Damaging Winds in Texas, May 17 to 18, 2001

Name: Damaging Winds in Texas, May 17 to 18, 2001
Start: 2001-05-17T23:55
End: 2001-05-18T01:52
Location: Texas

May 17 to 18, 2001 · NWS OUN · 11 events in 4 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms moved south out of Oklahoma around 0000 CST on the 18th and produced scattered areas of straight-line wind damage across western north Texas.

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: $94,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 OUN wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms moved south out of Oklahoma around 0000 CST on the 18th and produced scattered areas of straight-line wind damage across western north Texas.

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 May 17, 8:35 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 8:35 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
935 PM CDT THU MAY 17 2001

LATEST WATER VAPOR/IR IMAGERY/00Z ANALYSIS SHOW UVV'S NOW MOVING
INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND WILL BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR INCREASING/INTENSIFYING CONVECTION ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT...PARTICULARLY THE WESTERN HALF. 02Z SURFACE
ANALYSIS SHOWS OUTFLOW BOUNDARY NEARLY STATIONARY FROM SOUTH OF
TULSA EXTENDING WESTWARD ALONG INTERSTATE 40 TO NEAR WEATHERFORD.
BOUNDARY THEN HARD TO DISCERN AS IT MERGES WITH PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH
EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TOWARD MIDLAND. COLD FRONT NOW INTO NORTHWEST
OKLAHOMA. WITH ABOVE MENTIONED CONCERNS...WILL MAINTAIN HIGHEST POPS
AND SEVERE WORDING ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF AREA OVERNIGHT.

ANOTHER CONCERN THIS EVENING HAS BEEN NEARLY STATIONARY
THUNDERSTORM OVER BECKHAM COUNTY NEAR SAYRE WITH KFDR WSR-88D
INDICATING 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN PER HOUR. BELIEVE HAIL HAS
CONTAMINATED THE TOTALS SLIGHTLY BUT WITH HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER
AND WEAK WINDS ALOFT...2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR MAY BE POSSIBLE.
MID/UPPER LEVEL WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY AS SHORTWAVE TROUGHS TO THE
WEST APPROACH AND MAY ALLEVIATE THE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN A LITTLE AS
THE NIGHT PROGRESSES.

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 17, 8:06 PM CST, 3 hours 49 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
906 PM CDT THU MAY 17 2001

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

0905 PM    2 S SAYRE                 OK   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/01   BECKHAM                        AMATURE RADIO REPORT

J

Local storm report, May 17, 11:09 PM CST, 46 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1209 AM CDT FRI MAY 18 2001

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

1141 PM    2I NE KINGFISHER           OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/01   KINGFISHER                     4 TO 5 POWER POLES SNAPPED
                                          AND DOWN. REPORTED BY EM

Local storm report, May 17, 11:22 PM CST, 33 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1222 AM CDT FRI MAY 18 2001

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

1221 AM    37 W ELDORADO              OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/18/01   JACKSON                        AMATURE RADIO REPORT.

J

Local storm report, May 17, 11:29 PM CST, 26 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1229 AM CDT FRI MAY 18 2001

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

1228 AM    EzLDORADO                  OK   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/01   JACKSON                        AMATURE RADIO REPORT.

J

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilbarger

When: May 17, 11:55 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger County, Odell
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.350, -99.417

A roof was damaged on the south side of town, and power lines were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilbarger

When: May 18, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Wilbarger County, 10 mi N of Vernon
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.300, -99.283

Two hangars and 6 airplanes sustained damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilbarger

When: May 18, 12:10 AM CST
Where: Wilbarger County, Vernon
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.150, -99.283

A ninety-two mph wind gust was measured at the Wilbarger Auditorium. Twenty-seven trees were downed at Hill Crest Country Club.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardeman

When: May 18, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Hardeman County, Chillicothe
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 34.250, -99.500

A roof and tree were damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:24 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Iowa Park
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 33.950, -98.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:27 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Iowa Park
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 33.950, -98.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Electra
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.033, -98.917

Part of Electra High School's FFA barn was blown down, and a garage was damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:32 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Iowa Park
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 33.950, -98.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:34 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Sheppard Afb
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.983, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 18, 1:36 AM CST
Where: Wichita County, Wichita Falls
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 33.900, -98.500

Windows were blown out of buildings in downtown.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: May 18, 1:52 AM CST
Where: Clay County, Jolly
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: STORM CHASER
Coordinates: 33.867, -98.350

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, 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: 5249107, 5249108, 5249109, 5249106, 5249101, 5249102, 5249110, 5249103, 5249100, 5249104, 5249105.