For outsiders who read AskMen.com (Oklahoma City, Tulsa: scorpions, school, tornado)

[DrinkGreen]

Top 10 Places Not to Visit
AskMen.com - Top 10: Hells On Earth

Oklahoma City is Ranked #5, above Chernobyl and Baghdad.

While it may be all hunky-dory on the musical front, Oklahoma City isn’t the kind of place you’d want to hang out in for too long if you like to keep your feet on terra firma. The weather is frighteningly unpredictable, with blizzards often descending on the city and winds that could knock a high rise clean off its feet. It is, after all, located in the direct path of “Tornado Alley.”

The worst time to visit would be from March to August, when The Day After Tomorrow-style weather is pretty much expected. In fact, the season makes Dorothy’s Kansas look positively calm, with Oklahoma City being the city worst affected by tornadoes in the United States. One of the most powerful tornadoes on record -- an F5 with wind speeds of 320 mph -- devastated much of the city in 1999, rendering it a place on our list of hells on earth.

I'm glad the author wrote only two paragraphs because he's already up to his armpits in bull*****.

I'm writing this to make some minor corrections for anyone outside of Oklahoma considering their visit or move here.

1) Our weather is unpredictable, but our severe weather is not. In the winter, it snows. In the spring, it storms. In the summer, its hot. Not too much weirdness there.

2) As far as hanging out too long, my feet have been near OKC for 98% of my life, and they have never been lifted off the ground due to weather.

3) Blizzards do not equal OKC or Oklahoma in general, unless your talking Dairy Queen. We had a very severe ice storm last winter and the winter before. But if you look at our history of winters, they have been getting milder as the years pass. Apparently the author looked a full two winters back to assume the winter history of a city.

4) What high rise? Not even the May 3rd Tornado (I'll get to that in a sec) knocked over high rises. Glass my be blown out, but that's about it. If a high rise is ever knocked over by a tornado, its a design flaw. To be quite crude, we know it takes the force of a jetliner to take down a high rise.

5) Yes, we are in the direct path of "Tornado Alley". So is Dallas, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas City, etc. Midwest equals tornadoes much like California equals earthquakes

6) The most dangerous time is not 6 months long. In fact, it would be right now, early to mid May, which is peak Tornado season. However, after it peaks, it drops off considerably. So I would say worst time for tornado fearing visitors would be a timeframe of a month, no more than two, in the Spring.

7) Day After Tomorrow Weather (poor movie refrence) is about global cooling. Not tornadoes.

8) Funny thing is, is while we do hold the record of the strongest wind speed on ground during the 1999 tornado, a much more recent tornado would be a close second. This happened last year at Greensburg, in Dorothy's Kansas.

In conclusion, yes Oklahoma and OKC have a long history of tornados. But it comes with the territory. I don't see California being listed for its frequent and season-unrelated earthquakes. Nor do I see Minnesota for its true definition of blizzards. Florida and New Orleans is not on the list, and we all know their recent hurricane history.

If any outsiders still have questions about what this article says or anything else concerning "myths" of Oklahoma, post them here and I'm sure someone will be able to separate truth from fiction

[peggydavis]

If that author ever posted on this forum, he would be sorry!

Seriously, I think the guy is picking on OKC because of the Sonics controversy.

[DrinkGreen]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

If that author ever posted on this forum, he would be sorry!

Seriously, I think the guy is picking on OKC because of the Sonics controversy.

Yeah, I heard that, but I don't know what the connection is. The author lives and works in Spain, and went to school in Essex. How is the article tied to the Seattle and the Sonics.

[peggydavis]

I was reading the comments other folks left on his article, and some of them were saying he was from Canada, or from Seattle. Then I heard on the news that Mick Cornett thought it was an attack from Seattle. I just wouldn't pay very much attention to it, though. The author was obviously trying to attack OKC, like some troll.

[colleeng47]

I know I'm an Okie newbie, but I was under the impression that that devastating tornado destroyed parts of Moore, not OKC. He says OKC was totally devastated, and when you consider the size of OKC, that would be some horrendous occasion. What a jerk.

[Goodpasture]

dammitall.....why can't you guys just leave bad stories alone? If you share the truth, all kinds of people will move here, and we don't need all kinds. What we need are people of faith and charity and compassion, not some get rich big city speculator.

OKC is a waste of time and effort.......the canal is disgustingly designed particularly that terrace at Toby Keith's where country music is being played all the time; myriad gardens is a jungle full of snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions; Bricktown's micro breweries have flat tasteless beer; Cattleman's Steakhouse serves lamb fries for cryin out loud; the Cowboy Hall of Fame is run down and boring; you can set your watch by the tornadoes.....every day at 2:00 AM one whistles down Reno on its way to Tulsa; ice storms hit in November and last till late March.......now we are going to have to put up with the Sonics........I don't see why anyone anywhere would want to visit, let alone move here.

[MrsSteel]

DrinkGreen, don't take it too personally. It's obvious that Mr. Nick Clarke was not trying to produce a true piece of journalism ... just a silly, fluff piece with the minimum amount of [*cough*] "research" possible. What a maroon!

[colleeng47]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

dammitall.....why can't you guys just leave bad stories alone? If you share the truth, all kinds of people will move here, and we don't need all kinds. What we need are people of faith and charity and compassion, not some get rich big city speculator.

OKC is a waste of time and effort.......the canal is disgustingly designed particularly that terrace at Toby Keith's where country music is being played all the time; myriad gardens is a jungle full of snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions; Bricktown's micro breweries have flat tasteless beer; Cattleman's Steakhouse serves lamb fries for cryin out loud; the Cowboy Hall of Fame is run down and boring; you can set your watch by the tornadoes.....every day at 2:00 AM one whistles down Reno on its way to Tulsa; ice storms hit in November and last till late March.......now we are going to have to put up with the Sonics........I don't see why anyone anywhere would want to visit, let alone move here.

Very good, GP, that should keep 'em away

[decious]

Askmen.com and AOL were bombarded w/ complaints and have since apologized and removed OKC from this list. Psuedo bad PR moment over and forgotten.

[TU 'cane]

I was surprised by all of the positive remarks by people. I was suspecting people to agree with him and say OKC is crap, people actually defended OKC, I'm thankful for that.