Oklahoma, 2002

Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 16, 2002

May 16, 2002 · NWS AMA · 14 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms containing large hail and a couple of tornadoes raced across the Oklahoma panhandle during the evening hours. injuries or fatalities were reported.

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
14

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 large hail and a couple of tornadoes raced across the Oklahoma panhandle during the evening hours. The tornadoes remained over open country and no damage...injuries or fatalities were reported.

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 16, 2:50 PM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 2:50 PM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
350 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT EXTENDED WEST TO EAST ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN
FORECAST AREA BORDER. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG AND
NORTH. SOME SEVERE DUE TO INCREASED MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND UPPER
LEVEL DYNAMICS.

COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTH OVERNIGHT. STRONG PRESSURE
GRADIENT SHOULD RESULT IN STRONGER SURFACE WINDS LATER TONIGHT INTO
EARLY FRIDAY. SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE PERSISTS WITHIN UPSLOPE FLOW...SO
WELL KEEP GENEROUS CLOUD COVER THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLED AT LEAST A CATEGORY FROM PREVIOUS
FORECAST.

NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST.

FCSTR ID=08

AMA 053/066/043/070 3211
DHT 049/065/044/072 4111=

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 16, 12:00 PM CST, 5 hours 38 minutes before
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-170000-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
100 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHERN AND EAST CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE MAINLY
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

THE SLIGHT RISK AREA IS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM TEXLINE TO BORGER
TO SHAMROCK. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA INCLUDE
DALHART...GUYMON...BORGER...STRATFORD...SPEARMAN...PAMPA...
LIPSCOMB...BOISE CITY...AND BEAVER.

A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE WILL
MOVE SOUTHWARD BRINGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS AFTERNOON. INCREASING SURFACE MOISTURE WILL BE
FOUND ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE AND ALL OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL
MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES BY THIS
EVENING. INCREASING UPPER LEVEL WINDS ALONG WITH COOLING TEMPERATURES
ALOFT WILL MARK THE ARRIVAL OF THE DISTURBANCE ON THE PLAINS.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING ACROSS
MUCH OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES WITH THE BEST CHANCE ACROSS
THE EAST WHERE THE DEEPEST MOISTURE WILL BE. HOWEVER...WARMER
TEMPERATURES IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE MAY LIMIT
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON.

A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME OVERNIGHT AS THE UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO EASTERN COLORADO AND NORTHERN NEW
MEXICO. INCREASING NORTHEAST WINDS TONIGHT AT SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH
WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL ALLOW PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO
FLOW INTO THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES OVERNIGHT. LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE...INCREASING UPPER LEVEL WINDS AND COOLING TEMPERATURES
ALOFT WILL HELP TO SET THE STAGE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN
EASTERN COLORADO...NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO OR WESTERN KANSAS. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST INTO THE
PANHANDLES OVERNIGHT.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT MAY BECOME
SEVERE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE
PANHANDLES. DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE
STORMS. HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN.

THEREFORE...ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND SKYWARN
SPOTTERS MAY BE NECESSARY THIS EVENING OR TONIGHT.

THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 6 AM
FRIDAY MORNING.

SCHNEIDER
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:30 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>010-170400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
530 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NUMBER 306 FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE
...CIMARRON...TEXAS...BEAVER...IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...DALLAM...
SHERMAN...HANSFORD...OCHILTREE...LIPSCOMB...HARTLEY...MOORE...
HUTCHINSON...ROBERTS...AND HEMPHILL.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CDT.

ANDRADE

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 183 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cimarron

When
May 16, 5:38 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, Keyes
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.817, -102.250

Tornado, Texas

When
May 16, 6:00 PM CST to 6:02 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 5 mi N of Goodwell
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
36.667, -101.633

The tornado occurred over open country and the path length and width were estimated. No damage was reported.

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 6:06 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 2 mi S of Eva
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.767, -101.900

Tornado, Texas

When
May 16, 6:40 PM CST to 6:43 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 9 mi N of Texhoma
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
36.633, -101.783

The tornado remained over open country and no damage was reported. The path length and width were estimated.

Hail, Cimarron

When
May 16, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, Kenton
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
36.900, -102.967

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 5 mi N of Eva
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.867, -101.900

Hail, Cimarron

When
May 16, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, 12 mi N of Boise City
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.900, -102.517

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 5 mi E of Eva
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.800, -101.817

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 7:17 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 2 mi N of Goodwell
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
36.633, -101.633

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 7:17 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 3 mi N of Eva
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
36.850, -101.900

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Goodwell
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.600, -101.633

Hail, Cimarron

When
May 16, 7:35 PM CST
Where
Cimarron County, Keyes
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.817, -102.250

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 8:12 PM CST
Where
Texas County, Guymon
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
36.683, -101.483

Hail, Texas

When
May 16, 8:47 PM CST
Where
Texas County, 2 mi N of Texhoma
Measured
4.5 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.533, -101.783

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 2002Warnings 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: 5296158, 5296157, 5296159, 5296878, 5296868, 5296869, 5296870, 5296871, 5296872, 5296873, 5296874, 5296875, 5296876, 5296877.