High Wind in Texas, May 9, 2002

Name: High Wind in Texas, May 9, 2002
Start: 2002-05-09T01:15
End: 2002-05-09T03:30
Location: Texas

May 9, 2002 · NWS OUN · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

North winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts between 50 and 60 mph, developed behind a cold front that moved through the area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 OUN wrote it up.

North winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts between 50 and 60 mph, developed behind a cold front that moved through the area.

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 9, 1:10 AM CST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 1:10 AM CST, 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
210 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2002

QUICK UPDATE TO INCLUDE A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR SOUTHWEST SECTIONS
OF OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. NUMEROUS MESONET SITES
REPORTING SUSTAINED WINDS AOA 40 WITH SEVERE GUSTS. PRIMARILY
NON-CONVECTIVE WINDS BEHIND COLD FRONT/OUTFLOW. WARNING WILL BE
THROUGH 430 AM AND WILL REASSESS WITH NEW PACKAGE AT THAT TIME.

ALSO REMOVED POPS ACROSS NORTHWEST HALF OF FORECAST AREA.

FCSTID = 11

-----------------

HAVE NOT HAD MUCH TIME TO LOOK OVER MODEL DATA WITH ALL THE STORMS
GOING ON TO OUR NORTH AND SOUTH.  THERE IS A LOT OF TEMPORAL WORDING
IN THE ZONE FORECAST WHICH WILL NEED ATTENTION.  AT THIS TIME...
PLAN TO DO AN INTERIM UPDATE SHORTLY... THEN ANOTHER JUST BEFORE
MIDNIGHT.  THIS UPDATE WILL ADJUST POPS AND WINDS TO ACCOUNT FOR
CURRENT CONDITIONS AND TRENDS.  WE WILL RE-EVALUATE THINGS TOWARD
MIDNIGHT AND ADJUST AGAIN AS NEEDED.

CMS

-----------------

140 PM WED MAY 8 2002

NOTE TO USERS: WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF FIXING SOME SOFTWARE
PROBLEMS. THUS..SOME PRODUCTS WILL STILL NOT BE AVAILABLE WITH THIS
PACKAGE INCLUDING THE TABULAR AFPOKC..RDFOKC AND THE TABULAR AREA
FORECAST ON THE WEB PAGE. ALL OTHER PRODUCTS..INCLUDING THE FIRE WX
FORECAST ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK TO NORMAL. ISC GRIDS MAY BE A BIT
TARDY DUE TO RECONSTRUCTION OF THE DATABASE THRU DAY 7.

EARLY AFTERNOON SFC ANAL SHOWS SFC LOW OVR WOODS COUNTY OK..WITH
DRYLINE EXTENDING SSWWD TO NEAR CHILDRESS AND COLD FRONT NOW INTO
FAR NW OK FROM MAY RANCH TO WOODWARD.  DRYLINE IS BEGINNING TO PUSH
EWD QUITE NICELY ACROSS WTEX..AND SHUD BE ABLE TO MIX A COUNTY OR
TWO INTO WRN OK BY LATE AFTERNOON.  THE ETA SO FAR THIS SPRING HAS
BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY TOO FAR EAST WITH THE DRYLINE POSITION AND TODAY
IS NO EXCEPTION.  WITH THAT IN MIND..POSSIBILITY FOR A SIGNIFICANT
SVR WX EPISODE EXISTS..ALTHOUGH CAPPING STILL REMAINS AN ISSUE WITH
AS ONE GOES FARTHER SOUTH. CURRENT TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE MOST
RAPID SFC BASED DESTBILIZATION DUE TO MOISTURE RETURN IS CURRENTLY
UNDERWAY ACROSS SE KS..AND THIS MAY END UP BEING THE LOCATION OF
BEST FOCUS FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS. HOWEVER..IF LOW LEVEL WINDS CONT
TO BACK ACROSS NRN OK..AND THE CAP CAN FINALLY BE OVERCOME..A
SIGNIFICANT THREAT MAY EXIST THIS AREA AS WELL. 18Z OUN SOUNDING
INDICATES THAT THE WARM SECTOR AIRMASS REMAINS CAPPED..BUT
SIGNIFICANT DEEPENING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE HAS OCCURRED
SINCE 12Z. THE WARM NOSE OF THE CAP..AND THE MEAN EML TEMP OF THE
NEARLY DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATE AIR ABOVE HAS COOLED AS SUGGESTED BY
HGHT FALLS AND MUCH COOLER TEMPS ALOFT ANALYZED ON THE 12Z UA ANAL.
AS NOCTURNAL LLJ ABATES AND DIURNAL PRESSURE FALLS COMMENCE..MESONET
ALREADY SHOWS SFC WINDS BACKING ACROSS THE WARM SECTOR AND THIS SHUD
CONT THRU 00Z.  ALL THIS SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT THE CAP WILL FINALLY
BE OVERCOME IN OUR CWA TODAY.

