Season's 1st tornado outbreak turns deadly

The severe weather season had been quiet up until March 24th due to the unseasonably cold air that had been entrenched across the eastern half of the country.

The 1st severe "watch" of March was issued by the SPC Tuesday, March 24th. This was the latest 1st "watch" issued since 1970.

Twenty four hours later, tornadic thunderstorms raced through Oklahoma and northern Arkansas spanning 8 tornadoes and killing 1 person.

Tornadoes touched down near Tulsa, Sand Springs, and Moore, Oklahoma.

From1890-2013, at least 156 tornadoes were documented in the Oklahoma City metro area, an average of just over one each year. Since weak tornadoes were not always documented prior to 1950, this number is likely well underestimated, according to NWS.

Some other interesting facts from the NWS/SPC study:

• 13 violent tornadoes (F/EF4 or stronger), including May 19, 2013 in Shawnee and May 20, 2013 in Moore.

• May is the peak month, followed by April and June. About two-thirds of all metro tornadoes have occurred in those months.

• Mid-afternoon through early evening is the most frequent time of day.

• Through 2013, the OKC metro experienced two or more tornadoes on the same day 26 separate times.

• Only three periods since 1950 with over a two-year lapse between tornadoes.

-Overall there were 189 total reports of hail, wind, and tornadoes.

For the latest storm reports from the SPC, click here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/yesterday.html