Kay County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Oklahoma Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Kay County is lower than Oklahoma average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Kay County is lower than Oklahoma average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #67
| Kay County | 0.02 |
| Oklahoma | 0.31 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Kay County | 0.0000 |
| Oklahoma | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #28
| Kay County | 340.34 |
| Oklahoma | 363.83 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 22,315 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Kay County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 18 | Cold: | 21 | Dense Fog: | 14 | Drought: | 47 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 1,244 | Hail: | 12,045 | Heat: | 42 | Heavy Snow: | 100 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 46 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 138 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 7,935 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 11 | Winter Storm: | 120 | Winter Weather: | 67 |
| Other: | 466 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Kay County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Kay County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Kay County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 112 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Kay County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.6 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 36°46'N / 97°12'W | 36°51'N / 97°02'W | 10.70 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 5.3 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 36°49'N / 97°07'W | 36°53'N / 97°00'W | 7.80 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 6.1 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 36°44'N / 97°08'W | 36°47'N / 96°59'W | 9.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 7.4 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 36°43'N / 97°17'W | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 19.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 20 | 280 | 25.0M | 0 | Kay |
| 7.8 | 1959-05-04 | 2 | 36°48'N / 97°19'W | 36°52'N / 97°15'W | 5.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 7.8 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 36°48'N / 97°08'W | 37°00'N / 96°58'W | 16.50 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Kay |
| 7.8 | 1979-03-18 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°03'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |||
| 8.8 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 36°53'N / 97°09'W | 37°00'N / 97°09'W | 8.00 Miles | 660 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 9.4 | 1968-05-22 | 2 | 36°55'N / 97°22'W | 36°54'N / 97°10'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 9.7 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 36°52'N / 97°07'W | 36°59'N / 96°57'W | 12.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 9.9 | 1954-03-24 | 2 | 36°56'N / 97°06'W | 36°58'N / 97°04'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 10.0 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 36°36'N / 97°08'W | 36°45'N / 97°04'W | 10.90 Miles | 733 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 10.0 | 1973-06-04 | 2 | 36°42'N / 97°04'W | 36°40'N / 97°04'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 10.3 | 1955-05-25 | 2 | 36°42'N / 97°18'W | 36°44'N / 97°16'W | 2.70 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 11.1 | 1968-04-03 | 2 | 36°39'N / 97°20'W | 36°43'N / 97°11'W | 9.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 12.1 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 36°59'N / 97°05'W | 0.40 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |
| 12.5 | 1991-04-26 | 2 | 36°41'N / 97°18'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay | |
| 13.1 | 1978-05-11 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°23'W | 36°55'N / 97°19'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 13.5 | 1967-04-12 | 2 | 36°40'N / 96°59'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Osage | |
| 13.6 | 1973-11-19 | 2 | 36°37'N / 97°25'W | 36°44'N / 97°13'W | 13.70 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Kay |
| 13.9 | 1973-06-04 | 2 | 36°40'N / 97°04'W | 36°40'N / 96°53'W | 10.10 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Osage |
| 14.2 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 36°50'N / 97°24'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Kay | |
| 15.3 | 1956-04-02 | 4 | 36°49'N / 96°58'W | 37°00'N / 96°49'W | 15.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 16.7 | 1958-11-17 | 3 | 36°32'N / 97°28'W | 36°48'N / 97°18'W | 20.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kay |
| 16.9 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°55'N / 97°28'W | 37°00'N / 97°19'W | 10.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 17.1 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°00'N / 97°23'W | 37°05'N / 97°09'W | 16.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 17.1 | 1971-06-02 | 2 | 36°51'N / 97°27'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |||
| 17.6 | 2010-05-10 | 3 | 36°57'N / 97°27'W | 37°00'N / 97°20'W | 7.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Kay |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the Kay County portion of tornado #A2. The tornado crossed into Kay County from Grant County and continued to produce significant damage. One home was destroyed and another significantly damaged between the Grant County line and U.S. Highway 177. After the tornado crossed US-177, an anchored mobile home was destroyed and blown to the east, and a tri-level home was destroyed with the top floor blown about 50 yards northeast into some trees, and the ground floor pivoted and was displaced to the northwest exposing the basement where one minor injury occurred. The tornado continued to produce significant tree damage as it moved east-northeast, and blew semi trucks over along Interstate 35 at the Kansas state line. This tornado crossed into Sumner County Kansas. See documentation from the NWS Wichita KS for additional information. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected a large part of northern, central, and southern Oklahoma. Tornadoes were most numerous across central and southern Oklahoma, with significant damage occurring over many areas. Severe thunderstorms erupted by mid afternoon across northern and western Oklahoma. Given the potent combination of ingredients in place, storms began to produce tornadoes quickly after initiation. Storm motions of 50 to 60 mph were common. During the mid afternoon hours, severe weather was confined to northern Oklahoma. It was there a long track supercell storm produced tornadoes near the Kansas border - including one rated EF3 - from near Wakita to north of Braman. The capping inversion that had delayed thunderstorm development into central Oklahoma weakened, allowing for explosive supercell development along the dry line along and west of the Interstate 35 corridor. Rapid development and intensification was common with the late afternoon storms, with storms becoming tornadic within a very short time after initiation. This round of storms would directly impact a large part of the Oklahoma City metro area at rush hour, and posed a significant threat to the area. The first tornado in this area occurred in Canadian County. During the next several hours, tornadoes were clustered around the metro area, and at times there were multiple significant damaging tornadoes occurring simultaneously. Several of the tornadoes had long tracks. Damage from the tornadoes was substantial, with numerous structures, vehicles, trees and power poles/lines significantly damaged or destroyed. One of the more intense tornadoes moved across Lake Thunderbird east of Norman destroying numerous boats. More storms developed across southwest and south central Oklahoma, and also quickly became tornadic. By 9 pm, 35 tornadoes had been reported. While the loss of three lives was tragic, the casualties could have been much higher given the storm's fast motions, their intensity, the time of day and the areas impacted. While exact monetary damage figures were not available, it is estimated that losses were in excess of $595 million. At least 450 sustained injuries, most of them minor. Unfortunately three people lost their lives. Note: The large number of injuries and tornadoes made it difficult to associate injuries with specific tornadoes. Injury numbers were included when we had confidence in the numbers. Note: The complex nature of storm evolutions and interactions made the job of classifying tornadoes difficult. This represents our best scientific assessment based on ground and aerial surveys, data from multiple radars, photographic and video evidence and anecdotal information. | |||||||||||
| 17.6 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 37°03'N / 97°24'W | 8.80 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 17.7 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 37°00'N / 97°19'W | 37°07'N / 97°10'W | 11.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 18.1 | 1981-05-17 | 2 | 37°04'N / 97°03'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley | |
| 19.1 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 36°56'N / 97°30'W | 37°00'N / 97°22'W | 9.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kay |
| 19.5 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 36°31'N / 97°27'W | 36°36'N / 97°08'W | 18.40 Miles | 733 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Noble |
| 20.4 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°39'N / 97°27'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kay | |||
| 20.9 | 1961-03-26 | 3 | 36°46'N / 96°50'W | 36°49'N / 96°42'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 21.2 | 1991-04-26 | 4 | 36°27'N / 97°26'W | 36°34'N / 96°54'W | 33.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Noble |
| 21.6 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°05'N / 97°09'W | 37°10'N / 97°03'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 22.2 | 1955-05-25 | 3 | 36°42'N / 97°37'W | 36°51'N / 97°28'W | 13.30 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Grant |
| 23.2 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°49'N / 97°39'W | 36°55'N / 97°28'W | 12.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 23.8 | 1968-04-03 | 2 | 36°31'N / 97°26'W | 36°32'N / 97°19'W | 6.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Noble |
| 25.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 37°21'N / 97°09'W | 24.70 Miles | 660 Yards | 5 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 25.3 | 1998-05-24 | 3 | 36°39'N / 97°33'W | 36°44'N / 97°36'W | 5.30 Miles | 1300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Grant |
| Brief Description: A large complex of severe thunderstorms moved from southern Kansas into northern and central Oklahoma during the evening of May 24th and the early morning of May 25th, resulting in 16 tornadoes, most of which occurred in Grant County. The strongest tornado, an F3, occurred near Lamont in Grant County. There were also reports of hail up to 3.5 inches in diameter, straight line wind damage, and flooding. The first tornado, an F0, touched down in an open field 1 mile south of Amorita in Alfalfa County at 1745 CST lasting for less than one minute with no reports of damage. The second tornado, also an F0, was reported 5 minutes later by media chasers to have touched down in an open field 3 miles east northeast of Amorita. Touchdown was very brief with no damage reported. The third tornado was also observed by media chasers, this time in northeast Alfalfa County 8 miles east of Amorita. The tornado, an F1, damaged one house and knocked down power lines as it moved southeast and weakened while crossing into western Grant County for a total damage path lengh of 5 miles. There were no reports of damage with this segment of the tornado in Grant County and thus was rated an F0. An unusual aspect of this tornado was that it was reported to be rotating anticyclonically. The fourth and fifth tornadoes were also rated F0, the fourth reported by media chasers to have touched down in an open field 4 west northwest of Wakita with no damage, and the fifth observed by Wakita Fire Department to be on the ground for 2.5 miles from 2 miles southwest of Wakita to 2 miles south of Wakita. No damage was reported. An off-duty National Weather Service meteorologist observed the sixth tornado, an F0, in an open field 9 miles west of Medford. The seventh tornado, also an F0, produced no damage as it rotated anticyclonically 3 miles southeast of Wakita. The eighth and ninth tornadoes, both F0, occurred simultaneously 6 miles west of Medford. The eighth tornado touched down just north of Highway 11 while the ninth tornado touched down just south of Highway 11. One house and a business were damaged by the tenth tornado which occurred in Grant County from 2 miles southwest of Medford to 2 miles south of Medford. The eleventh tornado, an F0, was observed by an off duty National Weather Service meteorologist to be knocking down trees and power lines in a 5 mile long damage path in southern Grant County. The twelvth tornado, an F1, snapped trees in half and damaged a private airstrip 4 miles east northeast of Pond Creek while the thirteenth tornado, also an F1, damaged several homes and knocked down trees and power lines 1 mile north of Salt Fork. The fourteenth tornado, an F0, was reported by spotters to have touched down briefly in an open field causing no damage. The most destructive tornado occurred near the city of Lamont where damage estimates reached 2 million dollars. National Weather Service meteorologists conducted a survey of the area and found a damage path 5 1/4 miles long and 3/4 of a mile wide with F3 damage occurring 2 miles west of Lamont where a well-built brick home had all of its exterior walls destroyed. In addition, 6 single-family homes were destroyed 1.5 miles south of Lamont, while in the city of Lamont 3 single-family dwellings sustained major damage. Nine single-family homes sufferred minor damage. Nearly a dozen vehicles were destroyed, including automobiles, pickup trucks, farm trucks, and farm tractors. Several barns were destroyed including one barn where 30 sheep were also killed. More than 70 utility poles were ripped down in a 3 mile stretch. The Lamont tornado, as it is referred, was unusual in its direction of movement. Several eye witnesses reported a southeast to northwest movement. WSR-88D data also showed the mesocyclone associated with the tornado moving from south to north in a looping manner when the tornado was reported. The last tornado, the sixteenth of this episode, touched down briefly in an open field 5 miles northwest of Tonkawa at 2130 CST. Tonkawa Emergency Management reported no damage. Thus, this tornado was rated an F0. In addition to these tornadoes, a large macroburst containing damaging straight-line winds occurred from 13 miles west of Medford (Grant County) to 4 miles west northwest of Pond Creek. Satellite dishes owned by Classic Cable Company, which were rated at 110 mph, were flattened by the winds. Straight-line wind damage was also reported in Alva where one man sustained minor injuries when he was blown into the bed of a pickup truck. Also in Alva at least 3 mobile homes suffered major damage; several carports were destroyed; awning and minor roof damage occurred to many homes; and trees and power lines were blown down. One indirect fatality occurred in Alva when a man slipped and suffered a heart attack while seeking shelter in a storm cellar. Other reports of straight-line wind damage include major roof damage to an old schoolhouse gymnasium in the city of Jefferson in Grant County. Two large cedar trees were also uprooted in Jefferson. A tree limb was blown through a picture window 14 miles north northeast of Camp Houston in Woods County. Windows were also blown out of a shed, and numerous trees were downed. Four to six inch tree limbs were blown down 9 miles west of Cherokee in Alfalfa County. In Thomas in Custer County one utility pole was snapped and large limbs were blown down. Power lines were knocked down in Edmond in Oklahoma County. Severe winds also damaged the roof of the Fred Humphrey Pavillion in Shawnee in Pottawatomie County. The largest hail reported measured 3.5 inches in diameter and occurred in Medford in Grant County. Three reported events of at least tennis ball size hail occurred in Goltry (Alfalfa County) in less than 2 hours: tennis ball size hail at 2140 CST and 2230 CST, and baseball size hail at 2305 CST. Between 30 and 100 percent of the wheat crop was destroyed due to large hail from about 2 miles west of Jet to near Goltry. Another area south of Cherokee, near the junction of US 64 and SH 8 also sustained major wheat crop damage. In addition numerous vehicles had their windows broken. Tennis ball size hail also damaged the wheat crop and numerous vehicles in Okarche in Canadian County while in Watonga in Blaine County golf ball size hail damaged RV vehicles and street lights. Quarter size hail damaged several vehicles 6 miles north of Piedmont in Canadian County. Lightning struck a house in Piedmont causing a house to catch on fire. The last of the severe thunderstorms moved through northern Oklahoma during the early morning of May 25th, resulting in flooding near Cherokee and the National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, where 5.5 inches of rain fell. Several streets and the city park were also flooded in Blackwell in Kay County during the evening of May 24th. | |||||||||||
| 26.5 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 37°07'N / 97°10'W | 37°15'N / 96°51'W | 19.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 27.7 | 1955-04-22 | 2 | 36°26'N / 97°18'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Noble | |||
| 28.4 | 1997-05-25 | 2 | 37°08'N / 97°30'W | 37°10'N / 97°23'W | 8.00 Miles | 1700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.9M | 0K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: TWO (2) FARMSTEADS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED THAT INCLUDED A 90-YEAR OLD BARN, 2 HOMES, 3 MACHINE SHEDS, A GARAGE AND THE MACHINERY THAT IT HOUSED AS WELL AS NUMEROUS CROPS. A CO-OP LOST A LARGE GRAIN BIN. TREE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE THAT INCLUDED LARGE TREES THAT WERE COMPLETELY UPROOTED. | |||||||||||
| 28.4 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 36°59'N / 97°37'W | 37°00'N / 97°36'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 28.6 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 37°00'N / 97°36'W | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 37.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumner |
| 28.7 | 1991-04-26 | 4 | 37°04'N / 97°09'W | 37°21'N / 96°48'W | 25.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Cowley |
| 28.7 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 36°29'N / 97°31'W | 36°31'N / 97°27'W | 4.30 Miles | 733 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Garfield |
| 28.8 | 1991-04-26 | 4 | 36°34'N / 96°54'W | 36°42'N / 96°27'W | 27.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Osage |
| 29.9 | 1952-06-19 | 2 | 37°11'N / 97°25'W | 37°13'N / 97°22'W | 3.30 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumner |
| 30.1 | 1983-04-27 | 2 | 36°30'N / 96°46'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pawnee | |
| 32.2 | 1991-04-26 | 4 | 36°26'N / 97°33'W | 36°27'N / 97°26'W | 6.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Garfield |
| 32.4 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°08'N / 97°18'W | 37°24'N / 97°18'W | 18.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 32.7 | 2004-08-27 | 2 | 37°16'N / 97°24'W | 37°13'N / 97°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 110 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| Brief Description: At intersection of E. 40th St. S and Highway 81, 2 miles south of Wellington, two homes were damaged around 1830 CST. The first, a 2-story brick structure, was unroofed and had one wall collapsed. (F2 rating assigned to this property.) Tree damage also occurred on & around the property. The 2nd, neighboring home, of wood frame construction, was located 30 feet distant, and sustained minor roof damag. (F0 rating assigned to this property.) In addition, four power poles were snapped to near the ground as were, of course, their associated power lines. | |||||||||||
