Oklahoma, 2003

Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 13, 2003

July 13, 2003 · NWS TSA · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 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
$13,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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 13, 2:12 AM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 2:12 AM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
312 AM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

JUST BEFORE 3 AM...THUNDERSTORMS STARTED DEVELOPING EASTWARD IN THE
WATCH AREA. WILL WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE BEFORE SENDING ZONES AND
ADJUSTING TO HOW THINGS LOOK. WITH WEAK BOUNDARY AND UPPER AIR SHORT
WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW...NOT HARD TO
JUSTIFY A WATCH FOR MUCH OF OK. ONLY QUESTION SEEMS TO BE IS HOW
WIDESPREAD ARE THE THUNDERSTORMS GOING TO BE. WILL KEEP 30 TO 40
POPS ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH ONLY 20 PERCENT IN THE SOUTHEASTERN
SECTION TONIGHT. THIS SEEMS THE MOST REALISTIC WITH CURRENT
CONDITIONS.

LOOKS LIKE GUIDANCE HAS A FAIRLY GOOD HANDLE ON THE TEMPS AND WILL
STICK PRETTY CLOSE TO THEM. DRY FORECAST AFTER THIS SYSTEM MOVES
OUT.

TUL   91   72   95   74  / 40   10   10   10
FSM   91   72   91   72  / 30   20   10   10
MLC   92   73   95   73  / 30   10   10   10
BVO   89   72   95   74  / 40   10   10   10
FYV   87   70   90   71  / 30   20   10   10
BYV   86   71   90   71  / 30   20   10   10
MKO   92   73   95   74  / 30   10   10   10
MIO   86   72   94   74  / 30   10   10   10
F10   92   73   95   73  / 40   10   10   10
HHW   91   74   96   73  / 30   20   10   10

FORECAST ID= 15

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 12, 8:00 PM CST, 7 hours 30 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-131100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
900 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

...SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...

A WEAK SURFACE FRONT REMAINS ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA WHILE THE
AIRMASS OVER ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS REMAINS
UNSTABLE.  A LAYER OF WARM AIR ALOFT HAS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE A CAP
AGAINST THUNDERSTORM FORMATION...HOWEVER A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING
ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS MAY HELP OVERCOME THIS CAPPING LAYER LATER
TONIGHT.

HIGH INSTABILITY AND FAVORABLE WINDS ALOFT WILL PROVIDE A SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT.
THE FAVORED AREA FOR DEVELOP WILL BE ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY
POSITION WHICH WILL LIKELY REMAIN NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. HAIL TO
THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE
SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOP TONIGHT.

WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE
FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN
PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT
YOUR LOCATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN
SUNDAY MORNING...ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORM REDEVELOPMENT WILL BE
POSSIBLE OVER THE AREA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. A FEW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE.

CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE DRY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE PREVAILS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT...PRIMARILY NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 40.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 12, 10:22 PM CST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
OKZ054>055-059>060-064>066-073-131000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1122 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
#735 UNTIL 500 AM CDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA:

OKFUSKEE

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

CREEK                 OKMULGEE              OSAGE
PAWNEE                TULSA                 WASHINGTON

IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

PITTSBURG

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BARTLESVILLE...BRISTOW...BROKEN ARROW...
MCALESTER...OKEMAH...OKMULGEE...PAWHUSKA...PAWNEE...SAND SPRINGS AND
TULSA.
Special weather statement, Jul 13, 3:05 AM CST, 25 minutes before
OKZ069-130930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
405 AM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     SOUTHERN ADAIR

AT 405 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES
NORTHWEST OF BUNCH...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT
WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...STILWELL AND BUNCH.

THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH.

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Delaware

When
July 13, 3:30 AM CST
Where
Delaware County, Colcord
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
36.267, -94.683

Hail, Delaware

When
July 13, 4:12 AM CST
Where
Delaware County, Flint
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.200, -94.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Adair

When
July 13, 4:30 AM CST
Where
Adair County, Bunch
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.683, -94.767

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

Hail, Adair

When
July 13, 5:50 AM CST
Where
Adair County, Westville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
35.983, -94.567

Thunderstorm Wind, Sequoyah

When
July 13, 7:25 AM CST
Where
Sequoyah County, 2 mi S of Muldrow
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.383, -94.600

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

Hail, Cherokee

When
July 13, 7:35 AM CST
Where
Cherokee County, Cookson
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.700, -94.967

Thunderstorm Wind, Adair

When
July 13, 7:45 AM CST
Where
Adair County, Stilwell
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.817, -94.633

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Le Flore

When
July 13, 7:53 AM CST
Where
Le Flore County, Panama
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.167, -94.667

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Sequoyah

When
July 13, 8:19 AM CST
Where
Sequoyah County, Nicut
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
35.583, -94.567

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down several trees and some power lines.

Hail, Sequoyah

When
July 13, 8:53 AM CST
Where
Sequoyah County, Sallisaw
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.467, -94.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Le Flore

When
July 13, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Le Flore County, Panama
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.167, -94.667

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew power lines down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sequoyah

When
July 13, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Sequoyah County, Sallisaw
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.467, -94.800

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees and tree limbs. The result was a few power outages.

Hail, Haskell

When
July 13, 9:28 AM CST
Where
Haskell County, 5 mi N of Enterprise
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.283, -95.383

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, July 2003

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: 5378842, 5378844, 5378843, 5378845, 5378846, 5378848, 5378849, 5378847, 5378852, 5378851, 5378850, 5379227, 5379228.