Tornado and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, September 17, 2001

Name: Tornado and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, September 17, 2001
Start: 2001-09-17T15:40
End: 2001-09-17T22:30
Location: Oklahoma

September 17, 2001 · NWS AMA · 9 events in 3 counties and zones

high winds and an isolated tornado during the afternoon and evening hours. A thunderstorm with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding across the eastern Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening.

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: $120,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 over the western and central Oklahoma panhandle produced large hail...high winds and an isolated tornado during the afternoon and evening hours. A thunderstorm with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding across the eastern Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening.

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 Sep 17, 2:57 AM CST, 12 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 17, 2:57 AM CST, 12 hours 43 minutes before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
357 AM CDT MON SEP 17 2001

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER
SOUTHEAST COLORADO NEAR KLAA. A STATIONARY FRONT WAS STRETCHED FROM
JUST SOUTH OF KGLD TO KHLC THEN INTO EAST CENTRAL KS. WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY SHOWING AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING EAST ALONG THE ID/NV STATE
LINE. MODELS GENERALLY INITIALIZED WELL...ALTHOUGH 850MB DEW POINTS
LOOK TOO LOW OVER CENTRAL TX AND 300MB WIND SPEEDS LOOK TO LOW IN
THE WESTERN U.S. WHEN COMPARED TO 17/00Z RAOBS.

IN GENERAL...THE CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AND WILL ONLY MAKE
MINOR CHANGES. AT THE MID-LEVELS...WLY FLOW WILL BE INCREASING TODAY
ADVECTING COOLER AIR INTO THE REGION SERVING TO STEEPEN LAPSE RATES.
SOUTHERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE WILL KEEP DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 50S
WEST TO AROUND 65 EAST. THE MOST FAVORABLE PARAMETERS FOR
CONVECTION WILL INITIALLY BE OVER THE WESTERN ZONES WITH LOW-
LEVEL CONVERGENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED SURFACE LOW
AND INCREASING UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH A 65KT 300MB
JET STREAK. CONVECTION WILL SPREAD EAST AND INCREASE THIS EVENING AND
INTO TONIGHT AS IN ENCOUNTERS A COLD FRONT...HIGHER BOUNDARY
LAYER DEW POINTS AND LOW-LEVEL JET. MODELS ALSO DEPICTING SOME
DRIER AIR IN THE 700MB-500MB LAYER MOVING IN TONIGHT WHICH WOULD
ENHANCE THE HAIL POTENTIAL. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD MAKE STEADY
PROGRESS THROUGH THE CWA TONIGHT AND IS EXPECTED TO BE LOCATED OVER
OUR FAR SOUTHERN TIER BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. NORTHERLY LOW-LEVEL
FLOW WILL INCREASE ON TUESDAY USHERING COOLER AIR INTO THE REGION.
MODELS DO NOT COMPLETELY SCOUR OUT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...AND WITH
500MB TEMPS AROUND -11C CAN/T RULE THE POSSIBILITY OF CONVECTION
TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. CONVECTION DOES NOT LOOK PARTICULARLY
FAVORABLE ON WEDNESDAY AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE
AREA...HOWEVER DON/T FEEL COMFORTABLE PULLING POPS WITH NORTHWEST
FLOW ALOFT.

A BREAK IN THE PRECIP STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR THURSDAY. WILL HAVE TO
KEEP AN EYE ON MOISTURE RETURN AS THE FRONT STALLS OVER THE
PERMIAN BASIN. SOUTHERLY WINDS TO RETURN MOISTURE TO THE AREA
BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY. CURRENT EXTENDED LOOKS GOOD AND WILL LET IT
RIDE.

AMA 86/60 78/55 81 363
DHT 85/56 76/52 79 353

.AMA...
TX...NONE.
OK...NONE.

PLATT

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 17, 11:55 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes before

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-172100-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1255 PM CDT MON SEP 17 2001

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THROUGH TONIGHT.

WARM...MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE PANHANDLES THIS
AFTERNOON. A SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS EASTERN NEW MEXICO WILL MOVE EAST
INTO THE WESTERN PANHANDLES BY MID AFTERNOON.  A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE PANHANDLES TONIGHT. THE WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS
WILL BE LIFTED BY THESE SURFACE BOUNDARIES AND AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE FROM THE ROCKIES INTO THE PANHANDLES TO PROVIDE
A TRIGGER FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO OR
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO BY MID AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED
TO MOVE EAST INTO PANHANDLES.  THE UNSTABLE AIR ALONG WITH THE UPPER
LEVEL ENERGY WILL PROVIDE THE STAGE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TONIGHT. THE MAIN THREATS FROM THE STORMS WILL BE
LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. HEAVY RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN ACROSS
PARTS OF THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. MORE HEAVY RAIN WILL
ONLY AGGRAVATE THE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL.

ISOLATED SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES WILL ALSO NOT BE OUT OF THE
QUESTION AS THE WIND PROFILE ALOFT BECOMES MORE FAVORABLE THIS
AFTERNOON.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.

GOEHRING

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 175 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Cimarron

When: September 17, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Cimarron County, 14 mi SW of Boise City
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.583, -102.700

Tornado, Cimarron

When: September 17, 3:53 PM CST to 3:54 PM CST
Where: Cimarron County, 15 mi SW of Boise City
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.583, -102.700

The tornado path length and width were estimated. The tornado remained over open country.

Hail, Texas

When: September 17, 7:29 PM CST
Where: Texas County, Texhoma
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 36.500, -101.783

Hail, Texas

When: September 17, 7:45 PM CST to 7:55 PM CST
Where: Texas County, Hooker
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.867, -101.217

Damage was reported to vehicles parked outside and also sidings and roofs were full of holes along with many broken windows and torn screens. Trees were stripped of their leaves and many small branches were broken out of the trees with even some larger branches downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When: September 17, 7:56 PM CST
Where: Texas County, Hooker
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.867, -101.217

Damage reported to power poles and homes. Also...windshields of cars were reported blown out.

Thunderstorm Wind, Texas

When: September 17, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Texas County, 1 mi W of Hooker
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 36.867, -101.233

Flash Flood, Texas

When: September 17, 8:22 PM CST to 9:15 PM CST
Where: Texas County, Hardesty
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.748, -101.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water was reported covering the road on State Highway 94.

Hail, Texas

When: September 17, 8:43 PM CST
Where: Texas County, 4 mi W of Hardesty
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.617, -101.267

Flash Flood, Beaver

When: September 17, 9:30 PM CST to 10:30 PM CST
Where: Beaver County, Mocane
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.750, -100.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water was reported over county lease roads but no one hurt and no damage.

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.
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.
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, 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: 5267703, 5267704, 5267705, 5267781, 5267706, 5267782, 5267785, 5267783, 5267784.