| 32.8 | 1961-05-07 | 2 | 36°30'N / 96°42'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Osage | |||
| 32.8 | 2010-05-10 | 3 | 36°48'N / 98°01'W | 36°57'N / 97°27'W | 33.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Grant |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the Grant County portion of tornado #A2. This tornado developed as a multiple-vortex tornado along State Highway 11 southwest of Wakita. The tornado initially moved east and southeast continuing to affect State Highway 11 before beginning an east-northeast movement across Grant County. The tornado was a large and occasionally multiple-vortex tornado as it moved northwest and north of Medford and was embedded within a larger scale circulation that was strong enough to produce damage along a wide area around the tornado path. The tornado caused significant structural damage about 5 miles northwest of Medford and 5 miles east of Renfrow, and many areas of tree and power pole damage. This tornado moved into Kay County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected a large part of northern, central, and southern Oklahoma. Tornadoes were most numerous across central and southern Oklahoma, with significant damage occurring over many areas. Severe thunderstorms erupted by mid afternoon across northern and western Oklahoma. Given the potent combination of ingredients in place, storms began to produce tornadoes quickly after initiation. Storm motions of 50 to 60 mph were common. During the mid afternoon hours, severe weather was confined to northern Oklahoma. It was there a long track supercell storm produced tornadoes near the Kansas border - including one rated EF3 - from near Wakita to north of Braman. The capping inversion that had delayed thunderstorm development into central Oklahoma weakened, allowing for explosive supercell development along the dry line along and west of the Interstate 35 corridor. Rapid development and intensification was common with the late afternoon storms, with storms becoming tornadic within a very short time after initiation. This round of storms would directly impact a large part of the Oklahoma City metro area at rush hour, and posed a significant threat to the area. The first tornado in this area occurred in Canadian County. During the next several hours, tornadoes were clustered around the metro area, and at times there were multiple significant damaging tornadoes occurring simultaneously. Several of the tornadoes had long tracks. Damage from the tornadoes was substantial, with numerous structures, vehicles, trees and power poles/lines significantly damaged or destroyed. One of the more intense tornadoes moved across Lake Thunderbird east of Norman destroying numerous boats. More storms developed across southwest and south central Oklahoma, and also quickly became tornadic. By 9 pm, 35 tornadoes had been reported. While the loss of three lives was tragic, the casualties could have been much higher given the storm's fast motions, their intensity, the time of day and the areas impacted. While exact monetary damage figures were not available, it is estimated that losses were in excess of $595 million. At least 450 sustained injuries, most of them minor. Unfortunately three people lost their lives. Note: The large number of injuries and tornadoes made it difficult to associate injuries with specific tornadoes. Injury numbers were included when we had confidence in the numbers. Note: The complex nature of storm evolutions and interactions made the job of classifying tornadoes difficult. This represents our best scientific assessment based on ground and aerial surveys, data from multiple radars, photographic and video evidence and anecdotal information. | |||||||||||
| 33.2 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°26'N / 96°42'W | 36°34'N / 96°41'W | 9.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Osage |
| 33.4 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 36°26'N / 97°35'W | 36°29'N / 97°31'W | 5.10 Miles | 733 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Garfield |
| 33.5 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 36°42'N / 98°00'W | 36°56'N / 97°30'W | 35.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 33.6 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 37°00'N / 96°58'W | 37°27'N / 96°40'W | 35.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley |
| 33.6 | 1956-04-02 | 4 | 37°00'N / 96°49'W | 37°15'N / 96°32'W | 23.20 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley |
| 33.9 | 1991-04-12 | 3 | 36°39'N / 97°49'W | 36°46'N / 97°40'W | 9.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 35.1 | 1959-03-31 | 2 | 36°18'N / 97°02'W | 36°20'N / 97°00'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Noble |
| 35.2 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 37°00'N / 97°43'W | 37°14'N / 97°36'W | 18.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Sumner |
| 35.4 | 1968-04-03 | 2 | 36°17'N / 97°16'W | 36°20'N / 97°13'W | 4.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Noble |
| 35.7 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 36°43'N / 97°49'W | 36°46'N / 97°45'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 35.8 | 1958-11-17 | 3 | 36°21'N / 97°43'W | 36°32'N / 97°28'W | 18.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Garfield |
| 36.6 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 36°57'N / 97°50'W | 37°00'N / 97°43'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 37.2 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°36'N / 97°51'W | 36°48'N / 97°45'W | 14.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 37.3 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°23'N / 96°42'W | 36°26'N / 96°42'W | 3.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Pawnee |
| 38.0 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°40'N / 98°00'W | 36°49'N / 97°39'W | 21.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 38.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°21'N / 97°09'W | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 2.30 Miles | 1320 Yards | 75 | 270 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 39.5 | 1999-05-03 | 2 | 36°11'N / 97°17'W | 36°19'N / 97°14'W | 9.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 10 | 3.0M | 0 | Noble |
| Brief Description: Tornado B20 (Noble County portion). On January 10, 2001 tornadoes B20 and B21 were combined and will be identified as B21. Tornado B21 no longer exists. Please see summary at end of May 3rd storm reports for more information. A record outbreak of tornadoes struck Oklahoma from late afternoon of May 3, 1999, through early morning of May 4, 1999. To date, 58 tornadoes have been recorded across portions of western and central Oklahoma. Additional tornadoes were reported across eastern Oklahoma from late evening of May 3rd through the early morning of May 4th, and are listed under the eastern Oklahoma portion of Storm Data, provided by the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All direct fatalities (40) and all direct injuries (675) occurred in the Norman National Weather Service warning area. The most notable tornado was rated F5 and formed over Grady County near Amber and tracked northeast for 37 miles eventually into the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, Moore, Del City, and Midwest City suffered tremendous damage. Thirty-six direct fatalities and 583 direct injuries were recorded. There were many other significant tornadoes as well, including F4 tornadoes in Kingfisher and Logan Counties, and F3 tornadoes in Caddo, Grady, Kingfisher, Logan, and Lincoln Counties. Due to the magnitude of the tornado outbreak, and for easier reference, each tornado has received its own identification. There were 8 tornadic producing thunderstorms, called supercells, and most of them spawned numerous tornadoes, one after another. Occasionally, these thunderstorms spawned tornadoes at the same time. The first tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm A, while the last tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm I. Tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm have the same letter and were then numbered chronologically. For example, the 3rd tornado produced by storm B was labeled B3. Storm A produced 14 tornadoes over a period of about 7 hours and was eventually responsible for the F5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City and Moore. The 1st tornado of the outbreak, A1, touched down on US 62, 2 miles north of Interstate 44 in Comanche County at 1641 CST. No damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, A2, formed approximately 3 miles west of Elgin in Comanche County. Several witnesses confirmed this tornado, however no damage was observed (F0). The 3rd tornado, A3, touched down in a rural area 3 miles east of Apache in Caddo County. As the tornado moved northward to near Anadarko, one house was destroyed near the town of Stecker, with its roof ripped off and several walls knocked down (F3). Three person inside the house were injured. Several witnesses reported the 4th tornado, A4, 3 miles northwest of Cyril in Caddo County just west of SH 8. No damage was reported (F0). The 5th tornado, A5, formed 2 miles south of Anadarko in Caddo County. Two witnesses reported the tornado to be brief, and no damage was observed (F0). The 6th tornado, A6, developed about 3 miles north-northeast of Cement near the Caddo/Grady County border, and quickly intensified to a strong tornado with associated damage rated at the high end of the F3 scale. The tornado tracked northeast for 9 miles before dissipating 2.5 miles west-northwest of downtown Chickasha. Two homes had just a few interior walls standing (F3), one located near US 62 on the northwest side of Chickasha, and several wooden high tension power lines were downed. Several persons were injured south of Verden near the Caddo/Grady County border. The 7th tornado, A7, has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and rotated around A6 for a short period of time, 5 miles west of Chickasha in Grady County. Damage from this satellite tornado was not discovered and was therefore rated F0. The 8th tornado, A8, developed 2.5 miles northwest of downtown Chickasha just north of US 62, and tracked northeast, striking the Chickasha Municipal Airport, resulting in high-end F2 damage to two hangar buildings and destroying several aircraft. An aircraft wing, believed to have originated from this airport was eventually carried airborne approximately 45 miles and dropped in southwest Oklahoma City. Approximately 20 mobile homes near the airport were either damaged or destroyed with several persons injured. The tornado then crossed US 81 about 2 miles north of its intersection with US 62 destroying a large building, then dissipated 4 miles north-northeast of downtown Chickasha. The 9th tornado, A9, was a violent and long-tracked tornado, and eventually produced F5 damage in Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, and Moore. This tornado developed in Grady County about two miles south-southwest of Amber, and quickly intensified as it crossed State Highway 92. F4 damage was first discovered about 4 miles east-northeast of Amber and extended for 6 1/2 miles, as the tornado continued to move northeast. Two areas of F5 damage were observed. The first was in the Willow Lake Addition, a rural subdivision of mobile homes and some concrete slab homes, in Bridge Creek in far eastern Grady County. Two homes were completely swept from their concrete slabs, and about one dozen automobiles were carried about 1/4 of a mile. All mobile homes in this area in the direct path of the tornado were obliterated, resulting in a high concentration of fatalities. Asphalt pavement about 1-inch thick was also peeled from a section of rural road EW125. The second area of F5 damage was observed about 1 mile west of the Grady/McClain County line and consisted of a cleanly swept slab home with foundation anchor bolts and another vehicle lofted 1/4 of a mile. The maximum width of damage in Bridge Creek was estimated to be 1 mile. Approximately 200 mobile homes/houses were destroyed, and hundreds of other structures were damaged. The Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Bridge Creek was also destroyed. Twelve persons died in Bridge Creek, nine in mobile homes, and all fatalities and the majority of injuries were concentrated in the Willow Lake Addition, Southern Hills Addition, and Bridge Creek Estates, consisting mostly of mobile homes. Compared to sections of Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties, other counties in the path of this tornado which are more densely populated, eastern Grady County including the Bridge Creek area, is rural and sparsely populated. The tornado maintained a nearly straight path to the northeast paralleling Interstate 44, as it entered McClain County, except when it made a slight jog to the right and moved directly over the 16th Street overpass in Newcastle where a woman was killed when she was blown out from under the overpass. The tornado continued into northern sections of rural Newcastle and crossed the interstate again just north of the US 62 Newcastle interchange. While this tornado was moving through the northern portion of Newcastle, a satellite tornado (A10) touched down in a field in rural north Newcastle, and caused no damage (F0). Two areas of F4 damage were observed in McClain County, all associated with tornado A9. The first area overlapped the Grady/McClain County line and extended to about 3 miles northwest of Newcastle, ending just west of the 16th St. overpass on Interstate 44, while the other area was observed 2 miles northwest of Newcastle. Thirty-eight homes and 2 businesses were destroyed in McClain County, and 40 homes were damaged. Damage then diminished to F2 intensity as the tornado crossed the South Canadian River into northern Cleveland County. The tornado entered Cleveland County between Portland and May and between SW 164th and SW 179th in south Oklahoma City. Damage was rated F2 in this area with a path width averaging 1/2 of a mile. The first major housing development to be struck in Cleveland County was Country Place Estates located just west of Pennsylvania Ave. where about 50 homes were damaged, with 1 dozen of these homes receiving F4 damage. One slab home was cleanly swept from its foundation, and several vehicles were picked up from the subdivision and tossed across Pennsylvania Ave, a distance of approximately 1/4 of a mile. One vehicle was found under a bridge just east of the intersection of Pennsylvania and SW 134th. This particular area of damage has been rated high F4/low F5. Oklahoma City Police indicated that part of an airplane wing, believed to have originated from Chickasha Municipal Airport in Grady County, landed in this area. The tornado then tracked through Eastlake Estates, a densely populated housing development, located north of SW 134th and between Pennsylvania and Western, where 3 fatalities occurred. Entire rows of homes were virtually flattened to piles of rubble. Four adjacent homes on one street were virtually cleaned off their foundations leaving only concrete slabs, which earned an F5 rating. Three other homes in this housing division also received F5 damage, with the remaining destruction rated high F4. Three persons also died in the 600-unit Emerald Springs Apartments on Western Ave. located across the street from Eastlake Estates. One 2-story apartment building on the north end of the apartment complex was virtually flattened, and received an F5 rating. Westmoore High School, located just north of Eastlake Estates, was also heavily damaged. Although a well-attended awards ceremony was being held at the school during the tornado, no one was injured, however dozens of vehicles in the school parking lot were either damaged or destroyed. F4 damage continued northeast into another residential area east of Western Ave. and south of 119th St. The tornado then entered the western city limits of Moore (Cleveland County) along Santa Fe and near NW 12th, and produced damage between 1/2 and 3/4 of a mile wide. Maximum damage, rated high F4/low F5, extended northeast to near Janeway with several large groups of homes flattened. Four persons died in this residential area. F4 damage continued to South Shields just north of the junction with Interstate 35. A woman was also killed when she was blown out from under the Shields overpass of Interstate 35. The tornado appeared to weaken just slightly after crossing interstate 35, however it remained a formidable storm with widespread high F3/low F4 damage observed in Highland Park, a residential area, south of the First Baptist Church on 27th St. in Moore. Escaping with relatively minor damage, and being located near the halfway point of the tornado path, the First Baptist Church in Moore eventually served as the primary coordination center for most tornado relief efforts. The tornado then continued northeast and entered the southern portion of a sparsely populated industrial district. F4 damage continued through this area, to near SE 89th St., the Cleveland/Oklahoma County border. Moving into Oklahoma County, the tornado curved northward, through the remaining industrial district north of Interstate 240 where 2 businesses were destroyed, with the damage rated F4. Two persons were also killed at a trucking company near the intersection of S. Bryant Ave. and Interstate 240. A freight car, with an approximate weight of 18 tons, was picked up intermittently and blown 3/4 of a mile across an open field, with the body of the freight car being deposited southeast of the intersection of S. Sunnylane Rd. and SE 59th. Gouge marks were observed in the field every 50 to 100 yards, suggesting the freight car had been airborne for at least a short distance. While tornado A9 was moving through southeast Oklahoma City, another tornado (A11) touched down briefly about 1/2 mile south of Interstate 240 (Oklahoma County), near the intersection of SE 80th and Sooner Rd. Damage from tornado A11, rated F0, included fences being blown down and minor roof damage inflicted to a couple of houses. Tornado A9 then entered residential neighborhoods between SE 59th and SE 44th where 1 woman was killed in her house. Crossing SE 44th into Del City (Oklahoma County) the tornado moved through the highly populated Del Aire housing addition killing 6 persons and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, many with F3/F4 damage. The tornado then crossed Sooner Rd., damaged an entry gate and several costly structures at Tinker Air Force Base, then crossed 29th St. into Midwest City (Oklahoma County), destroying 1 building in the Boeing Complex and damaging 2 others. Widespread F3/F4 damage continued as the tornado moved across Interstate 40 affecting a large business district. Approximately 800 vehicles were damaged at Hudiburg Auto Group, located just south of Interstate 40. Hundreds of the vehicles were moved from their original location, and dozens of vehicles were picked up and tossed northward across Interstate 40 into several motels, a distance of approximately 2 tenths of a mile. Numerous motels and other businesses including Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Inn Suites, Clarion Inn, Cracker Barrel, and portions of Rose State College, were destroyed. Some of the damage through this area was rated high F4, however low F5 was considered. The tornado then continued into another residential area located between SE 15th and Reno Ave. where 3 fatalities occurred. High F4 damage was inflicted to 4 homes in this area. Two of these homes were located between SE 12th and SE 11th, near Buena Vista, and the other 2 homes were located on Will Rogers Rd. just south of SE 15th. Damage then diminished rapidly to F0/F1 as the tornado crossed Reno Ave. before dissipating 3 blocks north of Reno Ave. between Sooner Rd. and Air Depot Blvd. The Oklahoma State Department of Health in Oklahoma City recorded 36 direct fatalities. In addition, 5 persons