El Reno, OK Tornado - KWTV9 Gary England [31 May 2013]

It is important to remember the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) is a measurement of the *damage* caused by a tornado, not it's top wind speed. So in the case of this tornado, it had "winds in excess of 200 miles per hour, CAPABLE of producing EF-5 damage". However, the tornado did not damage sufficient structures to award an EF-5 *damage* rating due to being in a rural location during its life cycle. If you want to learn more about the Enhanced Fujita Scale, check out the following page provided by the National Weather Service.
https://www.weather.gov/oun/efscale

The May 31, 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma (U.S.A.) tornado was a very large EF-3 (Yes, it was an EF-3 tornado, look up the official National Weather Service storm survey) tornado that occurred over rural areas of Central Oklahoma. The widest tornado in recorded history, it was part of a larger weather system that produced dozens of tornadoes over the preceding days. The tornado initially touched down at 6:03 p.m. Central Daylight Time (2303 UTC) about 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west-southwest of El Reno, rapidly growing in size and becoming more violent as it tracked through central portions of Canadian County. Remaining over mostly open terrain, the tornado did not impact many structures; however, measurements from mobile weather radars revealed extreme winds in excess of 295 mph (475 km/h) within the vortex; these are the second-highest observed wind speeds on Earth, with only the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado having recorded slightly higher wind speeds. As it crossed U.S. Highway 81, it had grown to a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km). Turning northeastward, the tornado soon weakened. Upon crossing Interstate 40, the tornado dissipated around 6:43 p.m. CDT (2343 UTC), after tracking for 16.2 miles (26.1 km), it avoided affecting the more densely populated areas near and within the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

The tornado killed four storm chasers, the first known deaths in the history of storm chasing. Although the tornado remained over mostly open terrain, dozens of storm chasers unaware of its immense size and erratic movement were caught off-guard. Near Highway 81, TWISTEX scientist and engineer Tim Samaras, along with his son Paul and research partner Carl Young died in the tornado. Paul and Young were ejected from their Chevrolet Cobalt by the storm's sub-vortex, while Tim was still buckled in the passenger's seat. Local resident Richard Henderson, who decided to follow the storm, lost his life in that same area. He snapped a picture of the tornado from his cellular phone before it struck him. Other chasers, including Mike Bettes of The Weather Channel, were either injured or had their vehicles damaged. A Doppler on Wheels-based analysis of how the tornado impacted these teams revealed that they were hit by an intense internal sub-vortex. Overall, the tornado was responsible for eight fatalities and 151 injuries. The National Weather Service referred to the tornado as "the most dangerous tornado in storm observing history."

Alongside rush hour traffic, thousands of residents in Oklahoma City attempted to outrun the storm by taking to the roads in an attempt to drive out of the tornado's projected path. By attempting to escape the storm by vehicle, in direct contrast to the recommended plan of action, residents put themselves at great risk from the storm; had the tornado maintained itself and passed over the congested freeways, more than 500 lives could have been lost.

Remember, the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) is based on the damage a tornado produces, not the wind speed. Since we do not have Doppler Radar measurements for every tornado, the rating is based on the severity of the damage left behind.

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