Oklahoma, 2003Tornado in Oklahoma, May 8, 2003
May 8, 2003 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 May 8, 5:33 PM CST, 13 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 8, 5:33 PM CST, 13 minutes before
MESOSCALE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
633 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE SUPERCELL MOVING INTO SOUTHERN CREEK CONTINUES TO TRACK TOWARD
THE NORTHEAST. THE CELL HAS CYCLED SEVERAL TIMES. THE INSTABILITY
AHEAD OF THE STORM IS DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM WHAT WAS AVAILABLE IN
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...BUT THE CAPE WILL REMAIN NEAR 3000 J/KG WITH
60KTS OF DEEP LAYER SHEAR...SO ITS NOT YET CLEAR IF THE SLIGHT DROP
IN INSTABILITY WILL BE ENOUGH TO KEEP THE STORM FROM COMING UP
AGAIN.
EXTRAPOLATION PUTS THE STORM ACROSS THE SOUTHSIDE OF THE TULSA METRO
AREA BETWEEN 720 AND 745 PM.
THE MULTI-UPDRAFT STORM MOVING INTO WESTERN OSAGE AND FAR NORTHWEST
OSAGE COUNTY IS STEADILY ORGANIZING AND HAS ALREADY PRODUCED A
TORNADO. THE POTENTIAL IS HIGH THAT A LARGE TORNADO WILL FORM IN
OSAGE COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR...THE FAIRFAX AND PAWHUSKA AREAS
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
FORECAST ID= 08
.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-091100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
500 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
.DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT
SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORNADOES WILL LIKELY
AFFECT PORTIONS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING...
...DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION DEVELOPING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE DRYLINE AND
ADVANCE INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA BETWEEN 6 AND 7 PM. PARAMETERS REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE
GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR TORNADIC DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ACROSS NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA HOWEVER...GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF STORMS A TORNADO THREAT
EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS. ADDITIONALLY...BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 80
MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND ADDITIONAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL PROVIDE UPDATES REGARDING THIS
DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.
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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AS THE DRY LINE
REMAINS TO OUR WEST AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE...BUT IT
APPEARS A THIS TIME THAT THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN CAPPED ENOUGH TO
REDUCE THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING
ACROSS THE PLAINS SATURDAY WILL CAUSE THE DRY LINE TO PUSH EAST...
BRINGING YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO MUCH OF THE
AREA. DRIER AND COOLER WEATHER WILL FINALLY PREVAIL SUNDAY AND
MONDAY...THEN THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS RETURNS TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY.
.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED BY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE
LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENT FOR CRITICAL WEATHER INFORMATION.
ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 8, 12:32 PM CST, 5 hours 14 minutes before
OKZ054-059-064>065-090200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
132 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH #304 UNTIL 900
PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 4 COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA:
OKFUSKEE
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:
CREEK OSAGE PAWNEE
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BRISTOW...OKEMAH...PAWHUSKA AND PAWNEE.
Local storm report, May 8, 12:38 PM CST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0138 PM CDT THU MAY 08 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0630 AM HOWE OK 1.00 IN HAIL
05/08/03 LE FLORE
0543 AM RED OAK OK WIND DAMAGE
05/08/03 LATIMER TREES DOWN.
0658 AM POTEAU OK WIND DAMAGE
05/08/03 LE FLORE 2 TREES DOWN.
0622 AM SUMMERFIELD OK WIND DAMAGE
05/08/03 LE FLORE BARN LEVELED. POSSIBLE
TORNADO.
0448 AM BLANCO OK 0.88 IN HAIL
05/08/03 PITTSBURG
RJSLocal storm report, May 8, 1:23 PM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0223 PM CDT THU MAY 08 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0545 PM 1 W KEEFETON OK 0.75 IN HAIL
05/06/03 MUSKOGEE
0920 PM HARTFORD AR 1.00 IN HAIL
05/06/03 SEBASTIAN
RJSSpecial weather statement, May 8, 4:48 PM CST, 58 minutes before
ARZ001-010-019>020-029-OKZ055>058-060>063-066>076-090400-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
548 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH #311 UNTIL 1100
PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
IN ARKANSAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 5 COUNTIES...
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS:
BENTON CRAWFORD WASHINGTON
IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
FRANKLIN SEBASTIAN
IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 19 COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA:
CHEROKEE MUSKOGEE SEQUOYAH
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:
ADAIR CRAIG DELAWARE
MAYES NOWATA OKMULGEE
OTTAWA ROGERS TULSA
WAGONER WASHINGTON
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA:
HASKELL LATIMER LE FLORE
MCINTOSH PITTSBURG
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BARTLESVILLE...BENTONVILLE...BROKEN
ARROW...CEDARVILLE...CLAREMORE...EUFAULA...FAYETTEVILLE...FORT
SMITH...JAY...MCALESTER...MIAMI...MOUNTAINBURG...MUSKOGEE...NATURAL
DAM...NOWATA...OKMULGEE...OZARK...POTEAU...PRYOR...ROGERS...
SALLISAW...SAND SPRINGS...SILOAM SPRINGS...SPRINGDALE...STIGLER...
STILWELL...TAHLEQUAH...TULSA...VAN BUREN...VINITA...WAGONER AND
WILBURTON.
Tornado, Osage
- When
- May 8, 5:46 PM CST to 6:56 PM CST
- Where
- Osage County, 1 mi NW of Fairfax
- Rating
- F3
- Path length
- 45 mi
- Path width
- 880 yd
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 36.583, -96.717
A F3 tornado touched down northwest of Fairfax and traveled northeast across rural areas of Osage county before dissipating just west of Bowring. The one community it did effect was Little Chief.Oil tanks southwest of Little Chief were taken off their foundation and rolled a quarter of a mile. In Little Chief a RV was destroyed and there was considerable tree damage. In a field not far from Little Chief seven cattle were killed. Along Highway 60 to the northeast of Little Chief a house and garage were completely swept from their foundation. At the same location a barn was destroyed and three horses were killed. Further to the northeast as the tornado entered the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, it produced additional significant tree damage. Throughout the path of the tornado up to 30 power poles were blown down causing power outages across a significant part of Osage county. The F3 damage was classified at two locations: the first was near where the cattle were killed--this was the only location that showed the scouring of grasses along the path; the second location was in the western sections of the Tall Grass Prairie Reserve where an Oak Forest was heavily damaged. Although the one house was swept off its foundation, it was clear that this house's anchoring failed prematurely. On this property there were several examples, especially with vegetation, that hinted that this stretch of the tornado track was probably less than F3 intensity.
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 8, 2003134 injured · $371 million · F4 · 13 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 8, 20039 injured · $3.5 million · F3 · 35 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 8, 2003$1.7 million · F3 · 7 events
- Tornadoes in Kansas, May 8, 20039 injured · $7.5 million · F2 · 3 events
- Hail in Iowa, May 8, 2003$38 million · 2.75 in hail · 10 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 8, 2003$6.8 million · F0 · 40 events
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 8, 2003$23 million · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Illinois, May 8, 20031 death · 1 event
- Hail in Illinois, May 8, 2003$12 million · 4 in hail · 3 events
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 8, 2003$12 million · 1 event
- Tornado and Hail in Kansas, May 8, 2003$65,000 · F2 · 10 events
- Hail in Missouri, May 8, 2003$5.5 million · 1.75 in hail · 7 events
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: 5357926.