died of illness or accident during or shortly after the tornado and were not considered in the direct fatality total. Five hundred eighty-three injuries were estimated based on numbers provided from the Department of Health, which were then adjusted to account for persons assumed to be unaccounted for. Injuries which resulted from removing debris, conducting search and rescue efforts, and taking shelter from the tornado, were not considered in the injury total. An estimated 1800 homes were destroyed, and 2500 homes were damaged, resulting in approximately 1 billion dollars in damage. The 12th tornado, A12, formed about 3 miles southwest of Choctaw in Oklahoma County and produced F2 damage to two homes and lesser damage to many others in the southwest part of Choctaw. The tornado moved into the center of town where a car was thrown over the canopy at a drive-in-restaurant. The business strip located on the north side of NE 23rd was especially affected with several businesses destroyed, including Pizza Hut, Sonic, and Tri-City Youth and Family Shelter. Damage was mainly F1as it moved northeast, except for F2 damage at a nursing home where one woman was injured. The tornado continued to weaken in rural areas and dissipated near the intersection of NE 50th and Triple XXX Road. In total, damage estimates are near 3.2 million dollars, with 8 businesses destroyed, 130 businesses damaged, 14 homes destroyed, and 23 homes damaged. The 13th tornado, A13, formed about 4 miles east-southeast of Jones in Oklahoma County near the intersection of NE 63rd and Triple XXX Rd., and was captured on video. Only minor damage (F0), was observed as the tornado tracked northward along Triple XXX Rd. for 2 miles before dissipating near Britton. The 14th and final tornado (A14) produced by storm A, formed about 3 miles east-northeast of Jones in Oklahoma County just west of Triple XXX Rd and between Hefner and 122nd, then tracked northward for 4 miles before dissipating near Interstate 44. A ground survey concluded F1 damage occurred to several homes south of the intersection of Memorial and Triple XXX Rd. Storm B was responsible for producing 20 tornadoes in 5 hours. One of these tornadoes, rated F4, caused 1 fatality, and produced a damage path 39 miles long and 1 mile wide. The first tornado, B1, formed about 3 miles south of Roosevelt in Kiowa County near Tom Steed Lake. Touchdown was brief with no damage reported (F0). The 2nd tornado, B2, formed in southwest Caddo County about 12 miles west-northwest of Apache. The tornado was captured on video and remained on the ground for approximately 4 minutes before dissipating. No damage was reported (F0). The 3rd tornado, B3, formed about 8 miles south of Fort Cobb and remained on the ground for 21 minutes covering a distance of 7 miles. Damage, mainly F1, consisted of a destroyed barn 7 miles south of Fort Cobb, a stock trailer which was thrown about 100 yards and a destroyed house garage 6 miles south-southeast of Fort Cobb, and sporadic areas of downed trees and power lines. The 4th tornado, B4, was short-lived and developed about 5 miles west of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). The 5th tornado, B5, was also short-lived and formed about 4 miles north-northwest of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). A storm chaser observed the 6th tornado, B6, about 4 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. Touchdown was brief with no significant damage (F0). The 7th tornado, B7, was also reported by a storm chaser, and formed about 9 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. The tornado was brief and produced no significant damage (F0). The 8th and 9th tornadoes, B8 and B9, formed nearly simultaneously. Tornado B8 developed about 8 miles west-southwest of Minco in Grady County and was approximately 300 yards wide. The tornado tracked northeast for 2 miles before dissipating. Tornado B9 formed 5 miles south of Cogar in Caddo County and tracked northward for 5 miles. Tornadoes B8 and B9 moved over rural areas with only extensive tree damage observed, and thus were both rated F1. The 10th tornado, B10, was captured on video and formed about 5 miles west of Minco and tracked northeast for 4 miles before dissipating. Maximum damage, rated F1, consisted of small house moved slightly off its foundation with most of its roof blown off. Trees and road signs were also damaged near the end of the tornado track. The 11th tornado, B11, formed about 5 miles southwest of Minco in Grady County and was observed by off-duty Storm Prediction Center forecasters. The roof was ripped off a house, which would normally warrant an F2 rating, however the structure was considered somewhat unstable, so an F1 rating was assigned. The 12th tornado, B12, formed about 2.5 miles west-northwest of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was observed and thus was rated F0. The 13th tornado, B13, formed about 2 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 14th tornado, B14, formed about 4 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was also captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 15th tornado, B15, was also captured on video as it formed about 3 miles east-southeast of El Reno in Canadian County. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 16th tornado, B16, developed about 6 miles west-northwest of Yukon (Canadian County) and tracked northward for 6 miles before dissipating near Piedmont, also in Canadian County. Two witnesses caught this tornado on video. The majority of damage consisted of mangled and downed trees and downed power poles, however 2 mobile homes sustained heavy damage (F1); a barn was destroyed, and 1 cow was killed. The 17th tornado, B17, developed about 1.5 miles west of Piedmont in Canadian County and tracked northward for 8 miles in a zigzag pattern, ending in far south Kingfisher County. Again the majority of damage consisted of downed trees and power poles, however F2 damage was observed about 4 miles northwest of Piedmont where a garage, attached to the house, was destroyed, and a barn and mobile home were completely demolished with debris from the mobile home, mostly corrugated metal, scattered along a 2-mile stretch of road. F1 damage, consisting of large downed trees and leaning power poles, was observed in southern Kingfisher County. The 18th tornado, B18, developed about 4 miles north-northeast of Piedmont in northeast Canadian County and tracked northward for 10 miles before dissipating about 4 miles northwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County. F1 damage was observed in northeast Canadian County, where large trees were uprooted, and numerous power poles were felled or were leaning. F1 damage was also observed 2 miles west of Cashion in Kingfisher County where telephone/utility poles were downed for approximately 100 feet, and an oil storage tank was knocked off its mount. The 19th tornado, B19, formed about 12 miles south-southwest of Crescent in Logan County and was confirmed by an aerial survey. Damage, rated high F0/low F1, was observed for a distance of 1 mile and consisted mostly of downed power poles and strewn about bales of hay. A very unusual event took place in Logan County where 2 tornadoes, B20 and G5, produced by different thunderstorms, affected much of the same area between Crescent and Mulhall in Logan County. Assessment of damage from the individual tornadoes was difficult and in some areas nearly impossible due to overlapping damage paths. The 1st tornado, B20, formed about 7 miles southwest of Crescent and tracked northeast for 39 miles before dissipating east of Perry in Noble County. The 2nd tornado, G5, formed about 2 1/2 miles south of Crescent and tracked northeast for 13 miles before dissipating 4 miles southwest of Mulhall. Damage paths were nearly parallel in Logan County with damage from the 2nd tornado displaced 1/2 mile or less to the north of damage from the 1st tornado. Damage from B20 was first observed about 2 miles west of the intersection of SH33 and SH74 near Twin Lakes Rd., where 2 homes and other businesses were damaged. The width of damage is believed to have increased to nearly 1 mile as it tracked east of Crescent where numerous homes suffered major damage. Damage to 1 brick residence 3 miles east-southeast of Crescent was rated F4. All walls were knocked down, and part of the foundation was removed. The tornado then tracked through the small community of Abell (6 miles southwest of Mulhall), where 1 woman was killed in her home, and 6 persons were injured, and then finally through Mulhall. Approximately 60-70% of Mulhall's 130 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. In addition, Mulhall's primary water source, a water tower, and the Mulhall/Orlando Elementary School were destroyed. Lesser damage continued to about 1/2 mile west of the Logan/Payne County border where tombstones and fences were blown over. Along Interstate 35 in northwest Payne County, a semi-truck trailer was overturned, and 2 cars were flipped. The driver of one of the cars was killed when his vehicle, parked under the Interstate 35 overpass at mile-marker 176.5, was picked up and dropped on its top. In Noble County, major structural damage was observed in the Boonsboro Addition, a mobile home park located along State Highway 86, 6 miles south of Perry. Approximately 20 mobile homes were destroyed, and dozens of others were damaged. Damage continued northward to a location 3 miles east of Perry, where 3 homes suffered major damage on US 64 and 1 critical injury was reported. In total, approximately 25 homes were destroyed in Noble County, and 50 homes were damaged. The 2nd tornado, G5, occurred about 1 hour and 20 minutes after tornado B20, and also produced widespread damage. Twenty-five homes were destroyed near Crescent, and 30 homes were damaged (F3). Damage here is believed to have been produced by both tornadoes, and near the end of this tornado track, along portions of EW68 Rd. and EW69 Rd., another house received significant roof damage. Storm C spawned just 2 tornadoes. Both produced minimal damage in Canadian and Kingfisher Counties. The first tornado, C1, formed about 1.5 miles east of Okarche near the Canadian/Kingfisher County border and stayed on the ground for approximately 4 miles moving north-northeast. One barn was destroyed, while another was damaged. The structural integrity of the known destroyed barn warranted only an F0 rating. Tornado C2 touched down within the town of Okarche, which is on the Canadian/Kingfisher County border, and was photographed by Okarche residents. No damage was reported (F0). Storm D produced 4 tornadoes in the Norman National Weather Service warning area, however several tornadoes also formed from this thunderstorm in the Tulsa National Weather Service warning area. The 1st tornado, D1, formed 1mile north of the community of Etowah (15 miles south-southeast of Norman) in eastern Cleveland County and moved to the north-northeast damaging primarily trees (F0). The tornado then moved into Pottawatomie County and struck the community of Pink where the Pink Baptist Church, located on the south side of State Highway 9, 1.5 miles to the east of the Cleveland/Pottawatomie County line, was significantly damaged. The roof was taken off a new portion of the church, while the roof collapsed on the south side of the older portion of the church over the sanctuary leading to significant water damage. The church was primarily of a cinder block construction with a brick exterior. An F1 rating was applied at the church. A detached large, metal "gymnasium" building to the south of the church was also damaged with the southwest corner of the building caved in and support beams bent. The tornado continued to the northeast before dissipating just inside the city limits of Bethel Acres near Stevens Road, between Waco Road and Hardesty Road. With the exception of the church buildings, damage was limited to trees and power lines. The 2nd tornado, D2, formed in rural Pottawatomie County near Independence Road and Drummond Road or about 6 miles west-northwest of Downtown Shawnee. A few trees were damaged as the tornado moved northeast into the Clarks Heights addition along US-270, just south of Interstate 40. At 45th Street, a portion of a roof was blown off; a nursery was damaged; awnings were destroyed, and trees were downed. As the tornado crossed US-270, the air conditioner was taken off the roof of the El Charro restaurant. Continuing northeast into the West Gate neighborhood, fifteen homes suffered significant damage. Three homes were completely unroofed, warranting an F2 rating, and a number of others were partially unroofed. Other homes suffered shingle damage; a number of large trees were downed, and a garage was collapsed. Signs were also downed along the interstate adjacent to this neighborhood. The next area of significant damage was along the 38800 block of Garrett's Lake Road where a mobile home was destroyed, with the frame of the home blown 50 to 75 yards to the northwest. The disintegration of the mobile home indicated a high F1 or borderline F2 intensity in this area. A few hundred yards to the northeast, the warehouse of Shawnee Light Systems was damaged; one large metal storage building was unroofed, and other buildings were damaged. The tornado crossed Acme Road and struck a number of double-wide mobile homes along Valley View Drive, where one fatality and one serious injury occurred in the same home. The mobile homes most heavily damaged in this area were destroyed, but not disintegrated. To the north, a barn was destroyed, and trees were damaged as the tornado crossed Wolverine Road. The tornado then curved to the north-northwest crossing Acme Road damaging more trees before dissipating. The 3rd tornado, D3, touched down about a mile southeast of where D2 dissipated, or along Wolverine Road and 1/2 mile east of Acme Road just outside the Shawnee city limits in Pottawatomie County, where it destroyed an outbuilding and damaged trees. The tornado then moved northeast continuing to damage large trees before striking the Country Meadow housing addition in far north Shawnee. A number of homes in this neighborhood were damaged, two partially unroofed. The homes in this neighborhood appeared to be well-constructed and were approximately two to five years old. Damage here was consistent with high-end F1 damage. The tornado continued northeast downing power lines as it moved into Lincoln County 3 miles south-southwest of Meeker. At a point two miles south-southwest of Meeker, a double-wide mobile home was destroyed; a fifth wheel was tossed, and a large apple tree and a very large black jack oak tree were destroyed. The tornado then moved northeast into the eastern sections of Meeker. Along US Highway 62 a couple of buildings suffered shingle and roof damage; a business sign was destroyed; a shed was destroyed and carried north over the adjacent house, and trees were downed. Scattered tree damage continued to a point four miles northeast of Meeker. Damage in Lincoln County was also rated F1. The final tornado (D4) produced by storm D formed 3 miles north-northeast of Sparks in Lincoln County. From this point extending north-northeast toward Davenport, only sporadic tree damage was observed. The tornado then inflicted scattered and mostly minor damage to houses and businesses in southeast portions of Davenport consistent with a high F0/low F1 rating, however a house just south of Davenport did lose more than half its roof. The tornado then continued northeastward toward Stroud remaining nearly parallel with Interstate 44 and State Route 66. In Stroud, the three largest employers of Stroud were heavily damaged. On the west side of Stroud along State Highway 66, the tornado hit the Sygma food distribution warehouse. The southeast section of the warehouse, a large free-span structure, suffered significant damage. Three semi-trucks at the warehouse were overturned. Some of the girders and siding from the warehouse were thrown to the northwest across State Highway 66. Farther east along State Highway 66 the Stroud Municipal Hospital suffered significant roof damage, which then caused significant water damage within the hospital. The pattern of the trees that were felled adjacent to the hospital suggested a multiple-vortex structure to the tornado at this point. Damage is estimated to be F2 along State Highway 66. As the tornado continued to move northeast along the turnpike, a McDonald's received minor damage, while an adjacent gas station had all its windows blown out. Semi-trucks parked in the gas station parking lot were also destroyed. On the north side of the turnpike on Old Stroud Road, a group of seven mobile homes was completely destroyed, three of which were lived in, however none were occupied when the tornado struck. The degree of destruction of these mobile homes indicated an F2 rating in this area. To the north, a large house being built (although most of the exterior of the house was completed) suffered roof and siding damage, especially on the east side. Much of the newly-laid interior wood flooring was destroyed by water. A number of homes in a neighborhood on the south side of the turnpike were damaged. At least two houses lost roofs with more minor roof and siding damage to others. Some of the worst damage, rated F3, occurred near the Tanger Outlet Mall, which was hit next by the tornado. Almost all of the stores suffered at least roof damage, however a section of 7 storefronts was destroyed. This section included four stores: Dress Barn, Corning, Mikasa, and a housewares store. At the eastern most section of the building, the exterior walls of the Levi's store collapsed inward. This store was a couple of hundred yards away from the other destroyed section. Local officials from Stroud had evacuated the mall before the tornado struck (approximately 2139 CST), and thus there were no fatalities or injuries in this area. Just south of the outlet mall, a Best Western motel lost part of its roof, and a Wendy's restaurant suffered a partially collapsed roof and broken windows. North of the outlet mall, a number of homes were damaged or destroyed in the Midway mobile home park. As the tornado moved northeast out of Stroud, a number of high-tension electrical towers were downed, and a few trees were downed before the tornado moved into Creek County (Tulsa National Weather Service warning area) about one mile north of the turnpike, dissipating south of Stroud Lake. Storm E produced 7 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado, that caused extensive damage to Dover in Kingfisher County. The 1st tornado, E1, was very brief and caused no damage (F0), as it formed about 3 miles west of Geary in Blaine County. The 2nd tornado, E2, formed in extreme northwest Canadian County and tracked northeast for 11 miles, clipping the southeast corner of Blaine County, before entering southwest Kingfisher County, eventually dissipating 7 miles south-southeast of Omega. Structural damage was confined mainly to outbuildings and roofs of a mobile home and house, however extensive tree damage with some large uprooted trees occurred along much of the tornado path, warranting an F1 rating in each county. The 3rd tornado, E3, formed 7 miles south-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and tracked northeast for 12 miles before dissipating 7 miles northwest of Kingfisher. Extensive tree damage and damage to 1 farmstead occurred during the first 2.5 miles of its path. The tornado then reached its maximum width of about 1/4 of a mile, 5 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher where a large, well-built brick home was severely damaged. Although anchored to the foundation, half the walls were collapsed or missing, and the roof was gone, warranting an F3 rating. Along the remainder of the path, a handful of other homes had minor damage, and 7 mobile homes and numerous outbuildings were destroyed or severely damaged. There was also damage to trees, telephone poles, and farm equipment. The 4th tornado, E4, was short-lived and small, and has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and formed about 6 miles west of Kingfisher while tornado E3 was most intense. This tornado rotated around E3 for a short period of time before dissipating. No damage was observed (F0). Another satellite