Deadly EF3 tornado strikes El Reno, Oklahoma, for the 2nd time in 6 years

Officials confirmed at least two fatalities after a destructive tornado ripped through El Reno, Oklahoma, late Saturday night.

Storm surveyors from the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, have determined that the tornado was EF3 strength and only on the ground for 4 minutes for a span of 2.2 miles. The tornado was 75 yards at its widest point.

In that short amount of time, extensive damage was reported at a hotel, the American Budget Value Inn, and a nearby mobile home park near the Highway 81 and Interstate 40 interchange, according to KOCO-TV.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

EF3 damage was while surveying storm damage in El Reno.

(AP/Tim Talley)

Debris lies on the ground on Sunday, May 26, 2019 at a motel after a deadly storm moved though the area in El Reno the day before.

(AP/Sue Ogrocki)

Emergency workers check what is left of the second floor of a hotel, Sunday, May 26, 2019.

(AP/Tim Talley)

Part of a roof is collapsed at a motel after a deadly storm moved though the area in El Reno, Okla., Sunday, May 26, 2019.

(Twitter/wormjohnson)

Storms stirring in El Rino, Oklahoma on May 25, 2019.

(Twitter/wormjohnson)

Storms stirring in El Rino, Oklahoma, on May 25, 2019.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

An EF3 tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma, tore through the area, causing structure and property damage.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The tornado that tore through El Reno late Saturday night flung debris into nearby vehicles, smashing windshields and mangling frames.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The second story of this hotel in El Reno, Oklahoma is gone after the EF3 tornado that hit late Saturday night.

Twitter/@NWSNorman

The damage survey of the tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma found the area to have been hit by an EF3-rated tornado.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The National Weather Service conducted a damage survey around El Reno, Oklahoma after a tornado hit the area late Saturday night. The survey rated the tornado as an EF3.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The El Reno tornado that hit late Saturday night was rated as an EF3 tornado by the National Weather Service. EF3 tornadoes are severe tornadoes with wind speeds between 136-165 miles per hour.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The tornado in El Reno was powerful enough to tear off pieces of buildings and throw dangerous debris.

(Twitter/@NWSNorman)

The tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma, late Saturday night was powerful enough to devastate buildings and wreck cars.

"It's been a serious, serious event here," El Reno Mayor Matt White said during a press conference early Sunday morning. "We have all hands on deck."

White described the scene at the mobile home park as "horrific." He also said that most of the American Budget Value Inn's second story was gone.

In a later press conference, White stated that all of the people from the hotel have been accounted for.

The mayor reported that 29 people were transported to the hospital for minor to critical injures with many others displaced.

"People are still in surgery as we speak [on Sunday morning]," White said. "Several hundred people have been affected."

"It's a tragic scene out there," White said. "People have absolutely lost everything."

The mayor urged people to utilize the city’s social media pages and non-emergency lines to get information so that 911 lines would not be tied up shortly after the tornado struck.

“Our community is very resilient to this. We ask you to pray for us, pray for the first responders...the main thing is we have to stick together. I know people want to help. We want your help."

One report on Twitter stated that debris was falling from the sky along a stretch of Interstate 40 near El Reno.

"The City of El Reno's Fire and Police departments would like to ask everyone to please stay off of the roads in El Reno so that the proper assessment of damages can be done," KFOR-TVstated on Twitter after the twister struck.

Both sides of Highway 81 were closed at I-40 mile marker 125 due to debris and downed power lines, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Before and After of the American Budget Value Inn in El Reno, OK where significant damage to structures occurred from a tornado. After picture via @Aaron_Brackett. #okwxpic.twitter.com/BMqyCV5Rc7

— Tyler Stanfield (@TylerJStanfield) May 26, 2019

We’re getting multiple tornado damage reports from El Reno, NW OKC and Shelby sent this picture in from 44th and Sooner in Del City. #okwx pic.twitter.com/JtqHhqAH9c

— Damien Lodes (@OKCWXMan) May 26, 2019

The El Reno Veterans of Foreign Wars has opened their doors for citizens needing shelter.

A tornado warning was issued for the city at 10:26 p.m. CDT, with the National Weather Service (NWS) stating that a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near El Reno. At 10:31 p.m. CDT, the NWS said that a radar-indicated tornado was located over the city.

"This is an unfortunate example of just how quickly these types of storms can develop...Please remain weather aware and be prepared," Union City Police Department Chief Richard Stephens wrote on Facebook.

Saturday night's tornado struck El Reno nearly six years to the day that a violent EF3 tornado tore a path of destruction through the city.

On May 31, 2013, El Reno was struck by the widest tornado on record. The tornado killed eight people and injured 151 others along its 16.2-mile path.

The same thunderstorm that blasted El Reno late Saturday swept into the Oklahoma City metro area, prompting a tornado warning for the downtown area. A possible tornado caused damage at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in northwest portions of the city, according to News 9. Downed trees and power lines were also reported and a local restaurant suffered extensive roof damage, according to KFOR-TV.

Another tornado warning was issued for Broken Arrow, Jenks and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the line of thunderstorms continued eastward. The NWS stated that this thunderstorm had a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado and called it a "particularly dangerous situation." Tree damage was reported near Jenks.

A tornado was also spotted near Oktaha, Oklahoma, early Sunday morning.

The NWS survey team said it found EF0 tornado damage near Broken Arrow High School along with several damaged roofs in the area. EF1 tornado damage was found near the town of Sapulpa, where the survey team found two tornado paths.

The Sapulpa Police Department said on Facebook Sunday that they had no reports of fatalities and only a few reports of minor injuries.

As communities begin cleaning up in the wake of the tornadoes, more rounds of severe weather and flooding downpours are expected to slam the Plains through Tuesday.