High Wind, Cimarron
- When
- February 9, 2:53 PM CST
- Where
- Cimarron forecast zone
- Measured
- 39 kt (45 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 36.748, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Oklahoma, February 9, 2002
A vigorous low pressure system in the upper atmosphere deepened over the central Rockies and central Plains. A surface ridge of high pressure building down into the Oklahoma panhandle behind a strong cold front created a very tight pressure gradient.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
A vigorous low pressure system in the upper atmosphere deepened over the central Rockies and central Plains. A surface ridge of high pressure building down into the Oklahoma panhandle behind a strong cold front created a very tight pressure gradient. This tight pressure gradient resulted in high winds over the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the afternoon and evening hours. Boise City reported forty-five mile per hour sustained winds and Guymon reported forty-two mile per hour sustained winds.
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 Feb 9, 10:07 AM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 10:07 AM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED HEADLINES NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 419 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 INTENSIFYING 5H LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE KS/CO BORDER WITH 80KT 5H JET RACING TOWARDS THE SOUTH PLAINS OF WEST TEXAS. LOW LEVEL JET IS DEVELOPING WITH 50KTS NOW INDICATED ON THE HAVILAND KS PROFILER. BELIEVE NORTHERLY WINDS WILL DRAMATICALLY INCREASE SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE THIS MORNING WITH SPEEDS REACHING ADVISORY CRITERIA BY LATE MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. PRIMARY LOCATION FOR HIGHEST WINDS APPEARS TO BE OVER THE NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ZONES SO WILL MENTION 50 MPH GUSTS FOR THAT AREA. 7H GRADIENTS TIGHTEN TO 90M COUPLED WITH SFC PRESSURE GRADIENTS OF 8 TO 10 MBS OVER THE PANHANDLES AT 06Z SUNDAY SO WILL CARRY WIND ADVISORY INTO THE SATURDAY NIGHT PERIOD. 00Z MODELS MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN PREVIOUS WITH HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER RH FIELDS AND DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. CONCERN THAT -SNSH MAY DEVELOP AS BULK OF DYNAMICS TRANSLATES OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. LOW CLOUDS MAY INHIBIT STRONGEST WIND SPEEDS FROM MIXING TO THE SURFACE AFTER SUNDOWN TONIGHT SO WILL HOLD OFF ON THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NOW BUT MENTION 50 MPH GUST OVER THE NORTHEAST ZONES. COLD TEMPS AND STRONG WINDS SUNDAY MORNING WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES THAT APPROACH WIND CHILL ADVISORY CRITERIA. 1040 MB HIGH EXPECTED TO RESIDE OVER THE PANHANDLES SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH 20KTS OF WARMING DOWNSLOPE WINDS ON MONDAY. PREVIOUS FORECAST HANDLES THIS WELL SO NO CHANGES NECESSARY. PRELIM CCF... AMA NU 46/22 48/18 62 020 DHT NU 42/18 46/16 60 220 .AMA... OK...WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT OKZ001>003. TX...WIND ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT TXZ001>020.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Texas
- When
- February 9, 5:40 PM CST
- Where
- Texas forecast zone
- Measured
- 36 kt (41 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 36.748, -101.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in California, February 9 to 13, 2002
- High Wind in California, February 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in California, February 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Kansas, February 9, 2002
- Rip Current in Guam, February 9, 2002
- High Wind in Nebraska, February 9 to 10, 2002
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 9 to 10, 2002
- Winter Storm in Kansas, February 9, 2002
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 9 to 10, 2002
- High Wind in Nebraska, February 9, 2002
- Winter Storm in Kansas, February 9, 2002
- High Wind in Colorado, February 9, 2002
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, February 2002
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: 5283072, 5283073.