tornado, E5, formed 6 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher and also rotated briefly around E3. Its life-span was short, and there was no damage (F0). The 6th tornado, E6, produced a damage path 15 miles long and 1/2 mile wide as it tracked through Kingfisher County. The city of Dover took a direct hit. About one-third of Dover's structures were destroyed. The tornado formed 4 miles south-southwest of Dover, and traveled north-northeast crossing route 81 on the north side of Dover, dissipating about 7 miles east-southeast of Hennessey. F4 damage was observed on the west side of Dover where a steel-reinforced concrete building only had a few walls remaining; large vehicles were rendered apart; mobile homes frames were wrapped around tree trunks; and trees lost all their branches and most of their bark. One woman was killed inside a large frame home that collapsed. Approximately 34 mobile homes and houses were either damaged or destroyed in Dover. Outside of Dover, damage was rated primarily F1 and was confined to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings. While tornado E6 continued moving northeast of Dover, another tornado, E7, formed about 3 miles northeast of Dover. This tornado formed near tornado E6 and tracked north-northeast for 4 miles over open county. F1 damage to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings was observed. To avoid confusion with F-scale ratings, no storm F was assigned. The fifth tornadic supercell, storm G, produced 6 tornadoes, 2 which produced F3 damage. The 1st tornado, G1, formed near the southwest edge of El Reno in Canadian County just southwest of Interstate 40 and County Club Rd. Minor damage, rated F0, was confined to trees, ballfield equipment at Redlands Community College, and a few roofs. The 2nd tornado, G2, formed about 1 mile northeast of El Reno in Canadian County and tracked north for 22 miles, varying in width from 100 to 500 yards, before dissipating 8 miles south-southwest of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. Two mobile homes were destroyed, and 3 other homes received F1 damage. The remainder of damage was confined to telephone poles, trees, and outbuildings. About 2.5 miles into the path of the tornado, F2 damage occurred, and the top of a 500 ft. transmission tower was blown off. Near the end of the tornado path, F3 damage occurred about 9 miles southeast of Kingfisher, where a 3000 pound oil storage tank was moved for 1/2 of a mile. While the tank rolled for some distance, it was clear the tank was airborne. Trees in this area were also partially debarked. The 3rd tornado, G3, formed 2 miles southwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County and produced only minor damage, F0, as it tracked northeast for 3 miles to near the Kingfisher/Logan County border. The 4th tornado, G4, was very short-lived and formed about 8 miles east of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. The tornado was less than 50 yards wide and damaged outbuildings and trees (F0) as it moved northeast across Highway 33. A description of the 5th tornado, G5, was listed above with tornado B20. Tornado G5 tracked over nearly the same portion of Logan County as tornado B20. At times, damage caused by tornado B20 was indistinguishable from damage caused by tornado G5. The 6th and final tornado (G6) produced by storm G, formed about 3 miles south-southwest of Mulhall in Logan County, just south of the damage track produced by another tornado (B20) that moved through Mulhall earlier in the evening. Although somewhat difficult to determine, due to possible damage from tornado B20, the most extensive damage (F2) from this tornado is believed to have consisted of major structural damage to a brick house near the intersection of Highway 77 and EW 68, where the majority of the roof was ripped off, and one exterior wall was partially knocked down. Additional damage occurred to a railroad crossing, trees, and power poles. Storm H spawned 4 tornadoes. The first tornado, H1, formed 2 miles east-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and was reported by a storm chaser. No significant damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, H2, formed about 3 miles northwest of Dover in Kingfisher County and was determined from storm chaser accounts and a damage survey. Damage, rated F0, consisted of snapped and uprooted trees. The 3rd tornado, H3, formed about 1 mile east-southeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County and moved to the east-southeast for 1 mile. Major damage, rated high-end F2, was inflicted to one farm house and an old abandoned house near the beginning of the tornado track, and a handful of outbuildings were completely destroyed. Additionally, heavy farm equipment was moved several hundred yards, and trees sustained major damage. The 4th and final tornado, H4, formed 3 miles southwest of Marshall in Logan County and tracked over mostly rural land, affecting 2 residences before dissipating in southeast Garfield County. An old, abandoned house near Marshall in northwest Logan County was completely destroyed (F2). Damage at another residence in southeast Garfield County included 3 destroyed grain bins, 1 which was tossed about a 1/2 mile. A pole barn was also destroyed with the remnants strewn about a 150 yard wide area, and an addition to a house was ripped off. Massive trees some with trunk diameters the size of a small car where also ripped completely out of the ground and tossed up to 200 yards. This tree damage occurred over an area covering several miles and overlapped the Logan/Garfield County border. The final tornado producing thunderstorm, storm I, produced just one tornado. This tornado, I1, formed 6 miles south of Ringwood in Major County and unroofed an office building of a feed lot, while also damaging an irrigation system. Damage caused by this tornado was rated F1. There were also numerous reports of large hail and damaging straight-line winds during the tornado outbreak. Hail to the size of softballs (4.5 inches) smashed hundreds of vehicles and damaged many buildings 5 miles north of Altus in Jackson County. At least 400 individual claims were received by local insurance offices with total damage near $800,000, and in Weatherford in Custer County, hail to the size of baseballs (2.75 inches) dented vehicles and broke many windows. Straight-line winds blew the roof off an apartment complex in the 100 block of McCormick in the Western Hills area of Weatherford in Custer County, ripped the roof off a barn 3 miles north of Altus in Jackson County, and blew out windows of a trailer 1 mile east of Blair in Jackson County. Straight-line winds also caused widespread tree damage 10 miles northeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County, blew down power poles 5 miles east of Perry in Noble County, and knocked down large tree limbs 5 miles east-southeast of Elmer in Jackson County. | |||||||||||
| 39.8 | 1954-05-01 | 2 | 36°15'N / 96°54'W | 36°19'N / 96°50'W | 5.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pawnee |
| 40.1 | 2003-05-08 | 3 | 36°35'N / 96°43'W | 36°53'N / 96°08'W | 45.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Osage |
| Brief Description: A F3 tornado touched down northwest of Fairfax and traveled northeast across rural areas of Osage county before dissipating just west of Bowring. The one community it did effect was Little Chief. Oil tanks southwest of Little Chief were taken off their foundation and rolled a quarter of a mile. In Little Chief a RV was destroyed and there was considerable tree damage. In a field not far from Little Chief seven cattle were killed. Along Highway 60 to the northeast of Little Chief a house and garage were completely swept from their foundation. At the same location a barn was destroyed and three horses were killed. Further to the northeast as the tornado entered the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, it produced additional significant tree damage. Throughout the path of the tornado up to 30 power poles were blown down causing power outages across a significant part of Osage county. The F3 damage was classified at two locations: the first was near where the cattle were killed--this was the only location that showed the scouring of grasses along the path; the second location was in the western sections of the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve where an Oak Forest was heavily damaged. Although the one house was swept off its foundation, it was clear that this house's anchoring failed prematurely. On this property there were several examples, especially with vegetation, that hinted that this stretch of the tornado track was probably less than F3 intensity. | |||||||||||
| 41.0 | 2009-04-25 | 2 | 36°31'N / 97°47'W | 36°31'N / 97°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Garfield |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado occurred mainly over open farmland, except for one house about 2.5 miles southeast of Kremlin that suffered significant damage, including the removal of the roof. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms developed ahead of a dry line, and then ahead of a cold front by late afternoon. Very large hail up to baseball size was reported at several locations. Later in the evening, the low-level jet developed, increasing wind shear and making the environment more conducive for tornadoes. Low-level rotation became more common with the thunderstorms, with a couple of storms over north central Oklahoma producing tornadoes. Damage was reported in the northern Enid and Hillsdale areas, but no significant injuries were reported. The storms moved northeast into Kansas after midnight. | |||||||||||
| 41.7 | 1954-05-01 | 2 | 36°14'N / 96°55'W | 36°15'N / 96°54'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Payne |
| 41.8 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 37°27'N / 97°00'W | 7.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cowley |
| 41.9 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 36°44'N / 97°59'W | 36°58'N / 97°49'W | 19.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 42.0 | 1991-04-26 | 3 | 36°24'N / 97°46'W | 36°26'N / 97°40'W | 6.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Garfield |
| 42.2 | 1965-05-13 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°54'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 42.4 | 1965-03-16 | 2 | 36°40'N / 96°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Osage | |
| 43.0 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 36°53'N / 97°55'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant | |
| 43.3 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 36°19'N / 97°49'W | 36°26'N / 97°35'W | 15.30 Miles | 733 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Garfield |
| 43.3 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°33'N / 97°53'W | 36°36'N / 97°51'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Garfield |
| 43.5 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°15'N / 96°45'W | 37°23'N / 96°35'W | 15.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley |
| 43.7 | 1963-08-09 | 2 | 36°11'N / 97°05'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Payne | |||
| 43.7 | 1991-04-12 | 3 | 36°35'N / 97°54'W | 36°36'N / 97°52'W | 2.20 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 44.0 | 2004-06-12 | 3 | 37°28'N / 97°14'W | 37°26'N / 97°11'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 75K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: The tornado started moving NE before becoming influenced by the outflow of the storm and darted back to the SE. The tornado ripped the roof off one home and blew out two walls and a roof of another. However, the tornado took dead aim on one home about 3.5 miles SE of Mulvane and completely removed it from it's foundation. Two inhabitants were under the staircase in the basement and escaped with only minor injuries. | |||||||||||
| 44.0 | 1961-05-07 | 2 | 36°33'N / 97°52'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Garfield | |||
| 44.1 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 36°48'N / 98°02'W | 36°49'N / 97°51'W | 10.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 44.3 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°24'N / 97°18'W | 37°29'N / 97°20'W | 5.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 45.5 | 1956-04-08 | 3 | 36°15'N / 97°40'W | 36°17'N / 97°32'W | 7.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Garfield |
| 45.6 | 2004-05-29 | 3 | 37°23'N / 97°36'W | 37°22'N / 97°34'W | 2.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | Sumner |
| Brief Description: Considerable damage to two homesteads; the first being a sturdy brick home. All exterior walls ripped from the home, only leaving only the interior. Home owner ran down the stairs as the tornado hit and avoided injury. Further southeast, a modular home was completely removed from above a viewout basement. It was here that an amazing survival occurred. The homeowner sought refuge in a safe room in the basement and was unharmed, despite the fact a propane tank landed in the basement and began to leak. Breathing became difficult as fumes permeated the saferoom. At the same time, the saferoom began to flood, however the rising water levels dissipated the fumes. In addition, a semi-truck was thrown approximately 100 feet. | |||||||||||
| 45.8 | 1961-04-30 | 2 | 36°24'N / 96°30'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Osage | |||
| 46.1 | 1991-04-12 | 3 | 36°31'N / 97°55'W | 36°35'N / 97°54'W | 6.80 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Garfield |
| 46.3 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°27'N / 97°00'W | 37°27'N / 96°45'W | 13.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cowley |
| 46.5 | 1990-05-15 | 3 | 36°07'N / 97°09'W | 36°10'N / 97°03'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 1 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Payne |
| 46.8 | 1999-05-03 | 2 | 36°07'N / 97°20'W | 36°11'N / 97°17'W | 6.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 3 | 100K | 0 | Payne |
| Brief Description: Tornado B20 (Payne County portion). On January 10,2001 tornadoes B20 and B21 were combined and will be identified as B20. Tornado B21 no longer exists. See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports for more information. M45VE A record outbreak of tornadoes struck Oklahoma from late afternoon of May 3, 1999, through early morning of May 4, 1999. To date, 58 tornadoes have been recorded across portions of western and central Oklahoma. Additional tornadoes were reported across eastern Oklahoma from late evening of May 3rd through the early morning of May 4th, and are listed under the eastern Oklahoma portion of Storm Data, provided by the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All direct fatalities (40) and all direct injuries (675) occurred in the Norman National Weather Service warning area. The most notable tornado was rated F5 and formed over Grady County near Amber and tracked northeast for 37 miles eventually into the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, Moore, Del City, and Midwest City suffered tremendous damage. Thirty-six direct fatalities and 583 direct injuries were recorded. There were many other significant tornadoes as well, including F4 tornadoes in Kingfisher and Logan Counties, and F3 tornadoes in Caddo, Grady, Kingfisher, Logan, and Lincoln Counties. Due to the magnitude of the tornado outbreak, and for easier reference, each tornado has received its own identification. There were 8 tornadic producing thunderstorms, called supercells, and most of them spawned numerous tornadoes, one after another. Occasionally, these thunderstorms spawned tornadoes at the same time. The first tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm A, while the last tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm I. Tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm have the same letter and were then numbered chronologically. For example, the 3rd tornado produced by storm B was labeled B3. Storm A produced 14 tornadoes over a period of about 7 hours and was eventually responsible for the F5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City and Moore. The 1st tornado of the outbreak, A1, touched down on US 62, 2 miles north of Interstate 44 in Comanche County at 1641 CST. No damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, A2, formed approximately 3 miles west of Elgin in Comanche County. Several witnesses confirmed this tornado, however no damage was observed (F0). The 3rd tornado, A3, touched down in a rural area 3 miles east of Apache in Caddo County. As the tornado moved northward to near Anadarko, one house was destroyed near the town of Stecker, with its roof ripped off and several walls knocked down (F3). Three person inside the house were injured. Several witnesses reported the 4th tornado, A4, 3 miles northwest of Cyril in Caddo County just west of SH 8. No damage was reported (F0). The 5th tornado, A5, formed 2 miles south of Anadarko in Caddo County. Two witnesses reported the tornado to be brief, and no damage was observed (F0). The 6th tornado, A6, developed about 3 miles north-northeast of Cement near the Caddo/Grady County border, and quickly intensified to a strong tornado with associated damage rated at the high end of the F3 scale. The tornado tracked northeast for 9 miles before dissipating 2.5 miles west-northwest of downtown Chickasha. Two homes had just a few interior walls standing (F3), one located near US 62 on the northwest side of Chickasha, and several wooden high tension power lines were downed. Several persons were injured south of Verden near the Caddo/Grady County border. The 7th tornado, A7, has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and rotated around A6 for a short period of time, 5 miles west of Chickasha in Grady County. Damage from this satellite tornado was not discovered and was therefore rated F0. The 8th tornado, A8, developed 2.5 miles northwest of downtown Chickasha just north of US 62, and tracked northeast, striking the Chickasha Municipal Airport, resulting in high-end F2 damage to two hangar buildings and destroying several aircraft. An aircraft wing, believed to have originated from this airport was eventually carried airborne approximately 45 miles and dropped in southwest Oklahoma City. Approximately 20 mobile homes near the airport were either damaged or destroyed with several persons injured. The tornado then crossed US 81 about 2 miles north of its intersection with US 62 destroying a large building, then dissipated 4 miles north-northeast of downtown Chickasha. The 9th tornado, A9, was a violent and long-tracked tornado, and eventually produced F5 damage in Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, and Moore. This tornado developed in Grady County about two miles south-southwest of Amber, and quickly intensified as it crossed State Highway 92. F4 damage was first discovered about 4 miles east-northeast of Amber and extended for 6 1/2 miles, as the tornado continued to move northeast. Two areas of F5 damage were observed. The first was in the Willow Lake Addition, a rural subdivision of mobile homes and some concrete slab homes, in Bridge Creek in far eastern Grady County. Two homes were completely swept from their concrete slabs, and about one dozen automobiles were carried about 1/4 of a mile. All mobile homes in this area in the direct path of the tornado were obliterated, resulting in a high concentration of fatalities. Asphalt pavement about 1-inch thick was also peeled from a section of rural road EW125. The second area of F5 damage was observed about 1 mile west of the Grady/McClain County line and consisted of a cleanly swept slab home with foundation anchor bolts and another vehicle lofted 1/4 of a mile. The maximum width of damage in Bridge Creek was estimated to be 1 mile. Approximately 200 mobile homes/houses were destroyed, and hundreds of other structures were damaged. The Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Bridge Creek was also destroyed. Twelve persons died in Bridge Creek, nine in mobile homes, and all fatalities and the majority of injuries were concentrated in the Willow Lake Addition, Southern Hills Addition, and Bridge Creek Estates, consisting mostly of