The El Reno supercell produced an even larger and more powerful tornado than the EF-5 that tore through Moore just 11 days earlier. And it wasn't just that. This tornado made a legitimate run at the record for the strongest winds ever recorded on earth (318 mph in the May 3, 1999 Moore tornado). At 2.6 miles wide with a confirmed wind measurement of 296 mph, it came up just short of the wind record, but firmly secured its place as the largest (widest) tornado in US history.
One of the best shots I got of the two exploding supercells.
This tower leaning to the left so much indicates very strong low-level shear (in an no-shear environment, the tower would go straight up). Strong low-level shear is why the threat of strong tornadoes was so high.
A wider view of the sheared cumulus clouds.
