Oklahoma, 1998

High Wind in Oklahoma, April 12, 1998

April 12, 1998 · NWS TSA · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Summary of April 12 1998 high wind event:While Easter Sunday (April 12) was windy across most of eastern Oklahoma, these four counties had measured wind gusts over 50 miles an hour. At 1131 AM CDT, the Tulsa International Airport measured a peak gust for the day of 52 miles an hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.

Summary of April 12 1998 high wind event:While Easter Sunday (April 12) was windy across most of eastern Oklahoma, these four counties had measured wind gusts over 50 miles an hour. At 1131 AM CDT, the Tulsa International Airport measured a peak gust for the day of 52 miles an hour. The sustained wind at the time was 41 miles an hour. At 148 PM and 447 PM CDT, the Bartlesville observation site (KBVO) measured wind gusts of 52 miles an hour. At 200 PM CDT, both the Burbank and Pawnee mesonet sites measured wind gusts of 52 and 50 miles an hour respectively. Otherwise, the rest of northeast Oklahoma saw frequent wind gusts of 40 to 45 miles an hour.The strong winds were caused by the pressure gradient between a 983 mb low over the northern plains and a 1024 mb ridge of high pressure along the Atlantic seaboard.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Osage

When
April 12, 9:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Osage forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)

High Wind, Pawnee

When
April 12, 9:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Pawnee forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)
Coordinates
36.317, -96.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Tulsa

When
April 12, 9:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Tulsa forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
36.121, -95.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington

When
April 12, 9:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Measured
45 kt (52 mph)
Coordinates
36.715, -95.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, April 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5637451, 5637452, 5637453, 5637454.