2018 Ponca City, Oklahoma Tornado

The 2018 Ponca City, Oklahoma Tornado was a violent and costly, EF5-rated tornado that struck Ponca City, Oklahoma on May 22, 2018.

The tornado first egan in a field east of Enid and moved northeast. It rapidly intesified and did EF3 damage to a home south of Breckenridge. It then did damage to wind turbines. EF3 damage occured to four homes north of Garber, as they were left with only interior walls standing or were flattened. The tornado moved into open fields and widened to about a mile wide.

Chasers noted that it exhibited violent motion, ground-scouring occurred, and trees were debarked. It continued northeast and came to Billings, where it intensified to a high-end EF4. Several homes were left as piles of rubble and in a few cases partially swept away. Extreme wind rowing of debris occurred northeast of town, and grass was scoured to the bare soil. As the tornado crossed I-35, a car was thrown 800 yards and crushed, killing the occupant.

All that remained of the vehicles mangled frame, and the remainder of it was never found. The tornado turned a bit more north and then back to its northeasterly course. As it crossed Salt Fork and the Arkansas River, more trees were snapped and completely debarked. A few trees were reduced to debarked stumps. A tornado emergency was issued as it approached Ponca City. On the west side of town, numerous homes were swept away completely—some of which had extensive anchor bolting—and an EF5 rating was applied to many of them. Pavement was scoured from roads, too.

Now at peak intensity, it went through the town center. The scope of the damage was extreme, as numerous buildings were reduced to rubble or swept away, and several buildings sustained EF5 damage. Vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and in some cases crushed beyond recognition and wrapped around debarked trees. More homes sustained EF4 to EF5 damage on the east side. Debris was very finely granulated and wind rowing of debris was intense. In eight cases, the slab foundations of homes either buckled or were partially swept away. High-velocity debris impacts tore out large chunks of asphalt from a road and left large divots in a field. More large and well-built homes showed EF3 to EF4 damage before the wedge crossed East Lake Ponca.

Violent motion and horizontal vortices were seen by chasers. More ground scouring and tree debarking occured as the tornado approached Kaw City, where three more homes were swept away at EF5 strength. It then entered very rural areas, and the only damage done was ground scouring. The small town of Foraker took a direct hit, and every building in town took EF2 to EF3 damage. It didn't damage any more structures until crossing into Kansas. Many buildings in Elgin sustained EF4 damage. One well-constructed home was swept away with debris pushed about 100 yards from the foundation, but damage was only rated high-end EF4 there as the vehicles at the home weren't moved far and shrubs weren't denuded.

Past Elgin, it began gradually turning north. It contracted in size, and did EF2 damage to trees and outbuildings. It passed northwest of Peru, turned due north, and weakened 2 hours and 45 minutes after touching down. It tracked 102.5 miles, killed 17 people, and did almost $2 billion in damages. It is considered among many one of the most violent tornadoes ever recorded.