Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2026
Tornado Watch 151
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 26, 2026, 3:55 PM CDT for 12 counties in Oklahoma; 9 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 26, 2026, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 26, 2026, 10:21 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 3 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
All 21 counties
Caddo County, OK, Carter County, OK, Comanche County, OK, Cotton County, OK, Garvin County, OK, Grady County, OK, Jefferson County, OK, Love County, OK, McClain County, OK, Murray County, OK, Stephens County, OK, Tillman County, OK, Archer County, TX, Baylor County, TX, Clay County, TX, Cooke County, TX, Jack County, TX, Montague County, TX, Throckmorton County, TX, Wichita County, TX, Young County, TX
The radar
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 40%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 40%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 60%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 50%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 80%
Warnings issued inside it
11 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 4:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Tillman | 51 min |
| Apr 26, 5:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Comanche, Cotton, Tillman | 51 min |
| Apr 26, 5:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Cotton | 39 min |
| Apr 26, 5:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Wichita | 43 min |
| Apr 26, 5:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Comanche, Cotton, Grady, Stephens | 49 min |
| Apr 26, 6:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Cotton | 46 min |
| Apr 26, 6:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Caddo, Comanche, Grady, McClain, Stephens | 29 min |
| Apr 26, 6:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Comanche, Cotton, Stephens | 19 min |
| Apr 26, 6:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Cotton, Jefferson | 46 min |
| Apr 26, 7:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Jefferson | 49 min |
| Apr 26, 8:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jefferson | 40 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 166 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2557 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -116 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 717 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 215 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 285 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.4
- Supercell composite
- 12.6
The text
As transmitted.
251
WWUS20 KWNS 262053
SEL1
SPC WW 262053
OKZ000-TXZ000-270400-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 151
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
355 PM CDT Sun Apr 26 2026
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of
Southern Oklahoma
Western North Texas
* Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 355 PM until
1100 PM CDT.
* Primary threats include...
A couple tornadoes possible
Scattered large hail likely with isolated very large hail events
to 3 inches in diameter possible
Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
SUMMARY...Initial storm development appears imminent near the Red
River, and a very unstable environment and stronger deep-layer winds
will support intense supercells capable of very large hail. Tornado
potential would also steadily increase into this evening.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 45 statute miles
east and west of a line from 40 miles east northeast of Fort Sill OK
to 60 miles south southwest of Wichita Falls TX. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.
&&
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 149...WW 150...
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean
storm motion vector 26025.
...GuyerSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 7:43 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata and 6 more | 2 hr |
| Apr 25, 8:05 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major, Woods, Woodward | 85 min |
| Apr 25, 8:27 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atoka, Carter, Coal, Garvin, Johnston, Marshall and 3 more | 2 hr |
| Apr 25, 10:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | McCurtain | 8 hr |
| Apr 26, 1:56 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Blaine, Canadian, Creek, Garfield, Grant, Hughes and 9 more | 64 min |
| Apr 26, 3:25 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Comanche, Cotton | 2 hr |
| Apr 26, 5:00 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Creek, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher and 12 more | 2 hr |
| Apr 26, 5:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garfield and 13 more | 7 hr |
| Apr 26, 5:31 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Cotton, Jefferson | 89 min |
| Apr 25, 8:03 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Denton, Jack, Wise | 57 min |
| Apr 25, 9:46 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bowie, Camp, Cass, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison and 7 more | 119 min |
| Apr 25, 10:31 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hopkins and 10 more | 89 min |
| Apr 25, 10:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis and 15 more | 6 hr |
| Apr 25, 11:42 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Red River and 1 more | 2 hr |
| Apr 26, 1:15 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman | 60 min |
| Apr 26, 8:03 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Camp, Cass, Franklin, Harrison, Marion, Morris and 2 more | 87 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2026Tornado Watches in Texas, 2026Every tornado watch in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.