Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 8, 1998

Two severe thunderstorms developed over western Oklahoma the evening of May 8th. The first storm formed over Beckham, Greer, Kiowa and Washita Counties between 1900 CST and 1930 CST. Several mobile homes and barns were destroyed and one horse was killed 5 miles south of Carter in Beckham County. In Sentinel in Washita County severe winds destroyed fences, an elevator, a barn and several storage buildings while a gas pump was damaged, and a wood structure was blown onto Interstate 44. One mile south of Willow in Greer County 5 high-line power poles were broken. The other severe thunderstorm formed 2 hours later in Beckham County first blowing a roof off of a mobile home 2 miles north of Delhi, then knocking down power lines onto Highway 34 in Erick. As the storm moved to 4 miles south of Sayre, a metal tower was blown onto Highway 283 while roof damage occurred to a mobile home. Substantial damage was reported in Sayre where a semi-truck was blown off of Interstate 40. Additional damage included roof damage to a barn and well house, uprooted trees, one onto a house, a destroyed gas pump and a destroyed mobile home on Highway 52 just east of Sayre. Also east of Sayre, an ostrich was killed, and power was knocked out for 4 hours. Six miles east of Sayre, one person was injured due to flying debris; an oil rig was damaged, and one trailer was overturned while 3 others shifted off their foundation. Eight miles south of Elk City, two metal buildings were destroyed; a grain silo was blown over; a stock trailer was blown into a canyon and destroyed, and a barn roof was damaged. Two barns were destroyed; a trailer was blown off of its foundation; a house chimney was damaged, and house windows were broken 6 miles south of Elk City, while large trees fell over in Elk City crushing a fence and swing set. A tin roof was blown off a small out building in Canute. Power outages and downed 4 to 5 inch tree limbs were also reported.