Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 11, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 11, 2002
Start: 2002-05-11T01:05
End: 2002-05-11T01:50
Location: Oklahoma

May 11, 2002 · NWS AMA · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms containing damaging winds struck during the early morning hours across the eastern Oklahoma panhandle.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 containing damaging winds struck during the early morning hours across the eastern Oklahoma panhandle.

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 May 10, 3:02 PM CST, 10 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 3:02 PM CST, 10 hours 3 minutes before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
315 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 2002

WMFNT FEATURE IS ABT TO ENTER SWRN CORNER OF FCST AREA ATTM.  MDT
LOW-LVL FLOW HAS REPLENISHED MSTR INTO UPR 40S TO MID 50S IN ALL BUT
NWRN CORNER OF FCST AREA.  DVLPG DRYLN EXPCD TO ENTER W-CNTRL ZNS
BFR SS.  100KT JET AT H2 WL ENTER WRN ZNS THIS EVE...AND H5 50 KT
JET WL ARRIVE IN NWRN ZNS BFR SS.  DEEP CNVGNC SEEN IN CLR AIR OVR
NERN NM AND SERN CO.  EXPC THAT TSTMS WL DVLP ALG DRYLN AND WMFNT
THIS EVE...AND SVR POTENTIAL WL EXIST...SPLY DUE TO SHEARED AMS.
WL CALL FOR SCT TSTMS 1ST PD.  SERN ZNS WL HAVE TO OVERCOME DEEP
DVGNC INITIALLY.

HAVE REMOVED POPS FM WRN ZNS FOR SAT...AS SWLY SFC WNDS EXPCD TO
MIX DRYLN EWD.  HAVE RETAINED SLGT CHC ELSEWHERE.  ON SAT NGT...
CDFNT EXPCD TO ARRIVE IN NRN ZNS BFR 05Z...AND CLR SERN SXNS BFR SR.
WITH STG DYNAMICS AND POOLING OF LOW-LVL MSTR BHND FNT...HAVE KEPT
CHC TSTMS ALL ZONES.  WNDY CONDS WITH FROPA WL ENHANCE CNVGNC.

COOLER CONDS ON SUN WITH UPSLP COMPONENT TO LOW-LVL FLOW...AND LOW
POPS RETAINED.  DRY AMS IN PLACE SUN NGT THRU MON NGT.  CHC TSTMS
TUE THRU FRI AS MSTR RTRNS.  03

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

COCKRELL

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Beaver

When: May 11, 1:05 AM CST
Where: Beaver County, 8 mi W of Slapout
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 36.617, -100.267

Thunderstorm Wind, Beaver

When: May 11, 1:35 AM CST
Where: Beaver County, 1 mi SSW of Beaver
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 36.800, -100.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Beaver

When: May 11, 1:50 AM CST
Where: Beaver County, Forgan
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.900, -100.533

The high winds tore the roof off of a barn and also knocked down a radio tower.

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, May 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: 5296601, 5296602, 5296600.