Oklahoma, 2001

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 17 to 18, 2001

September 17 to 18, 2001 · NWS OUN · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
$31,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 17, 8:51 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 17, 8:51 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
951 CDT MON SEP 17 2001

THE OVERNIGHT FORECAST IS ON TRACK NEEDING VERY LITTLE ADJUSTMENT.
SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL MOVE INTO HARPER COUNTY FROM THE NORTHWEST
BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE BULK OF THE THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WILL NOT
REACH CENTRAL SECTIONS UNTIL NEARLY DAYBREAK OR LATER...BUT A FEW
STORMS MAY OCCASIONALLY FORM AHEAD OF THE MAIN AREA AS WE HAVE ALREADY
SEEN THIS EVENING...SO TIMING WORDING WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FORECAST.

.OUN...
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harper

When
September 17, 10:05 PM CST
Where
Harper County, 1 mi SW of Buffalo
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.817, -99.633

Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harper

When
September 17, 10:10 PM CST
Where
Harper County, 1 mi SW of Buffalo
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
36.817, -99.633

Wind was measured by Oklahoma mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodward

When
September 17, 10:44 PM CST
Where
Woodward County, 23 mi NNW of Mooreland
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
36.733, -99.367

Thunderstorm Wind, Major

When
September 18, 12:00 AM CST
Where
Major County, 4 mi W of Ringwood
Property damage
$500
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.383, -98.317

Trees were downed along Highway 60.

Tornado, Major

When
September 18, 12:20 AM CST to 12:21 AM CST
Where
Major County, 1 mi W of Ringwood
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
36.383, -98.267

This tornado was confirmed by a National Weather Service damage survey. At Ringwood High School, the football field pressbox was completely destroyed with debris blown eastward. In addition, an 80 foot lightpole was downed, and large trees sustained limb damage. About one-quarter of a mile east of the football field, the front porch of a house was blown off its foundation, while minor shingle damage was sustained to the southeast corner of the house.

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.
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.

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 historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 2001Warnings in Oklahoma, September 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: 5263348, 5263349, 5263350, 5263449, 5263450.