Oklahoma, 1998

Damaging Winds and High Wind in Oklahoma, June 9 to 10, 1998

June 9 to 10, 1998 · NWS TSA · 11 events in 10 counties and zones

Summary of events for June 9 PM-June 10 AM 1998:A line of severe thunderstorms moved quickly across southeast Oklahoma on the evening of June 9 between 900 and 1100 PM CDT. These thunderstorms demonstrated bow echo signatures on radar and primarily caused widespread strong thunderstorm winds as they moved across Choctaw, Pushmataha, and southern Le Flore Counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$35,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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 events for June 9 PM-June 10 AM 1998:A line of severe thunderstorms moved quickly across southeast Oklahoma on the evening of June 9 between 900 and 1100 PM CDT. These thunderstorms demonstrated bow echo signatures on radar and primarily caused widespread strong thunderstorm winds as they moved across Choctaw, Pushmataha, and southern Le Flore Counties. To the north of this large complex of storms, rapidly sinking air from the anvil tops of the thunderstorms caused locally strong winds to develop along the I-40 corridor from Henryetta to the Arkansas state line near Stilwell.Later during the early morning of June 10, there was a repeat of the earlier events between 130 and 400 AM CDT with a line of thunderstorms containing widespread wind gusts of 45 to 50 miles an hour moved across Pittsburg, Latimer, and Le Flore Counties in southeast Oklahoma. As with the thunderstorms on the evening of June 9, high winds developed well north of the thunderstorm complex to the north of the I-40 corridor.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high wind, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pushmataha

When
June 9, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Pushmataha County, Antlers
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
34.230, -95.620

Several trees were blown down in Antlers. Trees and power lines were blown down throughout Pushmataha County.

High Wind, Okmulgee

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Okmulgee forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
35.647, -95.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong southerly winds developed around 930 PM CDT along the I-40 corridor on the evening of June 9 as rapidly sinking air to the north of a thunderstorm complex over southeast Oklahoma hit the ground and spread out. However, these winds were not in direct association with the thunderstorms. The Henryetta and Checotah areas suffered from the strongest winds as several unofficial reports of winds as high as 75 miles an hour were received from the general public. The Mcintosh County emergency management director reported many trees and power lines down in and around Checotah. There were other reports of 50 mph gusts further east along the I-40 corridor, and the Webbers Falls mesonet site reported a gust to 45 miles an hour. Doppler radar showed this narrow stripe of winds as it moved east along and just north of I-40 through 1100 PM CDT. The stripe of strong winds exited Oklahoma east of Stilwell.

High Wind, Adair

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Adair forecast zone
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
35.884, -94.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cherokee

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Cherokee forecast zone
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
35.907, -95.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haskell

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Haskell forecast zone
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
35.225, -95.117 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, McIntosh

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
McIntosh forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
35.374, -95.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Muskogee

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Muskogee forecast zone
Property damage
$100
Coordinates
35.616, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sequoyah

When
June 9, 8:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Sequoyah forecast zone
Property damage
$100

Thunderstorm Wind, Choctaw

When
June 9, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Choctaw County, Hugo
Property damage
$6,000
Coordinates
34.020, -95.520

Numerous trees were blown down around Hugo and across much of Choctaw County. A newspaper clipping pictured a very large oak tree that had fallen onto a storage building in a backyard along West Poplar Street. In addition, the metal roofing was blown off of a car wash in Hugo.

Thunderstorm Wind, Le Flore

When
June 9, 9:51 PM CST
Where
Le Flore County, Heavener
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
34.880, -94.600

Lightning, Muskogee

When
June 10, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Muskogee County, Muskogee
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
35.616, -95.379 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A lightning strike during the early morning of June 10 at the Frontier Terminal on the Arkansas River caused a pump to activate, spilling an estimated 11000 gallons of asphalt oil and diesel fuel. One thousand gallons of the diesel fuel entered the river, affecting 5 miles of the river before it could be contained. (Time estimated)

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, June 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: 5644119, 5644122, 5644123, 5644124, 5644125, 5644126, 5644127, 5644128, 5644120, 5644121, 5644129.