mobile homes. Compared to sections of Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties, other counties in the path of this tornado which are more densely populated, eastern Grady County including the Bridge Creek area, is rural and sparsely populated. The tornado maintained a nearly straight path to the northeast paralleling Interstate 44, as it entered McClain County, except when it made a slight jog to the right and moved directly over the 16th Street overpass in Newcastle where a woman was killed when she was blown out from under the overpass. The tornado continued into northern sections of rural Newcastle and crossed the interstate again just north of the US 62 Newcastle interchange. While this tornado was moving through the northern portion of Newcastle, a satellite tornado (A10) touched down in a field in rural north Newcastle, and caused no damage (F0). Two areas of F4 damage were observed in McClain County, all associated with tornado A9. The first area overlapped the Grady/McClain County line and extended to about 3 miles northwest of Newcastle, ending just west of the 16th St. overpass on Interstate 44, while the other area was observed 2 miles northwest of Newcastle. Thirty-eight homes and 2 businesses were destroyed in McClain County, and 40 homes were damaged. Damage then diminished to F2 intensity as the tornado crossed the South Canadian River into northern Cleveland County. The tornado entered Cleveland County between Portland and May and between SW 164th and SW 179th in south Oklahoma City. Damage was rated F2 in this area with a path width averaging 1/2 of a mile. The first major housing development to be struck in Cleveland County was Country Place Estates located just west of Pennsylvania Ave. where about 50 homes were damaged, with 1 dozen of these homes receiving F4 damage. One slab home was cleanly swept from its foundation, and several vehicles were picked up from the subdivision and tossed across Pennsylvania Ave, a distance of approximately 1/4 of a mile. One vehicle was found under a bridge just east of the intersection of Pennsylvania and SW 134th. This particular area of damage has been rated high F4/low F5. Oklahoma City Police indicated that part of an airplane wing, believed to have originated from Chickasha Municipal Airport in Grady County, landed in this area. The tornado then tracked through Eastlake Estates, a densely populated housing development, located north of SW 134th and between Pennsylvania and Western, where 3 fatalities occurred. Entire rows of homes were virtually flattened to piles of rubble. Four adjacent homes on one street were virtually cleaned off their foundations leaving only concrete slabs, which earned an F5 rating. Three other homes in this housing division also received F5 damage, with the remaining destruction rated high F4. Three persons also died in the 600-unit Emerald Springs Apartments on Western Ave. located across the street from Eastlake Estates. One 2-story apartment building on the north end of the apartment complex was virtually flattened, and received an F5 rating. Westmoore High School, located just north of Eastlake Estates, was also heavily damaged. Although a well-attended awards ceremony was being held at the school during the tornado, no one was injured, however dozens of vehicles in the school parking lot were either damaged or destroyed. F4 damage continued northeast into another residential area east of Western Ave. and south of 119th St. The tornado then entered the western city limits of Moore (Cleveland County) along Santa Fe and near NW 12th, and produced damage between 1/2 and 3/4 of a mile wide. Maximum damage, rated high F4/low F5, extended northeast to near Janeway with several large groups of homes flattened. Four persons died in this residential area. F4 damage continued to South Shields just north of the junction with Interstate 35. A woman was also killed when she was blown out from under the Shields overpass of Interstate 35. The tornado appeared to weaken just slightly after crossing interstate 35, however it remained a formidable storm with widespread high F3/low F4 damage observed in Highland Park, a residential area, south of the First Baptist Church on 27th St. in Moore. Escaping with relatively minor damage, and being located near the halfway point of the tornado path, the First Baptist Church in Moore eventually served as the primary coordination center for most tornado relief efforts. The tornado then continued northeast and entered the southern portion of a sparsely populated industrial district. F4 damage continued through this area, to near SE 89th St., the Cleveland/Oklahoma County border. Moving into Oklahoma County, the tornado curved northward, through the remaining industrial district north of Interstate 240 where 2 businesses were destroyed, with the damage rated F4. Two persons were also killed at a trucking company near the intersection of S. Bryant Ave. and Interstate 240. A freight car, with an approximate weight of 18 tons, was picked up intermittently and blown 3/4 of a mile across an open field, with the body of the freight car being deposited southeast of the intersection of S. Sunnylane Rd. and SE 59th. Gouge marks were observed in the field every 50 to 100 yards, suggesting the freight car had been airborne for at least a short distance. While tornado A9 was moving through southeast Oklahoma City, another tornado (A11) touched down briefly about 1/2 mile south of Interstate 240 (Oklahoma County), near the intersection of SE 80th and Sooner Rd. Damage from tornado A11, rated F0, included fences being blown down and minor roof damage inflicted to a couple of houses. Tornado A9 then entered residential neighborhoods between SE 59th and SE 44th where 1 woman was killed in her house. Crossing SE 44th into Del City (Oklahoma County) the tornado moved through the highly populated Del Aire housing addition killing 6 persons and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, many with F3/F4 damage. The tornado then crossed Sooner Rd., damaged an entry gate and several costly structures at Tinker Air Force Base, then crossed 29th St. into Midwest City (Oklahoma County), destroying 1 building in the Boeing Complex and damaging 2 others. Widespread F3/F4 damage continued as the tornado moved across Interstate 40 affecting a large business district. Approximately 800 vehicles were damaged at Hudiburg Auto Group, located just south of Interstate 40. Hundreds of the vehicles were moved from their original location, and dozens of vehicles were picked up and tossed northward across Interstate 40 into several motels, a distance of approximately 2 tenths of a mile. Numerous motels and other businesses including Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Inn Suites, Clarion Inn, Cracker Barrel, and portions of Rose State College, were destroyed. Some of the damage through this area was rated high F4, however low F5 was considered. The tornado then continued into another residential area located between SE 15th and Reno Ave. where 3 fatalities occurred. High F4 damage was inflicted to 4 homes in this area. Two of these homes were located between SE 12th and SE 11th, near Buena Vista, and the other 2 homes were located on Will Rogers Rd. just south of SE 15th. Damage then diminished rapidly to F0/F1 as the tornado crossed Reno Ave. before dissipating 3 blocks north of Reno Ave. between Sooner Rd. and Air Depot Blvd. The Oklahoma State Department of Health in Oklahoma City recorded 36 direct fatalities. In addition, 5 persons died of illness or accident during or shortly after the tornado and were not considered in the direct fatality total. Five hundred eighty-three injuries were estimated based on numbers provided from the Department of Health, which were then adjusted to account for persons assumed to be unaccounted for. Injuries which resulted from removing debris, conducting search and rescue efforts, and taking shelter from the tornado, were not considered in the injury total. An estimated 1800 homes were destroyed, and 2500 homes were damaged, resulting in approximately 1 billion dollars in damage. The 12th tornado, A12, formed about 3 miles southwest of Choctaw in Oklahoma County and produced F2 damage to two homes and lesser damage to many others in the southwest part of Choctaw. The tornado moved into the center of town where a car was thrown over the canopy at a drive-in-restaurant. The business strip located on the north side of NE 23rd was especially affected with several businesses destroyed, including Pizza Hut, Sonic, and Tri-City Youth and Family Shelter. Damage was mainly F1as it moved northeast, except for F2 damage at a nursing home where one woman was injured. The tornado continued to weaken in rural areas and dissipated near the intersection of NE 50th and Triple XXX Road. In total, damage estimates are near 3.2 million dollars, with 8 businesses destroyed, 130 businesses damaged, 14 homes destroyed, and 23 homes damaged. The 13th tornado, A13, formed about 4 miles east-southeast of Jones in Oklahoma County near the intersection of NE 63rd and Triple XXX Rd., and was captured on video. Only minor damage (F0), was observed as the tornado tracked northward along Triple XXX Rd. for 2 miles before dissipating near Britton. The 14th and final tornado (A14) produced by storm A, formed about 3 miles east-northeast of Jones in Oklahoma County just west of Triple XXX Rd and between Hefner and 122nd, then tracked northward for 4 miles before dissipating near Interstate 44. A ground survey concluded F1 damage occurred to several homes south of the intersection of Memorial and Triple XXX Rd. Storm B was responsible for producing 20 tornadoes in 5 hours. One of these tornadoes, rated F4, caused 1 fatality, and produced a damage path 39 miles long and 1 mile wide. The first tornado, B1, formed about 3 miles south of Roosevelt in Kiowa County near Tom Steed Lake. Touchdown was brief with no damage reported (F0). The 2nd tornado, B2, formed in southwest Caddo County about 12 miles west-northwest of Apache. The tornado was captured on video and remained on the ground for approximately 4 minutes before dissipating. No damage was reported (F0). The 3rd tornado, B3, formed about 8 miles south of Fort Cobb and remained on the ground for 21 minutes covering a distance of 7 miles. Damage, mainly F1, consisted of a destroyed barn 7 miles south of Fort Cobb, a stock trailer which was thrown about 100 yards and a destroyed house garage 6 miles south-southeast of Fort Cobb, and sporadic areas of downed trees and power lines. The 4th tornado, B4, was short-lived and developed about 5 miles west of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). The 5th tornado, B5, was also short-lived and formed about 4 miles north-northwest of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). A storm chaser observed the 6th tornado, B6, about 4 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. Touchdown was brief with no significant damage (F0). The 7th tornado, B7, was also reported by a storm chaser, and formed about 9 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. The tornado was brief and produced no significant damage (F0). The 8th and 9th tornadoes, B8 and B9, formed nearly simultaneously. Tornado B8 developed about 8 miles west-southwest of Minco in Grady County and was approximately 300 yards wide. The tornado tracked northeast for 2 miles before dissipating. Tornado B9 formed 5 miles south of Cogar in Caddo County and tracked northward for 5 miles. Tornadoes B8 and B9 moved over rural areas with only extensive tree damage observed, and thus were both rated F1. The 10th tornado, B10, was captured on video and formed about 5 miles west of Minco and tracked northeast for 4 miles before dissipating. Maximum damage, rated F1, consisted of small house moved slightly off its foundation with most of its roof blown off. Trees and road signs were also damaged near the end of the tornado track. The 11th tornado, B11, formed about 5 miles southwest of Minco in Grady County and was observed by off-duty Storm Prediction Center forecasters. The roof was ripped off a house, which would normally warrant an F2 rating, however the structure was considered somewhat unstable, so an F1 rating was assigned. The 12th tornado, B12, formed about 2.5 miles west-northwest of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was observed and thus was rated F0. The 13th tornado, B13, formed about 2 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 14th tornado, B14, formed about 4 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was also captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 15th tornado, B15, was also captured on video as it formed about 3 miles east-southeast of El Reno in Canadian County. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 16th tornado, B16, developed about 6 miles west-northwest of Yukon (Canadian County) and tracked northward for 6 miles before dissipating near Piedmont, also in Canadian County. Two witnesses caught this tornado on video. The majority of damage consisted of mangled and downed trees and downed power poles, however 2 mobile homes sustained heavy damage (F1); a barn was destroyed, and 1 cow was killed. The 17th tornado, B17, developed about 1.5 miles west of Piedmont in Canadian County and tracked northward for 8 miles in a zigzag pattern, ending in far south Kingfisher County. Again the majority of damage consisted of downed trees and power poles, however F2 damage was observed about 4 miles northwest of Piedmont where a garage, attached to the house, was destroyed, and a barn and mobile home were completely demolished with debris from the mobile home, mostly corrugated metal, scattered along a 2-mile stretch of road. F1 damage, consisting of large downed trees and leaning power poles, was observed in southern Kingfisher County. The 18th tornado, B18, developed about 4 miles north-northeast of Piedmont in northeast Canadian County and tracked northward for 10 miles before dissipating about 4 miles northwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County. F1 damage was observed in northeast Canadian County, where large trees were uprooted, and numerous power poles were felled or were leaning. F1 damage was also observed 2 miles west of Cashion in Kingfisher County where telephone/utility poles were downed for approximately 100 feet, and an oil storage tank was knocked off its mount. The 19th tornado, B19, formed about 12 miles south-southwest of Crescent in Logan County and was confirmed by an aerial survey. Damage, rated high F0/low F1, was observed for a distance of 1 mile and consisted mostly of downed power poles and strewn about bales of hay. A very unusual event took place in Logan County where 2 tornadoes, B20 and G5, produced by different thunderstorms, affected much of the same area between Crescent and Mulhall in Logan County. Assessment of damage from the individual tornadoes was difficult and in some areas nearly impossible due to overlapping damage paths. The 1st tornado, B20, formed about 7 miles southwest of Crescent and tracked northeast for 39 miles before dissipating east of Perry in Noble County. The 2nd tornado, G5, formed about 2 1/2 miles south of Crescent and tracked northeast for 13 miles before dissipating 4 miles southwest of Mulhall. Damage paths were nearly parallel in Logan County with damage from the 2nd tornado displaced 1/2 mile or less to the north of damage from the 1st tornado. Damage from B20 was first observed about 2 miles west of the intersection of SH33 and SH74 near Twin Lakes Rd., where 2 homes and other businesses were damaged. The width of damage is believed to have increased to nearly 1 mile as it tracked east of Crescent where numerous homes suffered major damage. Damage to 1 brick residence 3 miles east-southeast of Crescent was rated F4. All walls were knocked down, and part of the foundation was removed. The tornado then tracked through the small community of Abell (6 miles southwest of Mulhall), where 1 woman was killed in her home, and 6 persons were injured, and then finally through Mulhall. Approximately 60-70% of Mulhall's 130 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. In addition, Mulhall's primary water source, a water tower, and the Mulhall/Orlando Elementary School were destroyed. Lesser damage continued to about 1/2 mile west of the Logan/Payne County border where tombstones and fences were blown over. Along Interstate 35 in northwest Payne County, a semi-truck trailer was overturned, and 2 cars were flipped. The driver of one of the cars was killed when his vehicle, parked under the Interstate 35 overpass at mile-marker 176.5, was picked up and dropped on its top. In Noble County, major structural damage was observed in the Boonsboro Addition, a mobile home park located along State Highway 86, 6 miles south of Perry. Approximately 20 mobile homes were destroyed, and dozens of others were damaged. Damage continued northward to a location 3 miles east of Perry, where 3 homes suffered major damage on US 64 and 1 critical injury was reported. In total, approximately 25 homes were destroyed in Noble County, and 50 homes were damaged. The 2nd tornado, G5, occurred about 1 hour and 20 minutes after tornado B20, and also produced widespread damage. Twenty-five homes were destroyed near Crescent, and 30 homes were damaged (F3). Damage here is believed to have been produced by both tornadoes, and near the end of this tornado track, along portions of EW68 Rd. and EW69 Rd., another house received significant roof damage. Storm C spawned just 2 tornadoes. Both produced minimal damage in Canadian and Kingfisher Counties. The first tornado, C1, formed about 1.5 miles east of Okarche near the Canadian/Kingfisher County border and stayed on the ground for approximately 4 miles moving north-northeast. One barn was destroyed, while another was damaged. The structural integrity of the known destroyed barn warranted only an F0 rating. Tornado C2 touched down within the town of Okarche, which is on the Canadian/Kingfisher County border, and was photographed by Okarche residents. No damage was reported (F0). Storm D produced 4 tornadoes in the Norman National Weather Service warning area, however several tornadoes also formed from this thunderstorm in the Tulsa National Weather Service warning area. The 1st tornado, D1, formed 1mile north of the community of Etowah (15 miles south-southeast of Norman) in eastern Cleveland County and moved to the north-northeast damaging primarily trees (F0). The tornado then moved into Pottawatomie County and struck the community of Pink where the Pink Baptist Church, located on the south side of State Highway 9, 1.5 miles to the east of the Cleveland/Pottawatomie County line, was significantly damaged. The roof was taken off a new portion of the church, while the roof collapsed on the south side of the older portion of the church over the sanctuary leading to significant water damage. The church was primarily of a cinder block construction with a brick exterior. An F1 rating was applied at the church. A detached large, metal "gymnasium" building to the south of the church was also damaged with the southwest corner of the building caved in and support beams bent. The tornado continued to the northeast before dissipating just inside the city limits of Bethel Acres near Stevens Road, between Waco Road and Hardesty Road. With the exception of the church buildings, damage was limited to trees and power lines. The 2nd tornado, D2, formed in rural Pottawatomie County near Independence Road and Drummond Road or about 6 miles west-northwest of Downtown Shawnee. A few trees were damaged as the tornado moved northeast into the Clarks Heights addition along US-270, just south of Interstate 40. At 45th Street, a portion of a roof was blown off; a nursery was damaged; awnings were destroyed, and trees were downed. As the tornado crossed US-270, the air conditioner was taken off the roof of the El Charro restaurant. Continuing northeast into the West Gate neighborhood, fifteen homes suffered significant damage. Three homes were completely unroofed, warranting an F2 rating, and a number of others were partially unroofed. Other homes suffered shingle damage; a number of large trees were downed, and a garage was collapsed. Signs were also downed along the interstate