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Escaping the largest EF5 tornado in history - El Reno, OK - full dashcam sequence

Dan Robinson
206K subscribers
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2M views 11 years ago
Read this frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the El Reno encounter: http://stormhighway.com/blog2013/sept... (Read descripton and transcript below) This is video from my front-facing and later rear-facing dash camera while escaping the core of, and hit by the outer circulation of, the EF5 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado in my Toyota Yaris on Reuter Road between 6:16PM and 6:30PM CDT on May 31, 2013. CDT time shown on-screen is based on GPS time, synced with US official time and accurate to the second. Road intersections are shown as the vehicle encounters them. I am attempting to narrate what is happening for the main video camera. My voice transcription is as follows: 6:17:29 "I want to find an east road here, I'm getting a little to close. I need to start looking for the east (road) option". The tornado was moving east at this point. I didn't want to go farther south and risk not being able to reach the next east road option to the sou …...more
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Escaping the largest EF5 tornado in history - El Reno, OK - full dashcam sequence
24KLikes
2,018,548Views
2013Jul 6
Read this frequently asked questions (FAQ) on the El Reno encounter: http://stormhighway.com/blog2013/sept... (Read descripton and transcript below) This is video from my front-facing and later rear-facing dash camera while escaping the core of, and hit by the outer circulation of, the EF5 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado in my Toyota Yaris on Reuter Road between 6:16PM and 6:30PM CDT on May 31, 2013. CDT time shown on-screen is based on GPS time, synced with US official time and accurate to the second. Road intersections are shown as the vehicle encounters them. I am attempting to narrate what is happening for the main video camera. My voice transcription is as follows: 6:17:29 "I want to find an east road here, I'm getting a little to close. I need to start looking for the east (road) option". The tornado was moving east at this point. I didn't want to go farther south and risk not being able to reach the next east road option to the south after Reuter Road. 6:17:45 "Power flashes". The tornado is damaging the power lines up ahead and causing arcing. The streetlight goes out. 6:18:18 "New wall cloud". Another area of circulation was organizing to the north. 6:18:28 "The wedge is rain wrapped". Referring to the main wedge tornado about a mile to the south. 6:18:57 "I don't like getting in front of tornadoes I can't see, especially huge wedges". Referring to why I don't want to go farther south than Reuter Road. 6:19:56 "What is that? I don't like the looks of that." I am surprised to see what looks like the tornado to the south rapidly approaching the road. I had expected it to be well south of me and to the west. 6:20:18 "It looks like the tornado." I now realize what is happening. 6:21:03 "It's just off to the side of the road". Referring to the tornado, which I can see is now right on me. 6:21:53 "Come on, car!" The car is not maintaining speed in the strong headwinds, due to the traction control reducing power to the wheels as they slip on the gravel. 6:22:13 "The car won't go!" 6:23:12 "I've got to get out of whatever this is" I'm still in disbelief the tornado reached Reuter Road that fast. I'm wondering if it may be a second tornado that developed to the north of the wedge. 6:23:24 "The car just isn't going" 6:23:33 "Come on! Traction control OFF!" The entire time, I have been repeatedly hitting the traction control's manual override button to turn it off, but it is not working. 6:24:03 I step out of the car and get my first look back at what I had just escaped. 6:24:22 "I just drove through that" 6:24:44 "There's debris" There are small pieces of debris falling around me. 6:24:50 "Where is it? I can't see it" From the driver's side looking north and northwest, I can't yet make out the north edge of the tornado. I was looking back to see if it was safe to stop again. See a more detailed account of this event here: http://stormhighway.com/may312013.php Copyright Dan Robinson. Please visit http://stormhighway.com/contact-foota... or call 618-920-0811 for licensing inquiries.

Dan Robinson

206K subscribers