Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 12, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 12, 2002
Start: 2002-07-12T11:17
End: 2002-07-12T15:30
Location: Oklahoma

July 12, 2002 · NWS TSA · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 Jul 12, 10:04 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 10:04 AM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
1104 AM CDT FRI JUL 12 2002

WL KEEP HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS IN THE FCST FOR TODAY AS COLD
FRONT CREEPS ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. THE COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY
NEAR A RED ROCK TO JOPLIN LINE. THE AMS AHD OF THE CDFNT IS
BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE WITH THE ABUNDANT SUNSHINE.
CAPE VALUES ARE CURRENTLY IN THE 2000 TO 3000 J/KG ACROSS MUCH OF
THE FA. ENHANCING THE THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES TODAY WILL BE A 500 MB
TROF PUSHING ACROSS THE AREA IN ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL
LOW MOVING ACROSS MO. COULD SEE SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH DOWNBURST WINDS TO AROUND 60 MPH
POSSIBLE. LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO POSSIBLE AS SLIGHTLY COLDER AIR
ALOFT ADVECTS INTO THE AREA.

WL TWEAK SOME OF THE AFTERNOON MAX TEMPS UP FOR TODAY IN LOCATIONS
THAT ARE CURRENTLY RECEIVING ABUNDANT SUNSHINE.

FORECAST ID = 10

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 10:58 AM CST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1158 AM CDT FRI JUL 12 2002

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

0730 PM    2.5 SW RATTAN             OK   WIND DAMAGE
07/11/02   PUSHMATAHA                     TREES DOWNED BLOCKING
                                          ROADWAY. REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC.

0800 PM    3 E HUGO                  OK   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
07/11/02   CHOCTAW                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tulsa

When: July 12, 11:17 AM CST
Where: Tulsa County, Bixby
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.950, -95.883

Thunderstorm Wind, Okmulgee

When: July 12, 11:20 AM CST
Where: Okmulgee County, 1 mi S of Hector
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 35.817, -95.917

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When: July 12, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County, 3 mi S of Peggs
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.033, -95.100

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down three trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When: July 12, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County, 10 mi NNE of Tahlequah
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 36.050, -94.900

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a few trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sequoyah

When: July 12, 1:05 PM CST
Where: Sequoyah County, Marble City
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 35.583, -94.817

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pushmataha

When: July 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Pushmataha County, Nashoba
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.483, -95.217

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 Oklahoma in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, July 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: 5310841, 5310842, 5310843, 5310844, 5310845, 5310846.