The El Reno Tornado Was the Widest of All Time — 2.6 Miles Across

The National Weather Service has released data about the deadly, massive tornado that struck El Reno, Oklahoma, on Friday, May 30 — and it’s the widest tornado ever recorded.

At 2.6 miles across, it surpasses the record set by the 2.5-mile-wide tornado in Hallam, Nebraska, in 2004.

And with winds approaching 295 mph, last week’s El Reno tornado nearly broke the world wind speed record — falling just short of the 300 mph winds measured in the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado of 1999.

After damage assessment, the El Reno twister has been categorized an E5, the most severe categorization possible. Coming just 11 days after the E5 that struck Moore on May 20, this sets another record for shortest time between E5 tornadoes in Oklahoma.