adjacent to this neighborhood. The next area of significant damage was along the 38800 block of Garrett's Lake Road where a mobile home was destroyed, with the frame of the home blown 50 to 75 yards to the northwest. The disintegration of the mobile home indicated a high F1 or borderline F2 intensity in this area. A few hundred yards to the northeast, the warehouse of Shawnee Light Systems was damaged; one large metal storage building was unroofed, and other buildings were damaged. The tornado crossed Acme Road and struck a number of double-wide mobile homes along Valley View Drive, where one fatality and one serious injury occurred in the same home. The mobile homes most heavily damaged in this area were destroyed, but not disintegrated. To the north, a barn was destroyed, and trees were damaged as the tornado crossed Wolverine Road. The tornado then curved to the north-northwest crossing Acme Road damaging more trees before dissipating. The 3rd tornado, D3, touched down about a mile southeast of where D2 dissipated, or along Wolverine Road and 1/2 mile east of Acme Road just outside the Shawnee city limits in Pottawatomie County, where it destroyed an outbuilding and damaged trees. The tornado then moved northeast continuing to damage large trees before striking the Country Meadow housing addition in far north Shawnee. A number of homes in this neighborhood were damaged, two partially unroofed. The homes in this neighborhood appeared to be well-constructed and were approximately two to five years old. Damage here was consistent with high-end F1 damage. The tornado continued northeast downing power lines as it moved into Lincoln County 3 miles south-southwest of Meeker. At a point two miles south-southwest of Meeker, a double-wide mobile home was destroyed; a fifth wheel was tossed, and a large apple tree and a very large black jack oak tree were destroyed. The tornado then moved northeast into the eastern sections of Meeker. Along US Highway 62 a couple of buildings suffered shingle and roof damage; a business sign was destroyed; a shed was destroyed and carried north over the adjacent house, and trees were downed. Scattered tree damage continued to a point four miles northeast of Meeker. Damage in Lincoln County was also rated F1. The final tornado (D4) produced by storm D formed 3 miles north-northeast of Sparks in Lincoln County. From this point extending north-northeast toward Davenport, only sporadic tree damage was observed. The tornado then inflicted scattered and mostly minor damage to houses and businesses in southeast portions of Davenport consistent with a high F0/low F1 rating, however a house just south of Davenport did lose more than half its roof. The tornado then continued northeastward toward Stroud remaining nearly parallel with Interstate 44 and State Route 66. In Stroud, the three largest employers of Stroud were heavily damaged. On the west side of Stroud along State Highway 66, the tornado hit the Sygma food distribution warehouse. The southeast section of the warehouse, a large free-span structure, suffered significant damage. Three semi-trucks at the warehouse were overturned. Some of the girders and siding from the warehouse were thrown to the northwest across State Highway 66. Farther east along State Highway 66 the Stroud Municipal Hospital suffered significant roof damage, which then caused significant water damage within the hospital. The pattern of the trees that were felled adjacent to the hospital suggested a multiple-vortex structure to the tornado at this point. Damage is estimated to be F2 along State Highway 66. As the tornado continued to move northeast along the turnpike, a McDonald's received minor damage, while an adjacent gas station had all its windows blown out. Semi-trucks parked in the gas station parking lot were also destroyed. On the north side of the turnpike on Old Stroud Road, a group of seven mobile homes was completely destroyed, three of which were lived in, however none were occupied when the tornado struck. The degree of destruction of these mobile homes indicated an F2 rating in this area. To the north, a large house being built (although most of the exterior of the house was completed) suffered roof and siding damage, especially on the east side. Much of the newly-laid interior wood flooring was destroyed by water. A number of homes in a neighborhood on the south side of the turnpike were damaged. At least two houses lost roofs with more minor roof and siding damage to others. Some of the worst damage, rated F3, occurred near the Tanger Outlet Mall, which was hit next by the tornado. Almost all of the stores suffered at least roof damage, however a section of 7 storefronts was destroyed. This section included four stores: Dress Barn, Corning, Mikasa, and a housewares store. At the eastern most section of the building, the exterior walls of the Levi's store collapsed inward. This store was a couple of hundred yards away from the other destroyed section. Local officials from Stroud had evacuated the mall before the tornado struck (approximately 2139 CST), and thus there were no fatalities or injuries in this area. Just south of the outlet mall, a Best Western motel lost part of its roof, and a Wendy's restaurant suffered a partially collapsed roof and broken windows. North of the outlet mall, a number of homes were damaged or destroyed in the Midway mobile home park. As the tornado moved northeast out of Stroud, a number of high-tension electrical towers were downed, and a few trees were downed before the tornado moved into Creek County (Tulsa National Weather Service warning area) about one mile north of the turnpike, dissipating south of Stroud Lake. Storm E produced 7 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado, that caused extensive damage to Dover in Kingfisher County. The 1st tornado, E1, was very brief and caused no damage (F0), as it formed about 3 miles west of Geary in Blaine County. The 2nd tornado, E2, formed in extreme northwest Canadian County and tracked northeast for 11 miles, clipping the southeast corner of Blaine County, before entering southwest Kingfisher County, eventually dissipating 7 miles south-southeast of Omega. Structural damage was confined mainly to outbuildings and roofs of a mobile home and house, however extensive tree damage with some large uprooted trees occurred along much of the tornado path, warranting an F1 rating in each county. The 3rd tornado, E3, formed 7 miles south-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and tracked northeast for 12 miles before dissipating 7 miles northwest of Kingfisher. Extensive tree damage and damage to 1 farmstead occurred during the first 2.5 miles of its path. The tornado then reached its maximum width of about 1/4 of a mile, 5 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher where a large, well-built brick home was severely damaged. Although anchored to the foundation, half the walls were collapsed or missing, and the roof was gone, warranting an F3 rating. Along the remainder of the path, a handful of other homes had minor damage, and 7 mobile homes and numerous outbuildings were destroyed or severely damaged. There was also damage to trees, telephone poles, and farm equipment. The 4th tornado, E4, was short-lived and small, and has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and formed about 6 miles west of Kingfisher while tornado E3 was most intense. This tornado rotated around E3 for a short period of time before dissipating. No damage was observed (F0). Another satellite tornado, E5, formed 6 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher and also rotated briefly around E3. Its life-span was short, and there was no damage (F0). The 6th tornado, E6, produced a damage path 15 miles long and 1/2 mile wide as it tracked through Kingfisher County. The city of Dover took a direct hit. About one-third of Dover's structures were destroyed. The tornado formed 4 miles south-southwest of Dover, and traveled north-northeast crossing route 81 on the north side of Dover, dissipating about 7 miles east-southeast of Hennessey. F4 damage was observed on the west side of Dover where a steel-reinforced concrete building only had a few walls remaining; large vehicles were rendered apart; mobile homes frames were wrapped around tree trunks; and trees lost all their branches and most of their bark. One woman was killed inside a large frame home that collapsed. Approximately 34 mobile homes and houses were either damaged or destroyed in Dover. Outside of Dover, damage was rated primarily F1 and was confined to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings. While tornado E6 continued moving northeast of Dover, another tornado, E7, formed about 3 miles northeast of Dover. This tornado formed near tornado E6 and tracked north-northeast for 4 miles over open county. F1 damage to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings was observed. To avoid confusion with F-scale ratings, no storm F was assigned. The fifth tornadic supercell, storm G, produced 6 tornadoes, 2 which produced F3 damage. The 1st tornado, G1, formed near the southwest edge of El Reno in Canadian County just southwest of Interstate 40 and County Club Rd. Minor damage, rated F0, was confined to trees, ballfield equipment at Redlands Community College, and a few roofs. The 2nd tornado, G2, formed about 1 mile northeast of El Reno in Canadian County and tracked north for 22 miles, varying in width from 100 to 500 yards, before dissipating 8 miles south-southwest of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. Two mobile homes were destroyed, and 3 other homes received F1 damage. The remainder of damage was confined to telephone poles, trees, and outbuildings. About 2.5 miles into the path of the tornado, F2 damage occurred, and the top of a 500 ft. transmission tower was blown off. Near the end of the tornado path, F3 damage occurred about 9 miles southeast of Kingfisher, where a 3000 pound oil storage tank was moved for 1/2 of a mile. While the tank rolled for some distance, it was clear the tank was airborne. Trees in this area were also partially debarked. The 3rd tornado, G3, formed 2 miles southwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County and produced only minor damage, F0, as it tracked northeast for 3 miles to near the Kingfisher/Logan County border. The 4th tornado, G4, was very short-lived and formed about 8 miles east of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. The tornado was less than 50 yards wide and damaged outbuildings and trees (F0) as it moved northeast across Highway 33. A description of the 5th tornado, G5, was listed above with tornado B20. Tornado G5 tracked over nearly the same portion of Logan County as tornado B20. At times, damage caused by tornado B20 was indistinguishable from damage caused by tornado G5. The 6th and final tornado (G6) produced by storm G, formed about 3 miles south-southwest of Mulhall in Logan County, just south of the damage track produced by another tornado (B20) that moved through Mulhall earlier in the evening. Although somewhat difficult to determine, due to possible damage from tornado B20, the most extensive damage (F2) from this tornado is believed to have consisted of major structural damage to a brick house near the intersection of Highway 77 and EW 68, where the majority of the roof was ripped off, and one exterior wall was partially knocked down. Additional damage occurred to a railroad crossing, trees, and power poles. Storm H spawned 4 tornadoes. The first tornado, H1, formed 2 miles east-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and was reported by a storm chaser. No significant damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, H2, formed about 3 miles northwest of Dover in Kingfisher County and was determined from storm chaser accounts and a damage survey. Damage, rated F0, consisted of snapped and uprooted trees. The 3rd tornado, H3, formed about 1 mile east-southeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County and moved to the east-southeast for 1 mile. Major damage, rated high-end F2, was inflicted to one farm house and an old abandoned house near the beginning of the tornado track, and a handful of outbuildings were completely destroyed. Additionally, heavy farm equipment was moved several hundred yards, and trees sustained major damage. The 4th and final tornado, H4, formed 3 miles southwest of Marshall in Logan County and tracked over mostly rural land, affecting 2 residences before dissipating in southeast Garfield County. An old, abandoned house near Marshall in northwest Logan County was completely destroyed (F2). Damage at another residence in southeast Garfield County included 3 destroyed grain bins, 1 which was tossed about a 1/2 mile. A pole barn was also destroyed with the remnants strewn about a 150 yard wide area, and an addition to a house was ripped off. Massive trees some with trunk diameters the size of a small car where also ripped completely out of the ground and tossed up to 200 yards. This tree damage occurred over an area covering several miles and overlapped the Logan/Garfield County border. The final tornado producing thunderstorm, storm I, produced just one tornado. This tornado, I1, formed 6 miles south of Ringwood in Major County and unroofed an office building of a feed lot, while also damaging an irrigation system. Damage caused by this tornado was rated F1. There were also numerous reports of large hail and damaging straight-line winds during the tornado outbreak. Hail to the size of softballs (4.5 inches) smashed hundreds of vehicles and damaged many buildings 5 miles north of Altus in Jackson County. At least 400 individual claims were received by local insurance offices with total damage near $800,000, and in Weatherford in Custer County, hail to the size of baseballs (2.75 inches) dented vehicles and broke many windows. Straight-line winds blew the roof off an apartment complex in the 100 block of McCormick in the Western Hills area of Weatherford in Custer County, ripped the roof off a barn 3 miles north of Altus in Jackson County, and blew out windows of a trailer 1 mile east of Blair in Jackson County. Straight-line winds also caused widespread tree damage 10 miles northeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County, blew down power poles 5 miles east of Perry in Noble County, and knocked down large tree limbs 5 miles east-southeast of Elmer in Jackson County. | |||||||||||
| 46.9 | 1982-03-15 | 2 | 36°40'N / 96°19'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Osage | |||
| 47.4 | 2004-05-29 | 3 | 37°22'N / 97°38'W | 37°24'N / 97°37'W | 2.50 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 1 | 17.8M | 100K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: The following were destroyed: 15 farm dwellings and service buildings, 25 pieces of farm machinery and equipment, many miles of transmission line, with most of wheat a total loss. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report.) In addition, major damage to several homes along highway 49. One modular was completely removed from over a viewout basement. A teenage boy sought refuge under the staircase in the basement only to watch a car thrown overhead. He escaped unharmed. However, one woman wasn't so fortunate; the resident of a mobile home that was completely destroyed. The only recognizable parts were the steel girders that ran along the base of the home. She had sought refuge in the bathroom and was holding on to the commode. She was thrown several feet from the homestead and received several injuries. Fortunately, none were serious. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 36°28'N / 97°53'W | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Garfield | |||
| 47.6 | 1956-04-02 | 4 | 37°15'N / 96°32'W | 37°18'N / 96°28'W | 5.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Chautauqua |
| 47.9 | 2009-04-25 | 2 | 36°25'N / 97°52'W | 36°27'N / 97°52'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Garfield |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down near the expo center in the northwest side of Enid. The southwest corner of the roof of the expo center was removed, and numerous trailers, trees and signs were damaged. The tornado moved north-northeast from the expo center into a neighborhood causing destroying or causing significant damage to a number of trailers, and significant damage to a metal building and trees along with some roof damage to other homes. The tornado then moved into a neighborhood on the west side of the city of North Enid damaging home roofs. The last observed damage was as the tornado crossed Phillips Avenue just east of Highway 81. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms developed ahead of a dry line, and then ahead of a cold front by late afternoon. Very large hail up to baseball size was reported at several locations. Later in the evening, the low-level jet developed, increasing wind shear and making the environment more conducive for tornadoes. Low-level rotation became more common with the thunderstorms, with a couple of storms over north central Oklahoma producing tornadoes. Damage was reported in the northern Enid and Hillsdale areas, but no significant injuries were reported. The storms moved northeast into Kansas after midnight. | |||||||||||
| 48.1 | 1956-04-08 | 3 | 36°23'N / 97°54'W | 36°24'N / 97°46'W | 7.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Garfield |
| 48.5 | 1980-10-15 | 3 | 37°20'N / 96°45'W | 37°31'N / 96°40'W | 13.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley |
| 48.5 | 1964-05-06 | 2 | 36°45'N / 98°01'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 49.0 | 1987-07-05 | 2 | 37°31'N / 97°01'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Butler | |
| 49.5 | 2008-05-24 | 2 | 36°13'N / 97°40'W | 36°10'N / 97°30'W | 10.00 Miles | 1600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Garfield |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Per spotter reports and damage survey, this tornado was a large multi-vortex tornado initially moving southeast, doing damage at inconsistent points along the entire width. However, the tornado did at times form a very wide single vortex which did consistent damage across the entire width. At two points in the path, there were several snapped/downed power poles with a width of 0.5-0.6 miles. However, at one of those points two outbuildings were destroyed and significant tree damage occurred, yet the house on the property sustained no visible damage. Significant damage occurred across the entire width starting at Highway 74 going east possibly signaling a change from multiple vorticies to a single vortex. At Highway 74 and Bison Rd., a single wide mobile home that was anchored down was thrown onto Highway 74. The tornado tracked east along Bison Rd, destroying outbuildings and a false roof at one property. A horse trailer at the property was thrown about 300 yards. Significant tree damage and snapped power poles occurred along Bison Rd. Monetary damages were not available. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An outflow boundary from overnight thunderstorms was located over parts of northern Oklahoma, roughly from southern Alfalfa county to northern Lincoln county. Convergence along this boundary and afternoon heating allowed thunderstorms to develop during the mid afternoon near and north of the outflow boundary. The most intense thunderstorms developed along the boundary, with less intense thunderstorms just to the north. The supercell thunderstorms that developed along the boundary moved very slowly east. Numerous tornadoes, at least eight in all, were reported with the thunderstorms. Some damage was reported with the tornadoes, although most remained unpopulated areas. The supercells moved east, with other thunderstorms back-building to the west. Large hail eventually became the main threat through the evening hours. Monetary damages were estimated. | |||||||||||
| 49.5 | 1975-06-13 | 3 | 36°07'N / 97°07'W | 36°05'N / 97°02'W | 5.10 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Payne |
| 49.6 | 1999-05-03 | 2 | 36°10'N / 97°35'W | 36°11'N / 97°31'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Garfield |
