15 years ago today, one of the most destructive and deadly tornadoes in U.S. history struck the city of Joplin, just across the Oklahoma border. It all happened in a matter of minutes on that Sunday afternoon, primed for a severe weather outbreak from here in Oklahoma through the Midwest.
The tornado occurred early in the evening on May 22nd. Joplin residents had 17 minutes of lead time with the warning before the twister spun into the heart of the community, ramping up to winds over 200 mph. Less than 0.1% of tornadoes reach this intensity.
158 lives were lost, with over a thousand injured. This makes it the deadliest tornado since 1953 and the deadliest single tornado since then. Thousands of homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed in its 22-mile-long path, which you can see here.
The tornado started just a few miles into Missouri and stayed mostly on the south side of Joplin, paralleling I-44 for a distance before cutting southeast. It even struck the city's hospital, gutting many sections of it.
This day also brought several tornadoes to eastern Oklahoma, including an EF3 tornado that struck Grand Lake, injuring four people.
You can find Green Country's forecast for the rest of May here.
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