Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 30 to 31, 2001

Name: Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 30 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-05-30T15:10
End: 2001-05-31T02:00
Location: Oklahoma

May 30 to 31, 2001 · NWS TSA · 18 events in 3 counties and zones

13 hail, 3 tornado, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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 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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 3:05 PM CST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 3:05 PM CST, 5 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
405 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

...ADDED TORNADO WATCH 329 TO SE OK ZONES...

...ROUTINE ISSUANCE OUT SHORTLY...

COMPLEX THAT BROUGHT RAIN TO MUCH OF THE AREA EARLIER WAS
DIMINISHING AS IT PUSHES EAST INTO CENTRAL AR. OTHER ACTIVITY WAS
OCCURRING ACROSS CENTRAL/ERN KS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UPPER LOW.

AS FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION ACROSS OUR AREA... MAIN FOCUS FOR SRN
ZONES WILL BE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY CURRENTLY SITUATED OVER SRN OK IN THE
VICINITY OF THE RED RIVER. SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED ACROSS NE
KS...WITH ATTENDANT COLD FRONT EXTENDING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
OK. THIS FRONT LOOKS TO OFFER A CHANCE OF ADDITIONAL STORMS ACROSS
AREAS NORTH OF I-40...THOUGH INSTABILITIES HAVE BEEN HAMPERED
SOMEWHAT DUE TO CLOUD COVER. LIS IN THE -10 TO -12 HAVE BEEN NOTED
ACROSS NRN TX IN AREAS THAT HAVE BENEFITED FROM AFTERNOON SUN. STILL
PLENTY OF INSTABILITY ACROSS SE OK TO KEEP MENTION OF SVR IN ZONES
TONIGHT. AVN AND ETA ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH REGARDS TO S/W DROPPING
SE FROM CO AND SWINGING ACROSS TX OVERNIGHT. HEAVIEST RAINS
OVERNIGHT SHOULD BE CONFINED TO FAR SRN OK AND NRN TX WHERE UPPER
SUPPORT WILL BE MAXIMIZED. DESPITE LOW FFG VALUES...WILL HOLD OFF ON
ISSUING FFA FOR NOW ACROSS NE OK/FAR NW AR WITH HEAVY RAIN THREAT
TO THE SOUTH.

SFC FRONT AND S/W PUSH OFF TO THE EAST TOMORROW AS SFC HIGH PRESSURE
QUICKLY SETTLES OVER THE AREA. NEXT CHANCE FOR STORMS APPEARS TO BE
FRIDAY. WINDS SHIFT AROUND TO THE SW ON FRI OUT AHEAD OF A SFC FRONT
THAT APPROACHES FORM THE NORTH LATE IN THE AFTERNOON FRIDAY. LAPSE
RATES WILL BE STEEP BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS H5 VORT AND ASSOCIATED
COLD AIR POCKET BRUSH THE AREA. WILL KEEP SAT AND SUN DRY...BUT WILL
ADD SLIGHT CHANCE FOR STORMS ON MONDAY AS 12Z AVN HAS FOLLOWED 00Z
MRF WITH AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND S/W. SFC HIGH SETTLES IN
BEHIND FRONT...SO DRY WX IN STORE FOR TUES-WED.

FCSTID = 23

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
TUL   60  78  58  83 /  40  10   0   0
FSM   62  82  59  86 /  50  20   0   0
MLC   62  80  58  85 /  50  20   0   0
BVO   59  78  55  83 /  40  10   0   0
FYV   60  75  50  81 /  50  10   0   0
BYV   60  75  50  80 /  50  10   0   0
MIO   60  75  53  81 /  40  10   0   0
MKO   61  78  59  83 /  40  10   0   0
F10   61  79  58  84 /  40  10   0   0
HHW   62  81  59  85 /  50  20   0   0

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 900 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR ZONES
OKZ049...OKZ053...OKZ073...OKZ075>076.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 30, 9:14 AM CST, 5 hours 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1014 AM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0640 AM    9 NW SCIPIO               OK    60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/30/01   PITTSBURG                       PUBLIC REPORT

Local storm report, May 30, 9:35 AM CST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1035 AM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0430 AM    MUSKOGEE                  OK    FLOOD
05/30/01   MUSKOGEE                        MANY LOW-LYING ROAD
                                           FLOODED IN THE
                                           CITY
                                           SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORT

0430 AM    22 W EUFAULA              OK    60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/30/01   MCINTOSH                        PUBLIC REPORT (TOLL GATE)

0430 AM    HENRYETTA                 OK    60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/30/01   OKMULGEE                        PUBLIC REPORT

0430 AM    HENRYETTA                 OK    .75 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   OKMULGEE                        PUBLIC REPORT

Local storm report, May 30, 10:03 AM CST, 5 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1103 AM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0400 AM    OKEMAH                    OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   OKFUSKEE                        EOC REPORT

0410 AM    OKEMAH                    OK    WIND DAMAGE
05/30/01   OKFUSKEE                        LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
                                           EOC REPORT

0410 AM    OKEMAH                    OK    WIND DAMAGE
05/30/01   OKFUSKEE                        ROOF DAMAGE
                                           EOC REPORT

Local storm report, May 30, 10:09 AM CST, 5 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1109 AM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0120 AM    OOLOGAH                   OK    WIND DAMAGE
05/30/01   ROGERS                          LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
                                           POLICE DEPT. REPORT

Special weather statement, May 30, 12:00 PM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-311100-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...

EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...A WEAKENING COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS
EXITING FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  THIS ACTIVITY
HAS PRODUCED AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WHICH CURRENTLY STRETCHES FROM
EXTREME SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA JUST NORTH OF THE RED RIVER INTO
SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA.  THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP LATE
THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THIS BOUNDARY.  FAVORABLE INSTABILITY AND
MARGINAL WIND PROFILES SUPPORT SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT...WITH ISOLATED
TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE.

OTHER ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON
OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ALONG AND
AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS
WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AFTER 5 PM ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

.DISCUSSION...
A THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW BOUNDARY LOCATED OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OR LIFT SLOWLY
NORTH THIS AFTERNOON.  FURTHER DESTABILIZATION WILL OCCUR ALONG THE
BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH CAPE VALUES EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM
3500 TO 4000 J/KG.  WHILE WIND FIELDS ALOFT WILL WEAKEN SOME THIS
AFTERNOON...BACKING OF LOW-LEVEL WINDS NEAR THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
WILL RESULT IN FAVORABLE DIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR.  THIS WIND SHEAR
COMBINED WITH STRONG INSTABILITY WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF SUPERCELLS BY
LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING...MAINLY SOUTH OF A MCALESTER TO
POTEAU LINE.  THE BEST TIME FRAME FOR SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT WILL BE
BETWEEN 5 AND 9 PM.

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAS
BEEN TEMPORARILY STABILIZED FROM THE EARLY MORNING CONVECTION.
HOWEVER...PARTIALLY CLEARING SKIES WILL ALLOW FOR DESTABILIZATION
LATER THIS AFTERNOON.  ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP
ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT.

THREAT TABLE
VALID THROUGH 6 AM THURSDAY

THREAT AREA 1...SOUTH OF A MCALESTER TO POTEAU LINE
THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...60
SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...100
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...50

THREAT AREA 2...NORTH OF A MCALESTER TO POTEAU LINE
THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...50
SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...30
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...10

THREAT AREAS DEFINE THE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT.
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/TORNADO DAMAGE
AND/OR GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER.

.OTHER HAZARDS...
RECENT HEAVY RAINS HAVE SATURATED THE GROUND...AND ANY ADDITIONAL
RAIN WILL AGGRAVATE ANY FLOODING PROBLEMS.

RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 hail, 3 tornado, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 30, 3:10 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, Cloudy
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.300, -95.283

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 6:52 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Hartshorne
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.833, -95.533

Tornado, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 6:56 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, 1 mi S of Haileyville
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.833, -95.567

An F0 tornado touched down briefly just south of Haileyville. No damage was reported.

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, 2 mi W of Haywood
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.883, -95.983

Hail, Latimer

When: May 30, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Latimer County, 1 mi N of Higgins
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.817, -95.450

Hail, Latimer

When: May 30, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Latimer County, 6 mi S of Wilburton
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.833, -95.317

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Kiowa
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.717, -95.900

Tornado, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Kiowa
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 34.717, -95.900

An F0 tornado touched down briefly near Kiowa. No damage was reported.

Tornado, Latimer

When: May 30, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Latimer County, 1 mi SE of Yanush
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.683, -95.300

An F0 tornado touched down briefly just southeast of Yanush. No damage was reported.

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Blanco
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.750, -95.767

Flash Flood, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, 4 mi S of Weathers
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.924, -95.748 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused water to flow over a road south of Weathers.

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 30, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, 8 mi E of Albion
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.667, -94.967

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 30, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, Clayton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.583, -95.350

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Kiowa
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.717, -95.900

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 30, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, Dunbar
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.467, -95.550

Hail, Pittsburg

When: May 30, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Pittsburg County, Savanna
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 34.833, -95.833

Hail, Pushmataha

When: May 30, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, Clayton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.583, -95.350

Flash Flood, Pushmataha

When: May 31, 12:00 AM CST to 2:00 AM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, North Portion
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.416, -95.376 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused rural roads near Clayton to be flooded.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Oklahoma, 2001 Warnings 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: 5246782, 5246783, 5246895, 5246784, 5246785, 5246786, 5246787, 5246893, 5246894, 5246896, 5246897, 5246898, 5246899, 5246900, 5246901, 5246902, 5246903, 5246904.