High Wind in Oklahoma, January 9, 2009

Name: High Wind in Oklahoma, January 9, 2009
Start: 2009-01-09T20:25
End: 2009-01-09T20:55
Location: Oklahoma

January 9, 2009 · NWS OUN · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong cold front pushed through Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening hours of the 9th. Strong winds behind the front gusted to over 40 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Heat and drought
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Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

A strong cold front pushed through Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening hours of the 9th. Strong winds behind the front gusted to over 40 mph. Two wind gusts over Tillman and Comanche counties reached 59 mph. No damage was 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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 9, 7:50 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 9, 7:50 PM CST, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
750 PM CST FRI JAN 9 2009

.UPDATE...
EXPANDED THE WIND ADVISORY INTO CENTRAL AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN
OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING.
WIND GUSTS FREQUENTLY GUSTING 40 TO 50 MPH HAVE CONTINUED TO
EXPAND SOUTHWARD BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. THE EXCESSIVE SPEEDS
SHOULD DIMINISH A FEW HOURS AFTER THEY INCREASE... ALTHOUGH GUSTS
OF 30 TO 35 MPH WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE ENTIRE NIGHT.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 554 PM CST FRI JAN 9 2009/

UPDATE...
HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA THROUGH
THE FIRST HALF OF THE EVENING. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 MPH WERE
GUSTING 45 MPH BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE FOR
A FEW HOURS.

AVIATION...
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REMAINING TERMINALS OF OKC... LAW
AND SPS BY EARLY THIS EVENING WITH GUSTY N-NW WINDS BEHIND THE
FRONT CONTINUING DURING THE NIGHT. A FEW AREAS OF 4K FT SCT-BKN
CLOUDS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN
OKLAHOMA. WINDS SPEEDS DIMINISHING BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS
SURFACE GRADIENT RELAXES.

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 158 PM CST FRI JAN 9 2009/

DISCUSSION...
A RED FLAG WARNING WAS ISSUED EARLIER THIS AFTN IN PARTS OF
SOUTHWEST OK AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS FOR THE WARM TEMPS... DRY
CONDITIONS... AND GRADUALLY SHIFTING WIND. WILL ALLOW THIS WARNING
TO CONT THROUGH 0Z. COLD FRONT WILL CONT TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THE
REST OF THIS AFTN AND THIS EVENING. THIS WILL COOL TEMPS BACK DOWN
CLOSER TO NORMAL FOR SATURDAY. HOWEVER... THAT MEANS HIGHS WILL BE
25 TO 30 DEGREES LOWER THAN TODAY. THE NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT
WILL BE BREEZY/WINDY OVERNIGHT INTO SAT MORNING BEFORE THE WINDS
FINALLY DECREASE SAT AFTN AS SFC HIGH SETTLES INTO THE REGION.
SOUTHWEST WINDS AND WARMER TEMPS... ALTHOUGH NOT AS WARM AS TODAY...
WILL RETURN SUNDAY. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A SFC TROUGH/WIND
SHIFT LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE FA SUNDAY AFTN.

MODELS SHOW ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE FA MONDAY COOLING
TEMPS BACK DOWN TO AROUND NORMAL. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL
RETURN TUESDAY WITH ANOTHER SLIGHT WARM UP. A LARGE ARCTIC AIRMASS
WILL THEN MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
MODELS STILL DISAGREE ON POSITION... TIMING... AND STRENGTH OF THIS
ARCTIC HIGH. THE GFS CONTINUES TO HAVE THE COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH
THE FA TUESDAY NIGHT. THE GFS IS STRONGER WITH THE HIGH SHOWING A
1050 TO 1059 HIGH MOVING FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO EASTERN
KANSAS. THE GFS EVENTUALLY HAS THE SFC RIDGE AXIS ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST OK BY 06Z FRI. MEANWHILE... THE ECMWF IS SLOWER WITH THE
FRONT... INDICATING IT WILL NOT MOVE THROUGH THE REGION UNTIL DURING
THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THE ECMWF IS ALSO WEAKER WITH A 1046 HIGH
MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND REMAINING FURTHER EAST OF THE
REGION. HOWEVER... THE 12Z RUN DID TREND A LITTLE FURTHER WEST WITH
THE PATH OF THE HIGH. OVERALL... AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL MOVE INTO
THE REGION MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK BRINGING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES TO
THE AREA. HOWEVER... THE STRENGTH AND TIMING OF THE AIRMASS ARE
STILL IN QUESTION. WITH THE MODEL UNCERTAINTY... DID NOT MAKE ANY
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO EXTENDED FORECAST. MODELS DO SHOW NW FLOW
REMAINING THROUGH THE WEEK NEXT WEEK SO FLOW EXPECTED TO REMAIN
FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE WITH SFC HIGH AND COLD AIR NOT EXPECTED TO
LINGER LONG OVER THE REGION.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK  31  46  24  56 /   0   0   0   0
HOBART OK         27  46  22  55 /   0   0   0   0
WICHITA FALLS TX  33  49  23  55 /   0   0   0   0
GAGE OK           20  47  17  57 /   0   0   0   0
PONCA CITY OK     26  41  25  53 /  10   0   0   0
DURANT OK         37  47  25  56 /  10   0   0   0

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR OKZ005>008-010>030-
     033>040-044.

TX...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR TXZ083>086.

&&

03/32

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 9, 7:45 PM CST, 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
745 PM CST FRI JAN 9 2009

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-101300-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
745 PM CST FRI JAN 9 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS VERY LOW.

DISCUSSION...
MOISTURE WILL RETURN INTO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA TODAY.  HOWEVER...THE
AIRMASS WILL BE CAPPED BY VERY WARM AND STABLE MID LEVELS. A COLD
FRONT AND MID LEVEL TROUGH WILL PROVIDE SOME LIFT AND COOLING TO
WEAKEN THE CAP LATE THIS EVENING...BUT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
FORM JUST OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAN FORECAST AREA TOWARD THE EAST.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST SATURDAY JAN 10.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...10 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
STRONG AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL FOLLOW A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH
THE REGION FROM EARLY THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT. AS THE FRONT
MOVES THROUGH...AN HOUR OR TWO OF WIND SPEEDS SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 35
MPH...WITH WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE LIKELY. AS TEMPERATURES
FALL...WIND CHILL VALUES WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS AND 20S.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THE WEATHER PATTERN FEATURES NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND FREQUENT
INTRUSIONS OF COLD AND DRY AIR NEAR THE SURFACE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE
NOT EXPECTED.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
DRY AND OCCASIONALLY WINDY WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE
WEEK...MAKING THE POSSIBILITY OF WILDFIRES A CONCERN EACH AFTERNOON.

ON WEDNESDAY...A SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAK OF COLD WEATHER IS
ANTICIPATED...WITH A LARGE ARCTIC AIR MASS DROPPING INTO THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY PEAK EARLY IN THE
DAY...AND THEN FALL. WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE
TEENS LATE IN THE DAY...AND INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THE COLD WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH LOW TEMPERATURES
IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT
7 AM SATURDAY.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tillman

When: January 9, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Tillman forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.373, -98.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Comanche

When: January 9, 8:55 PM CST
Where: Comanche forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 34.662, -98.472 (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 Oklahoma in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, January 2009

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: 152644, 152645.