Heat in Oklahoma, May 22 to 23, 1996

Between 1830 and 1930 CST, an area of thunderstorms over southwest Oklahoma began to collapse and evolved into a massive heatburst with severe straight-line winds that spread over a large part of southwestern Oklahoma and into parts of central Oklahoma. The entire heatburst event lasted for about 6 hours and at its broadest spanned an area about 150 miles wide from Jackson County to Murray County. The Oklahoma Mesonet showed early morning temperatures that rose from the 80s and into the upper 90s and low 100s in some places. Some temperatures between 11 pm and 3 am were: 98 degrees in Norman, 99 degrees in Washington, 102 degrees in Chickasha, 101 degrees at Fort Cobb, 100 degrees at Hobart, and 105 degrees in Ninnekah. Wind speeds in excess of 70 mph were measured throughout southwest Oklahoma and in parts of central and south-central Oklahoma. (See following Storm Data entries for exact speeds and times.) The resulting damage can only be described as devastating in parts of southwest Oklahoma, particularly in the Lawton and Marlow areas. An estimated 90 percent of houses and outbuildings in eastern Comanche and western Stephens Counties sustained damage. Power outages lasted anywhere from a few minutes to nearly 3 days in parts of Lawton. Over 27,000 customers were without power at one time. Downed power lines sparked grass fires throughout the region. Total damage estimates exceeded $18 million. County-by-county detail of damage follows here.Comanche County was the hardest hit by the heatburst. Sustained winds of 80 mph and gusts of 95 mph were measured at the power company office in Lawton. Power poles, trees, tree limbs, and traffic lights were snapped throughout the county. Business and street signs were bent over at ground level. Tree limbs, shingles, twisted sheets of corrugated metal, and other debris littered nearly every street in the county. State Highway 7 east of Lawton was closed due to debris and power lines over the road.Of the estimated 27,000 people without power, about 20,000 of them were in the Lawton area alone. The local power company reported that 33 main transmission poles, 70 distribution poles, and over 200 smaller poles were broken in and near Lawton. The storm cost the power company an estimated $2.5 million. The Red Cross disaster survey tallied 879 damaged dwellings in Lawton: 63 single family homes with major damage and 793 with minor damage, 2 mobile homes destroyed and 2 with major damage, and 4 apartment dwellings with major damage and 15 with minor damage. A total of 325 businesses and 75 public buildings were also damaged including schools, stadiums, churches, and government facilities throughout the area. The local TV station, KWSO-TV, sustained major roof damage, and a satellite dish and several heat and air conditioning units were blown off the roof and onto the lawn. The station lost all power and transmitted from a mobile unit for about 6 hours. Also, the roof was lifted off the post office and cost about $5000 to repair. One wall of Cameron University's theater was scattered across the lawn. At the Coliseum, about half of the roof was removed and heating and air conditioning units were destroyed. Damage to the Coliseum cost $86,000 to repair. Elsewhere in Comanche County, 8 homes in Geronimo sustained damage, including one mobile home that was destroyed. On Fort Sill a few buildings sustained roof damage, but most of the damage was confined to trees, tree limbs, and power lines.In neighboring Stephens County, the town of Marlow was hard hit with a damage estimate of $300,000 in the town alone. Winds were measured at 100 mph at the local police station. Power lines, trees, and signs were broken, and the power was out for about 15 hours. Homes, outbuildings, and barns were damaged. Windows were broken and roofs were peeled back on homes and businesses. A porch roof was torn off and blown into a neighboring warehouse. Several barns in the Marlow area were completely destroyed. One person was hit by a piece of flying sheet metal and injured. In Duncan (also in Stephens County) a travel trailer was blown over onto its side.Communities throughout Kiowa County reported downed power lines and outbuilding and tree damage, including Lone Wolf, Carnegie, and Hobart. Other major damage occurred in Cooperton, where roofs were blown off a house and a 60x80-foot barn. In Gotebo roofs were blown off of 4 sheds, travel trailers were destroyed, a swing set was blown into a house, a shed was blown onto 2 cars, and a cotton trailer was blown into a cotton stripper. In Mountain View a power pole was blown down onto a house, the roof was stripped off a 40x60-foot hay barn, and another barn was destroyed.Grady County suffered widespread power outages, affecting at least 5000 customers. Trees, power lines, and at least 70 power poles were downed. In Rush Springs, 25 to 30 sheds were destroyed, tree limbs littered every street, and roofs were torn off several homes. A tree fell onto one house, destroying the kitchen and living room. The roof was peeled back off another house. In Ninnekah roads were closed due to tree limbs and other debris. In Chickasha an 18-inch tree limb broke off and fell onto a car, roofs were blown off barns, and one barn was moved off its foundation.In Jackson County power lines and tree limbs were downed throughout the southern part of the county. A barn was destroyed north of Friendship and a roof was blown off a barn in Elmer. People in Elmer were without power for about 11 hours. A cotton trailer was blown onto a county road 4 miles south of Altus. In Olustee power was lost for about 8 hours and the top half of one side of the Methodist church was torn down. In Garvin County, Lindsay and Maysville suffered the worst damage. In Lindsay the roof was peeled back from a construction company housed in a large metal building. A barn and a mobile home were destroyed and windows were blown out of several homes and businesses. A fire truck en route to a grass fire was struck by a falling tree downed by the strong winds, resulting in $4500 damage. Several mobile homes on a sales lot were flipped onto their sides and tops. In Maysville, trees and power lines were downed throughout the community. Outbuildings and at least one mobile home were destroyed. In Pauls Valley a tree fell onto a car. In Tillman County maximum wind speeds were measured at 105 mph at the police station in Tipton. Five miles northeast of Tipton a roof was blown off a house, barns and sheds were destroyed, and power lines were downed. Barns and sheds were also destroyed 6 miles north of Tipton. In other surrounding counties, reports of major damage were scattered. In McClain County the roof was lifted off of a rug factory in Wayne and a travel trailer was flipped onto its top south of Criner. In Murray County, a storage shed was lifted over a fence and placed in the neighbor's yard.