| Brief Description: Tornado H4 (Garfield County portion). See summary at end of May 3rd storm reports. A record outbreak of tornadoes struck Oklahoma from late afternoon of May 3, 1999, through early morning of May 4, 1999. To date, 58 tornadoes have been recorded across portions of western and central Oklahoma. Additional tornadoes were reported across eastern Oklahoma from late evening of May 3rd through the early morning of May 4th, and are listed under the eastern Oklahoma portion of Storm Data, provided by the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. All direct fatalities (40) and all direct injuries (675) occurred in the Norman National Weather Service warning area. The most notable tornado was rated F5 and formed over Grady County near Amber and tracked northeast for 37 miles eventually into the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, Moore, Del City, and Midwest City suffered tremendous damage. Thirty-six direct fatalities and 583 direct injuries were recorded. There were many other significant tornadoes as well, including F4 tornadoes in Kingfisher and Logan Counties, and F3 tornadoes in Caddo, Grady, Kingfisher, Logan, and Lincoln Counties. Due to the magnitude of the tornado outbreak, and for easier reference, each tornado has received its own identification. There were 8 tornadic producing thunderstorms, called supercells, and most of them spawned numerous tornadoes, one after another. Occasionally, these thunderstorms spawned tornadoes at the same time. The first tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm A, while the last tornado producing thunderstorm of the day was labeled storm I. Tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm have the same letter and were then numbered chronologically. For example, the 3rd tornado produced by storm B was labeled B3. Storm A produced 14 tornadoes over a period of about 7 hours and was eventually responsible for the F5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City and Moore. The 1st tornado of the outbreak, A1, touched down on US 62, 2 miles north of Interstate 44 in Comanche County at 1641 CST. No damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, A2, formed approximately 3 miles west of Elgin in Comanche County. Several witnesses confirmed this tornado, however no damage was observed (F0). The 3rd tornado, A3, touched down in a rural area 3 miles east of Apache in Caddo County. As the tornado moved northward to near Anadarko, one house was destroyed near the town of Stecker, with its roof ripped off and several walls knocked down (F3). Three person inside the house were injured. Several witnesses reported the 4th tornado, A4, 3 miles northwest of Cyril in Caddo County just west of SH 8. No damage was reported (F0). The 5th tornado, A5, formed 2 miles south of Anadarko in Caddo County. Two witnesses reported the tornado to be brief, and no damage was observed (F0). The 6th tornado, A6, developed about 3 miles north-northeast of Cement near the Caddo/Grady County border, and quickly intensified to a strong tornado with associated damage rated at the high end of the F3 scale. The tornado tracked northeast for 9 miles before dissipating 2.5 miles west-northwest of downtown Chickasha. Two homes had just a few interior walls standing (F3), one located near US 62 on the northwest side of Chickasha, and several wooden high tension power lines were downed. Several persons were injured south of Verden near the Caddo/Grady County border. The 7th tornado, A7, has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and rotated around A6 for a short period of time, 5 miles west of Chickasha in Grady County. Damage from this satellite tornado was not discovered and was therefore rated F0. The 8th tornado, A8, developed 2.5 miles northwest of downtown Chickasha just north of US 62, and tracked northeast, striking the Chickasha Municipal Airport, resulting in high-end F2 damage to two hangar buildings and destroying several aircraft. An aircraft wing, believed to have originated from this airport was eventually carried airborne approximately 45 miles and dropped in southwest Oklahoma City. Approximately 20 mobile homes near the airport were either damaged or destroyed with several persons injured. The tornado then crossed US 81 about 2 miles north of its intersection with US 62 destroying a large building, then dissipated 4 miles north-northeast of downtown Chickasha. The 9th tornado, A9, was a violent and long-tracked tornado, and eventually produced F5 damage in Bridge Creek, Oklahoma City, and Moore. This tornado developed in Grady County about two miles south-southwest of Amber, and quickly intensified as it crossed State Highway 92. F4 damage was first discovered about 4 miles east-northeast of Amber and extended for 6 1/2 miles, as the tornado continued to move northeast. Two areas of F5 damage were observed. The first was in the Willow Lake Addition, a rural subdivision of mobile homes and some concrete slab homes, in Bridge Creek in far eastern Grady County. Two homes were completely swept from their concrete slabs, and about one dozen automobiles were carried about 1/4 of a mile. All mobile homes in this area in the direct path of the tornado were obliterated, resulting in a high concentration of fatalities. Asphalt pavement about 1-inch thick was also peeled from a section of rural road EW125. The second area of F5 damage was observed about 1 mile west of the Grady/McClain County line and consisted of a cleanly swept slab home with foundation anchor bolts and another vehicle lofted 1/4 of a mile. The maximum width of damage in Bridge Creek was estimated to be 1 mile. Approximately 200 mobile homes/houses were destroyed, and hundreds of other structures were damaged. The Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Bridge Creek was also destroyed. Twelve persons died in Bridge Creek, nine in mobile homes, and all fatalities and the majority of injuries were concentrated in the Willow Lake Addition, Southern Hills Addition, and Bridge Creek Estates, consisting mostly of mobile homes. Compared to sections of Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties, other counties in the path of this tornado which are more densely populated, eastern Grady County including the Bridge Creek area, is rural and sparsely populated. The tornado maintained a nearly straight path to the northeast paralleling Interstate 44, as it entered McClain County, except when it made a slight jog to the right and moved directly over the 16th Street overpass in Newcastle where a woman was killed when she was blown out from under the overpass. The tornado continued into northern sections of rural Newcastle and crossed the interstate again just north of the US 62 Newcastle interchange. While this tornado was moving through the northern portion of Newcastle, a satellite tornado (A10) touched down in a field in rural north Newcastle, and caused no damage (F0). Two areas of F4 damage were observed in McClain County, all associated with tornado A9. The first area overlapped the Grady/McClain County line and extended to about 3 miles northwest of Newcastle, ending just west of the 16th St. overpass on Interstate 44, while the other area was observed 2 miles northwest of Newcastle. Thirty-eight homes and 2 businesses were destroyed in McClain County, and 40 homes were damaged. Damage then diminished to F2 intensity as the tornado crossed the South Canadian River into northern Cleveland County. The tornado entered Cleveland County between Portland and May and between SW 164th and SW 179th in south Oklahoma City. Damage was rated F2 in this area with a path width averaging 1/2 of a mile. The first major housing development to be struck in Cleveland County was Country Place Estates located just west of Pennsylvania Ave. where about 50 homes were damaged, with 1 dozen of these homes receiving F4 damage. One slab home was cleanly swept from its foundation, and several vehicles were picked up from the subdivision and tossed across Pennsylvania Ave, a distance of approximately 1/4 of a mile. One vehicle was found under a bridge just east of the intersection of Pennsylvania and SW 134th. This particular area of damage has been rated high F4/low F5. Oklahoma City Police indicated that part of an airplane wing, believed to have originated from Chickasha Municipal Airport in Grady County, landed in this area. The tornado then tracked through Eastlake Estates, a densely populated housing development, located north of SW 134th and between Pennsylvania and Western, where 3 fatalities occurred. Entire rows of homes were virtually flattened to piles of rubble. Four adjacent homes on one street were virtually cleaned off their foundations leaving only concrete slabs, which earned an F5 rating. Three other homes in this housing division also received F5 damage, with the remaining destruction rated high F4. Three persons also died in the 600-unit Emerald Springs Apartments on Western Ave. located across the street from Eastlake Estates. One 2-story apartment building on the north end of the apartment complex was virtually flattened, and received an F5 rating. Westmoore High School, located just north of Eastlake Estates, was also heavily damaged. Although a well-attended awards ceremony was being held at the school during the tornado, no one was injured, however dozens of vehicles in the school parking lot were either damaged or destroyed. F4 damage continued northeast into another residential area east of Western Ave. and south of 119th St. The tornado then entered the western city limits of Moore (Cleveland County) along Santa Fe and near NW 12th, and produced damage between 1/2 and 3/4 of a mile wide. Maximum damage, rated high F4/low F5, extended northeast to near Janeway with several large groups of homes flattened. Four persons died in this residential area. F4 damage continued to South Shields just north of the junction with Interstate 35. A woman was also killed when she was blown out from under the Shields overpass of Interstate 35. The tornado appeared to weaken just slightly after crossing interstate 35, however it remained a formidable storm with widespread high F3/low F4 damage observed in Highland Park, a residential area, south of the First Baptist Church on 27th St. in Moore. Escaping with relatively minor damage, and being located near the halfway point of the tornado path, the First Baptist Church in Moore eventually served as the primary coordination center for most tornado relief efforts. The tornado then continued northeast and entered the southern portion of a sparsely populated industrial district. F4 damage continued through this area, to near SE 89th St., the Cleveland/Oklahoma County border. Moving into Oklahoma County, the tornado curved northward, through the remaining industrial district north of Interstate 240 where 2 businesses were destroyed, with the damage rated F4. Two persons were also killed at a trucking company near the intersection of S. Bryant Ave. and Interstate 240. A freight car, with an approximate weight of 18 tons, was picked up intermittently and blown 3/4 of a mile across an open field, with the body of the freight car being deposited southeast of the intersection of S. Sunnylane Rd. and SE 59th. Gouge marks were observed in the field every 50 to 100 yards, suggesting the freight car had been airborne for at least a short distance. While tornado A9 was moving through southeast Oklahoma City, another tornado (A11) touched down briefly about 1/2 mile south of Interstate 240 (Oklahoma County), near the intersection of SE 80th and Sooner Rd. Damage from tornado A11, rated F0, included fences being blown down and minor roof damage inflicted to a couple of houses. Tornado A9 then entered residential neighborhoods between SE 59th and SE 44th where 1 woman was killed in her house. Crossing SE 44th into Del City (Oklahoma County) the tornado moved through the highly populated Del Aire housing addition killing 6 persons and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, many with F3/F4 damage. The tornado then crossed Sooner Rd., damaged an entry gate and several costly structures at Tinker Air Force Base, then crossed 29th St. into Midwest City (Oklahoma County), destroying 1 building in the Boeing Complex and damaging 2 others. Widespread F3/F4 damage continued as the tornado moved across Interstate 40 affecting a large business district. Approximately 800 vehicles were damaged at Hudiburg Auto Group, located just south of Interstate 40. Hundreds of the vehicles were moved from their original location, and dozens of vehicles were picked up and tossed northward across Interstate 40 into several motels, a distance of approximately 2 tenths of a mile. Numerous motels and other businesses including Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Inn Suites, Clarion Inn, Cracker Barrel, and portions of Rose State College, were destroyed. Some of the damage through this area was rated high F4, however low F5 was considered. The tornado then continued into another residential area located between SE 15th and Reno Ave. where 3 fatalities occurred. High F4 damage was inflicted to 4 homes in this area. Two of these homes were located between SE 12th and SE 11th, near Buena Vista, and the other 2 homes were located on Will Rogers Rd. just south of SE 15th. Damage then diminished rapidly to F0/F1 as the tornado crossed Reno Ave. before dissipating 3 blocks north of Reno Ave. between Sooner Rd. and Air Depot Blvd. The Oklahoma State Department of Health in Oklahoma City recorded 36 direct fatalities. In addition, 5 persons died of illness or accident during or shortly after the tornado and were not considered in the direct fatality total. Five hundred eighty-three injuries were estimated based on numbers provided from the Department of Health, which were then adjusted to account for persons assumed to be unaccounted for. Injuries which resulted from removing debris, conducting search and rescue efforts, and taking shelter from the tornado, were not considered in the injury total. An estimated 1800 homes were destroyed, and 2500 homes were damaged, resulting in approximately 1 billion dollars in damage. The 12th tornado, A12, formed about 3 miles southwest of Choctaw in Oklahoma County and produced F2 damage to two homes and lesser damage to many others in the southwest part of Choctaw. The tornado moved into the center of town where a car was thrown over the canopy at a drive-in-restaurant. The business strip located on the north side of NE 23rd was especially affected with several businesses destroyed, including Pizza Hut, Sonic, and Tri-City Youth and Family Shelter. Damage was mainly F1as it moved northeast, except for F2 damage at a nursing home where one woman was injured. The tornado continued to weaken in rural areas and dissipated near the intersection of NE 50th and Triple XXX Road. In total, damage estimates are near 3.2 million dollars, with 8 businesses destroyed, 130 businesses damaged, 14 homes destroyed, and 23 homes damaged. The 13th tornado, A13, formed about 4 miles east-southeast of Jones in Oklahoma County near the intersection of NE 63rd and Triple XXX Rd., and was captured on video. Only minor damage (F0), was observed as the tornado tracked northward along Triple XXX Rd. for 2 miles before dissipating near Britton. The 14th and final tornado (A14) produced by storm A, formed about 3 miles east-northeast of Jones in Oklahoma County just west of Triple XXX Rd and between Hefner and 122nd, then tracked northward for 4 miles before dissipating near Interstate 44. A ground survey concluded F1 damage occurred to several homes south of the intersection of Memorial and Triple XXX Rd. Storm B was responsible for producing 20 tornadoes in 5 hours. One of these tornadoes, rated F4, caused 1 fatality, and produced a damage path 39 miles long and 1 mile wide. The first tornado, B1, formed about 3 miles south of Roosevelt in Kiowa County near Tom Steed Lake. Touchdown was brief with no damage reported (F0). The 2nd tornado, B2, formed in southwest Caddo County about 12 miles west-northwest of Apache. The tornado was captured on video and remained on the ground for approximately 4 minutes before dissipating. No damage was reported (F0). The 3rd tornado, B3, formed about 8 miles south of Fort Cobb and remained on the ground for 21 minutes covering a distance of 7 miles. Damage, mainly F1, consisted of a destroyed barn 7 miles south of Fort Cobb, a stock trailer which was thrown about 100 yards and a destroyed house garage 6 miles south-southeast of Fort Cobb, and sporadic areas of downed trees and power lines. The 4th tornado, B4, was short-lived and developed about 5 miles west of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). The 5th tornado, B5, was also short-lived and formed about 4 miles north-northwest of Anadarko in Caddo County. No significant damage was observed (F0). A storm chaser observed the 6th tornado, B6, about 4 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. Touchdown was brief with no significant damage (F0). The 7th tornado, B7, was also reported by a storm chaser, and formed about 9 miles east-southeast of Gracemont in Caddo County. The tornado was brief and produced no significant damage (F0). The 8th and 9th tornadoes, B8 and B9, formed nearly simultaneously. Tornado B8 developed about 8 miles west-southwest of Minco in Grady County and was approximately 300 yards wide. The tornado tracked northeast for 2 miles before dissipating. Tornado B9 formed 5 miles south of Cogar in Caddo County and tracked northward for 5 miles. Tornadoes B8 and B9 moved over rural areas with only extensive tree damage observed, and thus were both rated F1. The 10th tornado, B10, was captured on video and formed about 5 miles west of Minco and tracked northeast for 4 miles before dissipating. Maximum damage, rated F1, consisted of small house moved slightly off its foundation with most of its roof blown off. Trees and road signs were also damaged near the end of the tornado track. The 11th tornado, B11, formed about 5 miles southwest of Minco in Grady County and was observed by off-duty Storm Prediction Center forecasters. The roof was ripped off a house, which would normally warrant an F2 rating, however the structure was considered somewhat unstable, so an F1 rating was assigned. The 12th tornado, B12, formed about 2.5 miles west-northwest of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was observed and thus was rated F0. The 13th tornado, B13, formed about 2 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 14th tornado, B14, formed about 4 miles north-northeast of Union City in Canadian County and was also captured on video. