Deadly Overpass Refuge

This bridge with girders, at 16th St. and Interstate 44 in Newcastle, OK, was where one person was killed by the Bridge Creek/Moore tornado of 3 May 1999. The tornado's winds sprayed red-clay mud upward and inward (from lower left); and the outlines of where people were crouched is clearly evident as gaps in the veneer of dried mud above the embankment. Several people were plastered with mud and small debris; and a woman was blown out from under the bridge, killed and dismembered. This tragic event illustrates just one of several grave dangers of seeking shelter under a bridge in a tornado. NWS Norman has more details on this incident.