1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 Sep 18, 8:20 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA 920 PM CDT WED SEP 18 2002 CURRENT CONVECTION CONTINUES TO MOVE TO THE NORHTEAST AND IS MAKING ONLY SLOW PROGRESS TO THE EAST. EXTRAPOLATION INDICATES BY 11 PM THE LINE WILL REACH FROM NORTHERN NOWATA COUNTY TO SOUTHEAST OSAGE AND WESTERN CREEK. UPPER FLOW WILL REMAIN SOUTHWEST AS UPPER TROF CONTINUES TO DIG TO OUR WEST. THAT WILL KEEP THE STORM MOTION FROM THE SOUTHWEST AND LIMIT THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION TO MAINLY DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE TSTM GUST FRONTS. TSTORMS OVER WEST TEXAS LIKELY RESPONDING TO THE MAIN UPPER LOW MOVING EAST. THE TROF WILL BE IN THE TX PHNDL BY 18Z THURSDAY...WITH STRONG DYNAMICS THROUGH CENTRAL OK...AND WILL ALLOW THE COLDFRONT TO START MOVING EASTWARD. EXPECT THE CURRENT ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN ONLY MARGINALLY SEVERE...WITH SECOND SURGE OF STRONG STORMS EARLY IN THE MORNING ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE COLDFRONT...ENANCED WITH THE APPROACHING 500MB TROF. WILL MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE POPS TO REFLECT CURRENT THINKING. NOT INCLINED TO CHANGE ANY LOW TEMPS...EXCEPT FOR RAIN COOLED AREAS. FORECAST ID = 02 .TSA... AR...NONE. OK...NONE.
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-191100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1125 PM CDT WED SEP 18 2002 ...THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA TONIGHT... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS A LARGE PART OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THURSDAY... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT OVER NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA HAS LESSENED...BUT IS NOT COMPLETELY GONE. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME MORE STABLE AND HAS ALLOWED MOST THUNDERSTORMS TO WEAKEN AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY STILL BECOME SEVERE AT ANY TIME AND WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY STILL BE REQUIRED TONIGHT OVER ANY PART OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BEFORE 6 AM. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED OVER ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS DURING THE DAY THURSDAY. .DISCUSSION... THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST AND ARE BEGINNING TO TRACK ACROSS RAIN COOLED AIR... WHICH HAS ALLOWED MOST OF THE STORMS TO WEAKEN. HOWEVER...ANY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE EXISTING RAIN AREAS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BECOMING...OR REMAINING SEVERE. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AND COULD REACH PITTSBURG...PUSHMATAHA...AND CHOCTAW COUNTIES BETWEEN 2 AND 4 AM...THEN SWEEP ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA BY 6 AM. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE WIND AND HAIL. THREAT TABLE VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC THURSDAY AREA 1...ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO POTEAU TO HUGO THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...70 SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...80 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...30 THREAT AREAS DEFINE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT. SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/TORNADO DAMAGE AND/OR GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER. RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-191100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1125 PM CDT WED SEP 18 2002 ...THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA TONIGHT... ...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST ARKANSAS... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS A LARGE PART OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THURSDAY... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT OVER NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA HAS LESSENED...BUT IS NOT COMPLETELY GONE. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME MORE STABLE AND HAS ALLOWED MOST THUNDERSTORMS TO WEAKEN AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY STILL BECOME SEVERE AT ANY TIME AND WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE TO THE EAST AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AFTER 2 AM. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER 3 AM. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY STILL BE REQUIRED TONIGHT OVER ANY PART OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED OVER NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER 3 AM. .DISCUSSION... THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST AND ARE BEGINNING TO TRACK ACROSS RAIN COOLED AIR... WHICH HAS ALLOWED MOST OF THE STORMS TO WEAKEN. HOWEVER...ANY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE EXISTING RAIN AREAS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BECOMING...OR REMAINING SEVERE. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AND COULD REACH PITTSBURG...PUSHMATAHA...AND CHOCTAW COUNTIES BETWEEN 2 AND 4 AM...THEN SWEEP EAST INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BEFORE 6 AM. THE AIRMASS OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA REMAINS UNSTABLE AND MAY HELP STORMS BECOME OR REMAIN SEVERE LATER TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE WIND AND HAIL. THREAT TABLE VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC THURSDAY AREA 1...ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO POTEAU TO HUGO THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...80 SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...80 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...30 AREA 2...ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO POTEAU TO HUGO THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...70 PERCENT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...50 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...20 THREAT AREAS DEFINE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT. SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/TORNADO DAMAGE AND/OR GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER. RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:38 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down several large tree limbs.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, September 2002
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: 5320541.