Thirteen Years Ago at This Time...

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...the State of Oklahoma was under siege from tornadoes. And, in Wichita, we were hours away from the deadly Haysville tornado.
Map of Oklahoma tornadoes May 3, 1999

This was a day when Doppler radar and advanced communications really paid off and kept the death toll far lower than it otherwise would have been.


The severe weather outlook issued that day called for a rare "high" risk of tornadoes. It was issued by WeatherData, Inc. alumnus Dan McCarthy when we was working at the NWS's Storm Prediction Center.
At WeatherData, meteorologists Steve Drews, Wes Etheridge and the late Craig Denny were working feverishly to keep our clients updated as the storms rolled across the region.  Craig's and assistant Paul Mallonee's homes were heavily damaged in the Haysville-Wichita tornado.

The meteorological profession did itself proud that day saving scores of lives.  


Here is an addition, the actual KFOR coverage:

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v44K6oqwYTE

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