zpostcode
'You certainly don't see this every day': Ultra-rare backward-spinning tornado formed over Oklahoma
Apr 13, 2026 1:03 AM

An ultra-rare backward-spinning tornado was spawned Tuesday (April 30) from a powerful supercell thunderstorm that formed over the Oklahoma-Texas border.

This backward tornado burst to life in the wake of another odd twister, which was unusual in that it looped back over its own path, CNN reported. Tornadoes tend to travel from west to east, because the prevailing winds in the U.S. travel in that direction and thus push storm systems that way. However, tornadoes can sometimes turn back on themselves as they lose strength; in this case, the tornado completed a full loop over its original path before dying out.

This looping tornado had formed north of Loveland, Oklahoma, around 10 p.m. local time. It traveled east before heading north, west and then east again, over the same area it had already hit.

To be clear, in this loop we have a westward moving, dissipating cyclonic tornado AND and newly developed anticyclonic tornado also moving west-southwest with a debris signature. This is so incredibly rare its hard to describe. pic.twitter.com/SCpnyWXOgAMay 1, 2024

"You certainly don't see this every day," Rick Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Norman, Oklahoma, told CNN.

Related: 'Wedge tornado' in Mississippi is the deadliest in more than 50 years

As the looping tornado died down, the backward-spinning twister appeared a few miles southeast of Loveland, just before 10:30 p.m. Smith told CNN that both tornadoes were likely active for a brief period.

A weather service warning called the tornado "large and extremely dangerous" and noted that it was "nearly stationary or moving very slowly south." It warned people located in Loveland, Grandfield and Devol that "This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. TAKE COVER NOW!"

RELATED STORIESDeadly cyclone 'Freddy' may be the longest-lived and most energetic storm ever recorded

How the 'deadly December tornado' carved a 250-mile path through 4 states

Most powerful solar storm in 6 years caused auroras all over the US. And nobody saw it coming

According to the NWS, nearly all tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere have winds that whip counterclockwise around a central point; this motion is known as "cyclonic." But in about 1% of cases, twisters spin in the opposite direction; these are called anticyclonic. (In the Southern Hemisphere, cyclonic tornadoes spin clockwise, while anticyclonic ones spin counterclockwise.)

It was unusual enough to see a backward-spinning tornado, but the cyclone's lack of movement was also odd, Smith told CNN. And radar suggested the storm was strong enough to chuck debris thousands of feet into the air, even though anticyclonic tornadoes are often relatively weak.

Thankfully, the tornadoes mostly traveled over farmland, according to recent updates issued by Tillman County Emergency Management on Facebook. There have been no injuries, deaths or extensive structural damage reported, according to CNN.

Oklahoma has seen more than two dozen tornadoes this week. On April 27 and 28, a "slow-moving, but potent" storm triggered at least 27 tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas, with 24 confirmed in Oklahoma, the NWS reported.

Comments
Welcome to zpostcode comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Recommend >
Anno Hideaki
  Anno Hideaki Japanese animator and film director Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Adam Volle Adam Volle is a freelance writer and editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. Adam Volle Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained...
Pete Hegseth
     The next secretary of defense? Pete Hegseth appearing on Fox & Friends, 2019. (more) Pete Hegseth American TV personality Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Peter Brian Hegseth Written by Amy Tikkanen Amy Tikkanen is Managing Editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Amy Tikkanen Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors...
Tyson Fury
     Tyson Fury English-born boxer Tyson Fury celebrating his victory over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in London, April 23, 2022. (more) Tyson Fury English-born boxer Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Tyson Luke Fury, the Gypsy King Written by René Ostberg René Ostberg is an associate editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. René Ostberg...
Australian little penguin
     Australian little penguins (Eudyptula novaehollandiae) These birds tend to build their nests in burrows or rock crevices close to the coastline in large colonies. The largest Australian little penguin colony, on Philip Island, in the Bass Strait, hosts approximately 40,000 individuals of breeding age. (more) Australian little penguin bird Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question...
Information Recommendation
Paul George
     Paul George American basketball player Paul George, 2023. George played for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2019 to 2024. (more) Paul George American basketball player Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print print Print Please select which sections you would like to print: Table Of Contents Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style...
Baikal seal
     Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica) This seal species is classified in family Phocidae with the ringed seal (P. hispida) and the Caspian seal (P. caspica). (more) Baikal seal mammal Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Phoca sibirica, Pusa sibirica, nerpa Written by Kelly Gisonna Kelly Gisonna, John P. Rafferty John P. Rafferty writes...
hashtag
     Hash ligature (left) written by Isaac Newton compared with a modern-day hash symbol (right) The original ligature stood for libra pondo, or “pound in weight,” which eventually evolved into the # symbol. (more) hashtag label Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Laura Payne Laura Payne is a freelance writer whose work covers many...
Sack of Delhi
     The Sack of Delhi, 1398 Timur defeats the Sultan of Delhi, Nasiruddin Mahmud, in the winter of 1397–1398, painting dated 1595–1600. © Pictures from History—Universal Images Group/Getty Images. (more) Sack of Delhi Indian history [1398] Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be...
Harambe
     Flowers around a statue of a gorilla and her baby outside the Cincinnati Zoo's Gorilla World exhibit In May 2016, Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, was shot and killed by a zoo worker after a child fell into his enclosure. The incident sparked public outcry. (more) Harambe gorilla Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written...
Miracle on Ice
     Miracle on Ice Members of the United States Olympic men's hockey team celebrating their remarkable victory over the Soviet Union's team at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, on February 22, 1980. The Soviet Union's goaltender Vladimir Myshkin is at left. (more) Miracle on Ice Olympic hockey game Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the...
challah
     Peter Paul Rubens: The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert The Israelites Gathering Manna in the Desert, oil on wood by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1626–27; in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California. (more) challah bread Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by René Ostberg René Ostberg is an...
Battle of the Medway
     Caractacus at the Tribunal of Claudius at Rome The Battle of Medway (43 CE) was the first major recorded battle of the Roman invasion of Britain under the orders of the emperor Claudius. The British force was led by two brothers: Togodumnus, king of the Catuvellauni, and Caratacus, a chieftain of the same tribe. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C....