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 15th tornado, B15, was also captured on video as it formed about 3 miles east-southeast of El Reno in Canadian County. No significant damage was reported (F0). The 16th tornado, B16, developed about 6 miles west-northwest of Yukon (Canadian County) and tracked northward for 6 miles before dissipating near Piedmont, also in Canadian County. Two witnesses caught this tornado on video. The majority of damage consisted of mangled and downed trees and downed power poles, however 2 mobile homes sustained heavy damage (F1); a barn was destroyed, and 1 cow was killed. The 17th tornado, B17, developed about 1.5 miles west of Piedmont in Canadian County and tracked northward for 8 miles in a zigzag pattern, ending in far south Kingfisher County. Again the majority of damage consisted of downed trees and power poles, however F2 damage was observed about 4 miles northwest of Piedmont where a garage, attached to the house, was destroyed, and a barn and mobile home were completely demolished with debris from the mobile home, mostly corrugated metal, scattered along a 2-mile stretch of road. F1 damage, consisting of large downed trees and leaning power poles, was observed in southern Kingfisher County. The 18th tornado, B18, developed about 4 miles north-northeast of Piedmont in northeast Canadian County and tracked northward for 10 miles before dissipating about 4 miles northwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County. F1 damage was observed in northeast Canadian County, where large trees were uprooted, and numerous power poles were felled or were leaning. F1 damage was also observed 2 miles west of Cashion in Kingfisher County where telephone/utility poles were downed for approximately 100 feet, and an oil storage tank was knocked off its mount. The 19th tornado, B19, formed about 12 miles south-southwest of Crescent in Logan County and was confirmed by an aerial survey. Damage, rated high F0/low F1, was observed for a distance of 1 mile and consisted mostly of downed power poles and strewn about bales of hay. A very unusual event took place in Logan County where 2 tornadoes, B20 and G5, produced by different thunderstorms, affected much of the same area between Crescent and Mulhall in Logan County. Assessment of damage from the individual tornadoes was difficult and in some areas nearly impossible due to overlapping damage paths. The 1st tornado, B20, formed about 7 miles southwest of Crescent and tracked northeast for 39 miles before dissipating east of Perry in Noble County. The 2nd tornado, G5, formed about 2 1/2 miles south of Crescent and tracked northeast for 13 miles before dissipating 4 miles southwest of Mulhall. Damage paths were nearly parallel in Logan County with damage from the 2nd tornado displaced 1/2 mile or less to the north of damage from the 1st tornado. Damage from B20 was first observed about 2 miles west of the intersection of SH33 and SH74 near Twin Lakes Rd., where 2 homes and other businesses were damaged. The width of damage is believed to have increased to nearly 1 mile as it tracked east of Crescent where numerous homes suffered major damage. Damage to 1 brick residence 3 miles east-southeast of Crescent was rated F4. All walls were knocked down, and part of the foundation was removed. The tornado then tracked through the small community of Abell (6 miles southwest of Mulhall), where 1 woman was killed in her home, and 6 persons were injured, and then finally through Mulhall. Approximately 60-70% of Mulhall's 130 homes were severely damaged or destroyed. In addition, Mulhall's primary water source, a water tower, and the Mulhall/Orlando Elementary School were destroyed. Lesser damage continued to about 1/2 mile west of the Logan/Payne County border where tombstones and fences were blown over. Along Interstate 35 in northwest Payne County, a semi-truck trailer was overturned, and 2 cars were flipped. The driver of one of the cars was killed when his vehicle, parked under the Interstate 35 overpass at mile-marker 176.5, was picked up and dropped on its top. In Noble County, major structural damage was observed in the Boonsboro Addition, a mobile home park located along State Highway 86, 6 miles south of Perry. Approximately 20 mobile homes were destroyed, and dozens of others were damaged. Damage continued northward to a location 3 miles east of Perry, where 3 homes suffered major damage on US 64 and 1 critical injury was reported. In total, approximately 25 homes were destroyed in Noble County, and 50 homes were damaged. The 2nd tornado, G5, occurred about 1 hour and 20 minutes after tornado B20, and also produced widespread damage. Twenty-five homes were destroyed near Crescent, and 30 homes were damaged (F3). Damage here is believed to have been produced by both tornadoes, and near the end of this tornado track, along portions of EW68 Rd. and EW69 Rd., another house received significant roof damage. Storm C spawned just 2 tornadoes. Both produced minimal damage in Canadian and Kingfisher Counties. The first tornado, C1, formed about 1.5 miles east of Okarche near the Canadian/Kingfisher County border and stayed on the ground for approximately 4 miles moving north-northeast. One barn was destroyed, while another was damaged. The structural integrity of the known destroyed barn warranted only an F0 rating. Tornado C2 touched down within the town of Okarche, which is on the Canadian/Kingfisher County border, and was photographed by Okarche residents. No damage was reported (F0). Storm D produced 4 tornadoes in the Norman National Weather Service warning area, however several tornadoes also formed from this thunderstorm in the Tulsa National Weather Service warning area. The 1st tornado, D1, formed 1mile north of the community of Etowah (15 miles south-southeast of Norman) in eastern Cleveland County and moved to the north-northeast damaging primarily trees (F0). The tornado then moved into Pottawatomie County and struck the community of Pink where the Pink Baptist Church, located on the south side of State Highway 9, 1.5 miles to the east of the Cleveland/Pottawatomie County line, was significantly damaged. The roof was taken off a new portion of the church, while the roof collapsed on the south side of the older portion of the church over the sanctuary leading to significant water damage. The church was primarily of a cinder block construction with a brick exterior. An F1 rating was applied at the church. A detached large, metal "gymnasium" building to the south of the church was also damaged with the southwest corner of the building caved in and support beams bent. The tornado continued to the northeast before dissipating just inside the city limits of Bethel Acres near Stevens Road, between Waco Road and Hardesty Road. With the exception of the church buildings, damage was limited to trees and power lines. The 2nd tornado, D2, formed in rural Pottawatomie County near Independence Road and Drummond Road or about 6 miles west-northwest of Downtown Shawnee. A few trees were damaged as the tornado moved northeast into the Clarks Heights addition along US-270, just south of Interstate 40. At 45th Street, a portion of a roof was blown off; a nursery was damaged; awnings were destroyed, and trees were downed. As the tornado crossed US-270, the air conditioner was taken off the roof of the El Charro restaurant. Continuing northeast into the West Gate neighborhood, fifteen homes suffered significant damage. Three homes were completely unroofed, warranting an F2 rating, and a number of others were partially unroofed. Other homes suffered shingle damage; a number of large trees were downed, and a garage was collapsed. Signs were also downed along the interstate adjacent to this neighborhood. The next area of significant damage was along the 38800 block of Garrett's Lake Road where a mobile home was destroyed, with the frame of the home blown 50 to 75 yards to the northwest. The disintegration of the mobile home indicated a high F1 or borderline F2 intensity in this area. A few hundred yards to the northeast, the warehouse of Shawnee Light Systems was damaged; one large metal storage building was unroofed, and other buildings were damaged. The tornado crossed Acme Road and struck a number of double-wide mobile homes along Valley View Drive, where one fatality and one serious injury occurred in the same home. The mobile homes most heavily damaged in this area were destroyed, but not disintegrated. To the north, a barn was destroyed, and trees were damaged as the tornado crossed Wolverine Road. The tornado then curved to the north-northwest crossing Acme Road damaging more trees before dissipating. The 3rd tornado, D3, touched down about a mile southeast of where D2 dissipated, or along Wolverine Road and 1/2 mile east of Acme Road just outside the Shawnee city limits in Pottawatomie County, where it destroyed an outbuilding and damaged trees. The tornado then moved northeast continuing to damage large trees before striking the Country Meadow housing addition in far north Shawnee. A number of homes in this neighborhood were damaged, two partially unroofed. The homes in this neighborhood appeared to be well-constructed and were approximately two to five years old. Damage here was consistent with high-end F1 damage. The tornado continued northeast downing power lines as it moved into Lincoln County 3 miles south-southwest of Meeker. At a point two miles south-southwest of Meeker, a double-wide mobile home was destroyed; a fifth wheel was tossed, and a large apple tree and a very large black jack oak tree were destroyed. The tornado then moved northeast into the eastern sections of Meeker. Along US Highway 62 a couple of buildings suffered shingle and roof damage; a business sign was destroyed; a shed was destroyed and carried north over the adjacent house, and trees were downed. Scattered tree damage continued to a point four miles northeast of Meeker. Damage in Lincoln County was also rated F1. The final tornado (D4) produced by storm D formed 3 miles north-northeast of Sparks in Lincoln County. From this point extending north-northeast toward Davenport, only sporadic tree damage was observed. The tornado then inflicted scattered and mostly minor damage to houses and businesses in southeast portions of Davenport consistent with a high F0/low F1 rating, however a house just south of Davenport did lose more than half its roof. The tornado then continued northeastward toward Stroud remaining nearly parallel with Interstate 44 and State Route 66. In Stroud, the three largest employers of Stroud were heavily damaged. On the west side of Stroud along State Highway 66, the tornado hit the Sygma food distribution warehouse. The southeast section of the warehouse, a large free-span structure, suffered significant damage. Three semi-trucks at the warehouse were overturned. Some of the girders and siding from the warehouse were thrown to the northwest across State Highway 66. Farther east along State Highway 66 the Stroud Municipal Hospital suffered significant roof damage, which then caused significant water damage within the hospital. The pattern of the trees that were felled adjacent to the hospital suggested a multiple-vortex structure to the tornado at this point. Damage is estimated to be F2 along State Highway 66. As the tornado continued to move northeast along the turnpike, a McDonald's received minor damage, while an adjacent gas station had all its windows blown out. Semi-trucks parked in the gas station parking lot were also destroyed. On the north side of the turnpike on Old Stroud Road, a group of seven mobile homes was completely destroyed, three of which were lived in, however none were occupied when the tornado struck. The degree of destruction of these mobile homes indicated an F2 rating in this area. To the north, a large house being built (although most of the exterior of the house was completed) suffered roof and siding damage, especially on the east side. Much of the newly-laid interior wood flooring was destroyed by water. A number of homes in a neighborhood on the south side of the turnpike were damaged. At least two houses lost roofs with more minor roof and siding damage to others. Some of the worst damage, rated F3, occurred near the Tanger Outlet Mall, which was hit next by the tornado. Almost all of the stores suffered at least roof damage, however a section of 7 storefronts was destroyed. This section included four stores: Dress Barn, Corning, Mikasa, and a housewares store. At the eastern most section of the building, the exterior walls of the Levi's store collapsed inward. This store was a couple of hundred yards away from the other destroyed section. Local officials from Stroud had evacuated the mall before the tornado struck (approximately 2139 CST), and thus there were no fatalities or injuries in this area. Just south of the outlet mall, a Best Western motel lost part of its roof, and a Wendy's restaurant suffered a partially collapsed roof and broken windows. North of the outlet mall, a number of homes were damaged or destroyed in the Midway mobile home park. As the tornado moved northeast out of Stroud, a number of high-tension electrical towers were downed, and a few trees were downed before the tornado moved into Creek County (Tulsa National Weather Service warning area) about one mile north of the turnpike, dissipating south of Stroud Lake. Storm E produced 7 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado, that caused extensive damage to Dover in Kingfisher County. The 1st tornado, E1, was very brief and caused no damage (F0), as it formed about 3 miles west of Geary in Blaine County. The 2nd tornado, E2, formed in extreme northwest Canadian County and tracked northeast for 11 miles, clipping the southeast corner of Blaine County, before entering southwest Kingfisher County, eventually dissipating 7 miles south-southeast of Omega. Structural damage was confined mainly to outbuildings and roofs of a mobile home and house, however extensive tree damage with some large uprooted trees occurred along much of the tornado path, warranting an F1 rating in each county. The 3rd tornado, E3, formed 7 miles south-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and tracked northeast for 12 miles before dissipating 7 miles northwest of Kingfisher. Extensive tree damage and damage to 1 farmstead occurred during the first 2.5 miles of its path. The tornado then reached its maximum width of about 1/4 of a mile, 5 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher where a large, well-built brick home was severely damaged. Although anchored to the foundation, half the walls were collapsed or missing, and the roof was gone, warranting an F3 rating. Along the remainder of the path, a handful of other homes had minor damage, and 7 mobile homes and numerous outbuildings were destroyed or severely damaged. There was also damage to trees, telephone poles, and farm equipment. The 4th tornado, E4, was short-lived and small, and has been referred to as a satellite tornado, and formed about 6 miles west of Kingfisher while tornado E3 was most intense. This tornado rotated around E3 for a short period of time before dissipating. No damage was observed (F0). Another satellite tornado, E5, formed 6 miles west-northwest of Kingfisher and also rotated briefly around E3. Its life-span was short, and there was no damage (F0). The 6th tornado, E6, produced a damage path 15 miles long and 1/2 mile wide as it tracked through Kingfisher County. The city of Dover took a direct hit. About one-third of Dover's structures were destroyed. The tornado formed 4 miles south-southwest of Dover, and traveled north-northeast crossing route 81 on the north side of Dover, dissipating about 7 miles east-southeast of Hennessey. F4 damage was observed on the west side of Dover where a steel-reinforced concrete building only had a few walls remaining; large vehicles were rendered apart; mobile homes frames were wrapped around tree trunks; and trees lost all their branches and most of their bark. One woman was killed inside a large frame home that collapsed. Approximately 34 mobile homes and houses were either damaged or destroyed in Dover. Outside of Dover, damage was rated primarily F1 and was confined to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings. While tornado E6 continued moving northeast of Dover, another tornado, E7, formed about 3 miles northeast of Dover. This tornado formed near tornado E6 and tracked north-northeast for 4 miles over open county. F1 damage to trees, telephone poles, farm equipment, and outbuildings was observed. To avoid confusion with F-scale ratings, no storm F was assigned. The fifth tornadic supercell, storm G, produced 6 tornadoes, 2 which produced F3 damage. The 1st tornado, G1, formed near the southwest edge of El Reno in Canadian County just southwest of Interstate 40 and County Club Rd. Minor damage, rated F0, was confined to trees, ballfield equipment at Redlands Community College, and a few roofs. The 2nd tornado, G2, formed about 1 mile northeast of El Reno in Canadian County and tracked north for 22 miles, varying in width from 100 to 500 yards, before dissipating 8 miles south-southwest of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. Two mobile homes were destroyed, and 3 other homes received F1 damage. The remainder of damage was confined to telephone poles, trees, and outbuildings. About 2.5 miles into the path of the tornado, F2 damage occurred, and the top of a 500 ft. transmission tower was blown off. Near the end of the tornado path, F3 damage occurred about 9 miles southeast of Kingfisher, where a 3000 pound oil storage tank was moved for 1/2 of a mile. While the tank rolled for some distance, it was clear the tank was airborne. Trees in this area were also partially debarked. The 3rd tornado, G3, formed 2 miles southwest of Cashion in Kingfisher County and produced only minor damage, F0, as it tracked northeast for 3 miles to near the Kingfisher/Logan County border. The 4th tornado, G4, was very short-lived and formed about 8 miles east of Kingfisher in Kingfisher County. The tornado was less than 50 yards wide and damaged outbuildings and trees (F0) as it moved northeast across Highway 33. A description of the 5th tornado, G5, was listed above with tornado B20. Tornado G5 tracked over nearly the same portion of Logan County as tornado B20. At times, damage caused by tornado B20 was indistinguishable from damage caused by tornado G5. The 6th and final tornado (G6) produced by storm G, formed about 3 miles south-southwest of Mulhall in Logan County, just south of the damage track produced by another tornado (B20) that moved through Mulhall earlier in the evening. Although somewhat difficult to determine, due to possible damage from tornado B20, the most extensive damage (F2) from this tornado is believed to have consisted of major structural damage to a brick house near the intersection of Highway 77 and EW 68, where the majority of the roof was ripped off, and one exterior wall was partially knocked down. Additional damage occurred to a railroad crossing, trees, and power poles. Storm H spawned 4 tornadoes. The first tornado, H1, formed 2 miles east-southeast of Omega in Kingfisher County and was reported by a storm chaser. No significant damage is believed to have occurred (F0). The 2nd tornado, H2, formed about 3 miles northwest of Dover in Kingfisher County and was determined from storm chaser accounts and a damage survey. Damage, rated F0, consisted of snapped and uprooted trees. The 3rd tornado, H3, formed about 1 mile east-southeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County and moved to the east-southeast for 1 mile. Major damage, rated high-end F2, was inflicted to one farm house and an old abandoned house near the beginning of the tornado track, and a handful of outbuildings were completely destroyed. Additionally, heavy farm equipment was moved several hundred yards, and trees sustained major damage. The 4th and final tornado, H4, formed 3 miles southwest of Marshall in Logan County and tracked over mostly rural land, affecting 2 residences before dissipating in southeast Garfield County. An old, abandoned house near Marshall in northwest Logan County was completely destroyed (F2). Damage at another residence in southeast Garfield County included 3 destroyed grain bins, 1 which was tossed about a 1/2 mile. A pole barn was also destroyed with the remnants strewn about a 150 yard wide area, and an addition to a house was ripped off. Massive trees some with trunk diameters the size of a small car where also ripped completely out of the ground and tossed up to 200 yards. This tree damage occurred over an area covering several miles and overlapped the Logan/Garfield County border. The final tornado producing thunderstorm, storm I, produced just one tornado. This tornado, I1, formed 6 miles south of Ringwood in Major County and unroofed an office building of a feed lot, while also damaging an irrigation system. Damage caused by this tornado was rated F1. There were also numerous reports of large hail and damaging straight-line winds during the tornado outbreak. Hail to the size of softballs (4.5 inches) smashed hundreds of vehicles and damaged many buildings 5 miles north of Altus in Jackson County. At least 400 individual claims were received by local insurance offices with total damage near $800,000, and in Weatherford in Custer County, hail to the size of baseballs (2.75 inches) dented vehicles and broke many windows. Straight-line winds blew the roof off an apartment complex in the 100 block of McCormick in the Western Hills area of Weatherford in Custer County, ripped the roof off a barn 3 miles north of Altus in Jackson County, and blew out windows of a trailer 1 mile east of Blair in Jackson County. Straight-line winds also caused widespread tree damage 10 miles northeast of Hennessey in Kingfisher County, blew down power poles 5 miles east of Perry in Noble County, and knocked down large tree limbs 5 miles east-southeast of Elmer in Jackson County. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.