No May tornadoes, so far

Thursday, May 12th 2005, 6:28 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Tornadoes often rip through the first two weeks of May in Oklahoma, but not this year. So far, not one has touched down this month, a weather expert said Wednesday.

``But, I always tell people it only takes one storm and one day to completely change those numbers,'' said Rick Smith, a National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist.

Six years ago, on May 3, a storm started near Lawton and produced brief tornadoes before maturing into a huge twister that remained on the ground for dozens of miles.

It sucked up trees, power lines, outbuildings and cars. It left deadly, destructive marks on Bridge Creek in Grady County, Chickasha, Moore, Del City, Midwest City and the northeastern tip of Oklahoma City.

That wasn't the only storm that night. Other large tornadoes swept through Mulhall, Dover, Perry and Stroud.

Forty-four people died in the storms.

On May 8 and 9, 2003, several tornadoes hit Moore and the Oklahoma City metro area, causing major damage to homes and a school in northeast Oklahoma City.

Annually, May brings the most tornadoes to the state, averaging about 21 for the month. Last May, Oklahoma saw 26 twisters.

``We are below what we would expect to see normally in Oklahoma,'' Smith said. ``We just haven't had the right ingredients to come together to produce a tornado.''

Variables such as wind speed, moisture and air conditions have to be just right for a tornado. If just one of these is slightly off, a tornado is very unlikely to occur, Smith said.

Stronger cold fronts from across the Plains and the Gulf of Mexico have kept the state drier and cooler than usual, said David Andra, an NWS science and operations officer.

``It hasn't been quite as warm or humid as the past,'' he said. ``And, it's hot, humid conditions that cause thunderstorms.''

Andra said the drier weather isn't unprecedented.

``It's just a part of the natural variability in weather,'' he said. ``It's just May in Oklahoma.''

Oklahoma gets more tornadoes per square mile than any other state, and the most significant twisters, causing more damage and death than any other tornadoes in the country, Smith said.

``I always tell people it doesn't matter if there are 200 or one,'' he said. ``You need to be ready.''

Andra suggests taking shelter in basements, storm shelters or the lowest part of a home.