Oklahoma tornado largest one in recorded history

[dixiegrrrrl]

The EF-5 re-classification was based upon Doppler radar data taken by Oklahoma University's mobile RaXPol radar. According to comments made by tornado researcher Rick Smith at a press conference today, the mobile radar was positioned on top of an overpass, and recorded winds close to the surface of up to 295 mph in satellite suction vorticies that orbited the large, main vortex. The large, main vortex had EF-4 winds of 185 mph,
and the satellite suction vortices moved across the fields at that speed, and rotated on their own at speeds of up to 110 mph, giving a combined wind speed of up to 295 mph in some of the satellite vortices.
It's no wonder that so many storm chasers got in trouble with this tornado, since these suction vortices moved as speeds of up to 185 mph towards them as the tornado rapidly expanded into the largest on record.
The tornado killed tornado scientist Tim Samaras and his two chase partners, Paul Samaras and Carl Young, and also killed an amateur storm chaser, Richard Charles Henderson.
The 295 mph winds of the El Reno tornado rank second only to the world-record 302 mph (130 m/s) winds recorded in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado of May 3, 1999. However, the Moore tornado's winds were measured at an altitude of 105 feet (32 meters), so the winds near the surface may have been higher in the El Reno tornado.

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2426

UPDATE:
Also now reported as the widest tornado, at 2.6 miles wide.
http://www.wunderground.com/news/el-reno-oklahoma-city-tornadoes-recap-20130601

[canonfodder]

1. Would they?

People on the ground, in the path of that thing, might argue.
Lives were lost, property destroyed.
It's just sad anyway you look at it.

[CatWoman]

2. all I know is that was one huge, mean sucker

and I have nightmares of MORE like that in the future

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. When I have nighmares from anxiety, it is always about

a line of tornadoes coming right at me.
No particular reason, haven't been too close to one...just how my anxiety manifests itself.

They ARE very mezmerizing to watch....preferably from far far away.

[PD Turk]

4. That thing was wicked

It had an unusual structure early on, an odd path and it eventually grew to an unbelievable size. Luckily much of the area its path covered wasn't very densely populated or the casualty figures might have been much worse

[PD Turk]

5. this is some of the best footage I've seen of it

Smart chaser, stayed back and got the whole storm in the shots, really shows the size of this monster