COLD FRONT WILL THEN SURGE SWD TONITE WITH A CONTINUED THREAT OF
STORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND EAST OF DRYLINE..AND WILL CONT POPS
ACCORDINGLY. FRONT WILL PROB BE A BIT SLOWER TO CLEAR THE SE ZONES
THAT THE ETA INDICATES AND WILL HANG ON TO POPS IN THE SE FOR THUR.

MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL ONCE AGAIN BEGIN A TREK NWD FRI/FRI
NITE INTO A WEAKLY CAPPED ENVIRONMENT AND CHANCES FOR MORE
SHOWERS/STORMS WILL RETURN. CAP STRENGTH WILL BE ON THE INCREASE
AHEAD OF FRONT ON SUNDAY..BUT WILL STILL HANG ONTO LOW POPS UNTIL
NEXT FRONT CLEARS THE AREA MONDAY.  AS OFTEN HAPPENS IN MAY..THE
MODELS ARE SLOWING THE SWD PROGRESS OF THIS FRONT WITH EACH
SUBSEQUENT RUN..AND IT MAY TAKE ITS SWEET TIME MOVING SWD.  IF THIS
BOUNDARY MANAGES TO CLEAR THE AREA PER CURRENT ECMWF/MRF PROGS..SOME
VERY NICE MID MAY WX WILL BE IN STORE FROM MON-WED NEXT WEEK.
 MILLER

PRELIM NUMBERS..
OKC   55  70  48  73 /  40  10   0  20
HBR   51  68  49  73 /  20  10   0  20
SPS   60  72  54  76 /  20  10   0  20
GAG   45  66  42  70 /  10   0   0  10
PNC   49  67  45  70 /  40  10   0  10
DUA   66  74  52  75 /  30  30  10  20

.OUN...
OK...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH 430 AM OKZ036>039-044-045.
TX...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH 430 AM TXZ083>090.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 11:14 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1214 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

1210 AM    CASHION                   OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/09/02   KINGFISHER                     REPORTED BY PUBLIC

1210 AM    CASHION                   OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/09/02   LOGAN                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

EM

Local storm report, May 8, 11:35 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1235 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

1230 AM    EDMOND                    OK   .88 INCH HAIL
05/09/02   OKLAHOMA                       REPORTED BY SPOTTER

1230 AM    EDMOND                    OK   65 MPH WIND GUST
05/09/02   OKLAHOMA                       MEASURED BY SPOTTER

EM

Local storm report, May 8, 11:47 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1247 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

1217 AM    OKLAHOMA CITY             OK   70 MPH WIND GUST
05/09/02   OKLAHOMA                       MEASURED AT WILL ROGERS
                                          AIRPORT ASOS

EM

Local storm report, May 9, 12:05 AM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
105 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

1259 AM    4 S CHANDLER              OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/09/02   LINCOLN                        REPORTED BY LINCOLN CO EM

1230 AM    2 SSW MINCO               OK   NON TSTM WIND
05/09/02   GRADY                          62 MPH WIND GUST
                                          MEASURED BY MESONET

EM

Local storm report, May 9, 12:58 AM CST, 17 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
158 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

0120 AM    3 S ALTUS                 OK   NON TSTM WIND
05/09/02   JACKSON                        62 MPH WIND GUST
                                          MEASURED BY MESONET

EM

Local storm report, May 9, 1:15 AM CST, 0 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
215 AM CDT THU MAY 09 2002

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

0145 AM    2 SSW MINCO               OK   NON TSTM WIND
05/09/02   GRADY                          64 MPH WIND GUST
                                          MEASURED BY MESONET

EM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Archer

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Archer forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.615, -98.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Baylor

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Baylor forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.617, -99.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clay

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.786, -98.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Foard

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Foard forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.975, -99.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Hardeman

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.290, -99.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Knox

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.606, -99.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wichita

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Wichita forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.988, -98.704 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wilbarger

When: May 9, 1:15 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Wilbarger forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.081, -99.241 (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

Every storm in Texas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, 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: 5287650, 5287651, 5287652, 5287653, 5287654, 5287655, 5287656, 5287657.