Oklahoma, 1999

Flash Flooding and Flood in Oklahoma, May 23, 1999

May 23, 1999 · NWS TSA · 22 events in 14 counties and zones

Summary of events for May 23 1999:A nocturnal "bow echo" MCS moved south out of Kansas early on the morning of May 23. As with most bow echoes, strong winds were the primary threat with this system, though there was some marginally severe hail with the most intense thunderstorms in the leading line of storms.

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.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$28,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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 May 23 1999:A nocturnal "bow echo" MCS moved south out of Kansas early on the morning of May 23. As with most bow echoes, strong winds were the primary threat with this system, though there was some marginally severe hail with the most intense thunderstorms in the leading line of storms. This line of storms gradually weakened as it moved southward and had mostly dropped below severe limits by the time it moved south of I-40.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
May 23, 12:45 AM CST
Where
Washington County, Dewey
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.800, -95.930

Power lines were blown down in Dewey.

Thunderstorm Wind, Osage

When
May 23, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Osage County, 10 mi NE of Pawhuska
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.770, -96.200

Hail, Osage

When
May 23, 1:02 AM CST
Where
Osage County, 10 mi W of Pawhuska
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.670, -96.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When
May 23, 1:25 AM CST
Where
Ottawa County, Fairland
Property damage
$500
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.750, -94.850

Several trees were blown down in Fairland.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When
May 23, 1:35 AM CST
Where
Ottawa County, Afton
Property damage
$100
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.700, -94.970

Several tree limbs were blown down near Afton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pawnee

When
May 23, 1:40 AM CST
Where
Pawnee County, Terlton
Measured
54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.180, -96.480

Hail, Delaware

When
May 23, 1:40 AM CST
Where
Delaware County, Bernice
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.620, -94.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Osage

When
May 23, 1:45 AM CST
Where
Osage County, 1 mi NW of Tulsa
Property damage
$100
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.170, -95.970

Several tree limbs were blown down at the Tulsa Country Club.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rogers

When
May 23, 1:45 AM CST
Where
Rogers County, Claremore
Property damage
$500
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.320, -95.600

Several trees were blown down in Claremore.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wagoner

When
May 23, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Wagoner County, Wagoner
Property damage
$100
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.850, -95.380

Scattered tree limbs were blown down in Wagoner.

Hail, Tulsa

When
May 23, 2:07 AM CST
Where
Tulsa County, 3 mi E of Tulsa
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.150, -95.900

Location: Admiral and Lewis in Tulsa

Thunderstorm Wind, Mayes

When
May 23, 2:15 AM CST
Where
Mayes County, Pryor
Property damage
$100
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.300, -95.320

Several tree limbs were blown down in Pryor.

Hail, Rogers

When
May 23, 2:15 AM CST
Where
Rogers County, Inola
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.150, -95.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Creek

When
May 23, 2:25 AM CST
Where
Creek County, Shamrock
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
35.920, -96.580

Flood, Tulsa

When
May 23, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Tulsa County, 4 mi E of Tulsa
Property damage
$8,000
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
36.121, -95.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A car got trapped in high water in the 5900 block of 11th Street South in Tulsa. The Tulsa International Airport had one inch of rain in the 20 minutes between 300 and 320 AM CDT.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wagoner

When
May 23, 2:45 AM CST
Where
Wagoner County, Wagoner
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.850, -95.380

Tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Wagoner during a second round of storms for this event.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa

When
May 23, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Tulsa County, Bixby
Property damage
$500
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.950, -95.880

Several trees were blown down near Mingo and 117th Street in Mingo.

Thunderstorm Wind, Okmulgee

When
May 23, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Okmulgee County, Beggs
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.730, -96.070

Power lines and large tree limbs were blown down in Beggs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Muskogee

When
May 23, 3:15 AM CST
Where
Muskogee County, 5 mi E of Ft Gibson
Property damage
$500
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.800, -95.170

Several trees were blown down east of Fort Gibson.

Thunderstorm Wind, McIntosh

When
May 23, 3:30 AM CST
Where
McIntosh County, Eufaula
Property damage
$100
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.280, -95.580

Several large tree limbs were blown down in Eufaula.

Flash Flood, Okmulgee

When
May 23, 4:00 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where
Okmulgee County, Countywide
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.647, -95.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

OK Hwy 16 and US Hwy 75 were closed by water that was 3-4 feet deep on the roadways.

Flash Flood, Cherokee

When
May 23, 4:00 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 7 mi WSW of Tahlequah
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
35.907, -95.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A road was washed out.

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 1999

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: 5700467, 5700466, 5700465, 5700468, 5700540, 5700469, 5700471, 5700473, 5700541, 5700474, 5700470, 5700475, 5700477, 5700472, 5700476, 5700478, 5700534, 5700535, 5700536, 5700539, 5700537, 5700538.