page_title: Tornadoes of 2013
section_title: May 18–21
hierarchical_section_title: Tornadoes of 2013 / May / May 18–21
caption_attribution_description: English: The 2013 Oklahoma City tornado as it passed through south Oklahoma City. Español: El tornado de Moore de 2013 a su paso por el sur de Oklahoma City. Français&#160;: La tornade de Moore 2013 lors de son passage au sud d'Oklahoma City.
context_page_description: This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2013. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also appear regularly in neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season, and somewhat regularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
  There were at least 903 tornadoes confirmed in the United States in 2013. 115 fatalities have been confirmed worldwide in 2013: 55 in the United States, 31 in Bangladesh, 24 in China, three in Turkey and two in Brazil. One of these tornadoes was the largest ever at 2.6 miles wide.
  On April 1, Canada began utilizing the Enhanced Fujita scale to rate tornadoes with minor modifications to better suit the region's tornadoes.
context_section_description: During the evening of May 18, tornadoes touched down in parts of Kansas and Nebraska. However, most remained in open country with little damage. A large EF4 tornado near Rozel, Kansas damaged five farms and largely destroyed one home.
  On May 19, the slow-moving system produced another severe weather event just east of the previous day. Multiple tornadoes, mostly brief, were reported in Kansas once again. An EF2 tornado touched down near southwest Wichita, damaging several homes and many trees. Further south, two long-tracked wedge tornadoes moved in two corridors from Luther to Tryon and from Norman to McLoud in Oklahoma. Damage in both swaths was severe to extreme, with many houses destroyed. The second of these intense tornadoes, an EF4, struck a mobile home park near Shawnee in Pottawatomie County, damaging or destroying 30–35 homes. Two people were killed and six others were injured there. Storm spotters reported scoured earth along the tornado's track in this area. Throughout the state, 20 people were treated for injuries, while many others likely sustained minor injuries.
  During the evening and overnight hours of May 19, tornadic activity became more sparse, with a few tornadoes reported in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. At least two tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa, one near Huxley and another near Earlham. The touchdowns in Iowa marked the end of a 358‑day span with no tornadoes in the state.
  On the afternoon of May 20, a large, violent tornado touched down west of Newcastle, Oklahoma and impacted the town of Moore, causing severe damage to residential areas as well as Plaza Towers and Briarwood Elementary schools. The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed 24 fatalities, 7 of which were schoolchildren at Plaza Towers Elementary. After being preliminarily rated a high-end EF4, it was increased, and the tornado was given a final rating of EF5. The tornado followed a path similar to that of the F5 tornado that hit the area on May 3, 1999. The tornado became the first EF5 tornado in nearly two years.
  On May 21, an EF2 tornado touched down near the small community of Glenarm, Ontario about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of Fenelon Falls, and Environment Canada confirmed that the roof of a home was torn off by the tornado and a barn was destroyed. No injuries were reported in this storm. This was Ontario's second tornado of the 2013 season.
caption: Violent EF5 tornado on May 20 as it was approaching Moore, Oklahoma.
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