck, this was May 20th. The TV channel said that there was a chance of "Large tornadoes". There was a map, forever engraved into my mind, with multiple layers for tornado chances for OKC. 10%, 15%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and Large. Large - That's not a percentage?
On the drive home, I'm listening to the radio and it's getting worse and worse. Traffic is increasing but not to the point that I can't get home. As I get into Shawnee, I decide that if it's really coming, I'd better be ready so I picked up some essentials and supplies. As I am walking out of the Walmart, I notice these strange clouds hanging down from the anvil. Huh. Those look like... oh crap. Before the storm started dropping tornadoes, it was moving a strong NE. It turned the whole storm straight east, directly towards Shawnee. The record holding tornado did its thing in Moore, and spawned additional tornadoes headed our way.
I ran home and grabbed my GF and got some go bags built and ready. She didn't think it was relevant, but after the sirens came on, it made a bit more sense. Drove us to the nearest "storm shelter" which was in the basement of OBU in Shawnee. The sprint from the car to the door had me absolutely soaked. I had never, ever in my life seen so much water coming from the sky at once. I had never heard so much thunder that there wasn't a single gap in the sound. Between the many, many flashes of lightning on the way to OBU, I could see something incredibly thick and dense to the north, but at the time didn't really care about it considering I was nearly panicking. After staying in the basement for about 5 hours, the all clear was given, and it turned out that another tornado had gone by a mile or two to the north, out of town.
And then today - I could see the wall cloud for the one in the metro but I couldn't actually see it so I didn't count it. Also, mind you, that I am originally from the High Desert in CA. It rains a grand total of 4 inches of rain per year on average. The single storm on May 20 dropped about that much (from reports the day after).
There's a killer tomato storm on top of us right now. Lights went out t 8:30. House running on generator. Crick's a risin'!
Tomato storm! That sounds worse than a thunderstorm!
We are safe, too. Would have joined neighbors in their tornado shelter except the phone kept ringing. Kids checking up on us to see if we were still OK. There are disadvantages to having so many.
Still have power. Only damage appears to be a limb from dead cottonwood tree. And, of course, the taxiway is flooded.
Took this after the storm was pretty much past. Our place is about where the 'k' is in Skiatook, 5 north of Tulsa airport.
Glad that missed you.
My house is under the "u" in Burfordville.
Yeah, in the 32 years I've lived in Oklahoma, I've never seen a tornado in person. I've seen plenty of damage from the aftermath, but not while in progress. Tulsa proper and Broken Arrow don't get hit too often, nor does Norman where the NWS is located.
You have to hang out with me, I swear they are hunting me.
Welcome back to spring in the heart of tornado alley. Couple of good sized cells went by here, but fortunately I was in a gap. I watched the cell to the north form into a mesocyclone and start to hook, but it never produced a 'nader. It was the cell just south of Anadarko in your third picture. Fortunately, it started to lose intensity as it was passing overhead. I don't like that kind of weather while I'm on duty at the gas plant.
Those power flashes in the city were wicked. Sounds like Sand Springs got the worst of it.
Those power flashes were intense indeed, I couldn't see any tornado but the winds and the debris totally spelled it out. Man would I hate to clean up after that mess.
There are other dings and a couple other substantial dents on the control surfaces but it could have been worse. The thing is still here so it must have been tied down really well... Gust locks on and installed too. 
at least he has a good sense of humor. 
I still respect earthquakes even though I'm from CA and people here freak out about 3's and 4's.