Oklahoma records no tornado deaths in 2018
Deadly streak that began in 2006 ends
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The National Weather Service says no one was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma in 2018, the first time that the state has not recorded a tornado-related death since 2006.
Prior to last year, the state had endured a deadly streak of severe weather that included devastating tornados in 2013. A May 20 tornado that struck Moore killed 25 people and a May 31 tornado and flash flooding that struck El Reno killed another 23 people.
Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Norman office, says the state’s relatively light tornado season likely played a major role in the lack of tornado deaths.
Historically, Oklahoma averages 56 tornadoes per year, but only 14 were recorded in the state in 2018.
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