Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 26, 1997

Severe thunderstorms moved across eastern Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening of May 26th. The storms spawned 13 tornadoes and also produced damaging winds and large hail.The first tornado touched down briefly at 1730CST 1 mile east southeast of Sapulpa. This 75 yard wide tornado produced no structural damage and was rated F1 in intensity.The second tornado touched down briefly at 1735CST 2 miles southeast of Sapulpa. This tornado produced no structural damage and was rated F0 in intensity.The third tornado touched down at 1738CST 7 miles south southwest of Sapulpa and moved east northeast for 5 miles before lifting at 1745CST 2 miles south of Kiefer. This 150 yard wids tornado downed trees and power lines along its path and was rated F1 in intensity.The fourth tornado tocuhed down at 1746CST 7 miles west southwest of Beggs. The tornado initially touched down just inside Creek County before entering Okmulgee County. The tornado moved north northeast for 8 miles before lifting at 1806CST 3 miles southwest of Mounds. This 100 yard wide tornado damaged 8 homes in Okmulgee County and downed trees and power lines and was rated F0 in intensity in Creek County and F2 in intensity in Okmulgee County.The fifth tornado touched down briefly at 1747CST 2 miles west of Bearden. This tornado produced no structural damage and was rated F0 in intensity.The sixth tornado touched down briefly at 1808CST 4 miles south of Beggs. This tornado produced no structural damage and was rated F0 in intensity.The seventh tornado touched down briefly at 1815CST 1 mile southeast of Glenpool. This 40 yard wide tornado destroyed 1 trailer home and a barn and was rated F0 in intensity.The eighth tornado touched down at 1819CST 3 miles southeast of Beggs and moved east for 2 miles before lifting at 1822CST on the west side of Preston. This 100 yard wide tornado damaged houses, threw debris onto roads, destroyed garages and small buildings, and downed trees and power lines. This tornado was rated F1 in intensity.The ninth tornado touched down at 1824CST 1 mile east of Preston and moved east for 2 miles before lifting at 1828CST 3 miles east of Preston. This 100 yard wide tornado produced minor damage to 4 houses and downed trees and was rated F1 in intensity.The tenth tornado touched down at 1840CST 4 miles east of Preston and moved east for 4 miles before lifting at 1846CST 8 miles east of preston. This 75 yard wide tornado damaged a church and a house and downed trees and was rated F1 in intensity.The eleventh tornado touched down briefly at 1925CST 0.5 miles north of Picher. This tornado produced no structural damage and was rated F0 in intensity.The twelfth tornado touched down at 1929CST 6 miles west of Indianola and moved east southeast for 5 miles before lifting at 1941CST 2 miles southwest of Indianola. This 440 yard wide tornado destroyed 1 house and 1 mobile home, and 1 person suffered minor injuries. Large farm equipment was thrown several hundred yards by the tornado, and numerous large trees were also downed. This tornado was rated F3 in intensity making it the strongest tornado of the day.The thirteenth tornado touched down at 2032CST 4 miles south of Blocker in Pittsburg County and moved east for 4 miles into Latimer County before lifting at 2040CST 10 miles northwest of Wilburton about 1/4 mile into Latimer County. This 50 yard wide tornado destroyed a mobile home and downed trees in Pittsburg County and damaged a house and downed trees in Latimer County. This tornado was rated F1 in intensity in both Pittsburg and Latimer Counties.Damaging straightline winds also accompanied the storms. Strong thunderstorm winds damaged brick houses and 1 trailer home 6 miles north of McAlester, and a fence was damaged and trees downed in the same area. Thunderstorm winds destroyed 2 mobile homes and a barn and downed power lines and numerous large trees 1 mile south of Hanna. A house was damaged by strong winds in Natura, and a rec substation was damaged by winds near Fairland. Strong thunderstorm winds damaged outbuildings and downed trees and power lines in Fairland, and an 18 wheeler was blown off Interstate 44 near Afton. Strong winds split a tree and downed power lines and 2 telephone poles 2 miles north of Grainola, and numerous trees and large tree limbs were blown down across roads 6 miles east of Grove. Trees were blown down 3 miles northeast of Bixby, 3 miles west of Muskogee, 1 mile west of Wilburton, in Wilburton, and in Talihina, and large tree limbs were blown down in Hulbert, 5 miles west of Grove, and in Stilwell. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 85 miles an hour near Wagoner and in Picher, to 65 miles an hour 5 miles southwest of Vinita and 5.5 miles west of Vinita, and to 60 miles an hour 2 miles east of Wagoner and 3 miles northeast of Grove.Large hail also accompanied the storms. Baseball size hail fell at Sapulpa, and 2 inch diameter hail fell 1 mile southeast of Glenpool. Golfball size hail fell at Glenpool, 3 miles south of Weleetka, near Boynton, at Picher, 1 mile northeast of Quapaw, and 1 mile north of Quapaw, and ping pong ball size hail fell near Pharoah. Half dollar size hail fell 4 miles south of Sand Springs, and quarter to half dollar size hail fell at 81st Street South and Riverside Drive in the city of Tulsa. Dime to quarter size hail fell at numerous other locations in eastern Oklahoma.The storms also produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in flash flooding. Little Haikey Creek overflowed its banks in the city of Tulsa and flooded 91st Street South between Memorial Drive and Mingo Road, and street flooding occurred in Miami.