Oklahoma, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 20, 2001

May 20, 2001 · NWS AMA · 12 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms containing hail and damaging winds raked the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
$930,000
Crop damage
$25,000
Events
12

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 AMA wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms containing hail and damaging winds raked the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening hours.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 20, 8:15 PM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 8:15 PM CST, 20 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
915 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

ISSUED UPDT TO ZONES...ISSUING WND ADZY FOR ALL ZONES BUT SERN SXNS
OF TX PNHDL.  00Z SFC ANALYSIS INDCD VERY TIGHT PRES GRADIENT BHND
CDFNT...WITH 9 MB PER 3 HR PRES RISES OVR NERN CO.  TIGHT GRADIENT WL
DVLP/MOV SWD INTO FCST AREA DURG REST OF TNGT.  ALSO CALLED FOR AREAL
QUALIFIERS FOR TSTMS TNGT INSTEAD OF UNCERTAINTY TERMS.  PLENTY OF
CNVGNC ACMPYG CDFNT AND NOSE OF INCOMING H8 JETSTREAK.  NO CHANGES TO
LATER PDS.  03

.AMA...
TX...WND ADZY TONIGHT TX ZNS 01>10..11>13..16>18.
OK...WND ADZY TONIGHT OK ZNS 01>03.

COCKRELL/SLATTERY

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cimarron

When
May 20, 8:35 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, 5 mi SE of Kenton
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.867, -101.233

Thunderstorm Wind, Cimarron

When
May 20, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, 3 mi SSE of Boise City
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.867, -101.217

Thunderstorm Wind, Cimarron

When
May 20, 9:10 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, 10 mi S of Boise City
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage
$60,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.867, -101.217

Tractor trailer reported blown over.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cimarron

When
May 20, 9:30 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, 10 mi W of Felt
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.950, -101.067

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Guymon
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.683, -101.400

Power lines and power poles reported blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 2 mi E of Goodwell
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.833, -101.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 9:50 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 3 mi SW of Hooker
Measured
80 kt (92 mph)
Property damage
$500,000
Crop damage
$25,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.600, -101.600

An old granary was picked up and dropped on drills...a garage was moved off its foundation...and a windmill was twisted beyond repair. The high winds also destroyed two grain bins blowing debris through other out buildings and twisting and folding the pipe TV antenna pole. The winds also broke more than eighteen of Tri-County Electic Cooperative's distribution poles. Some wheat and corn fields were leveled by tons of tiny wind-driven hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 9:55 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 1 mi W of Hooker
Measured
54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.850, -102.900

Hail, Texas

When
May 20, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Hooker
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
36.583, -102.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Hooker
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
36.700, -102.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 10:21 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Tyrone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
36.567, -102.967

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When
May 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 5 mi E of Guymon
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage
$350,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.683, -101.483

Five to seven tractor trailers reported blown over.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2001

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: 5246188, 5246190, 5246189, 5246191, 5246192, 5246193, 5247438, 5247433, 5247434, 5247435, 5247436, 5247437.