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Why did the Owasso tornado strike suddenly? 2 News weather team explains

Chris Barnes

By: Emma Landeros

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TULSA, Okla. — Since the tornado hit in Owasso on April 2^nd, many people commented on how quickly the storm developed a tornado and the short time they had from the warning to the storm hitting.

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2 News Oklahoma’s Meteorologist Emma Landeros breaks down everything that played into that situation. The line of storms moved very quickly. The speed of the storms increases the threat of quick spin-up tornadoes.

Something Chief Meteorologist Michael Seger started talking about in the days leading up to the storm.

The National Weather Service Meteorologist in Charge Steve Piltz explains how that works:

“Those types of tornadoes that form with squall lines, they develop quickly and they also develop very near the ground, so your first radar indications are going to be near the surface and when you first see it form, the next thing you're liable to see is the fact that tornadoes occurring and so they go very fast and it usually offers very little lead time. We have seen that quite a bit in this area. Fortunately, we don't hit communities that often with that, but when it does happen, people have to move very fast to be able to get to a safe place,” he said.

Anytime there’s a threat of severe storms or tornadoes, it's important to be aware of the weather.