Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Oklahoma in the vicinity of a weak frontal boundary on May 16th. Some of the storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
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 episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.
Strong to severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Oklahoma in the vicinity of a weak frontal boundary on May 16th. Some of the storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
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 16, 5:17 AM CST, 4 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 617 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010 ...UPDATE... .AVIATION... CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM. IFR WITH OCCASIONAL LIFR CONDITIONS EARLY THIS MORNING AT ALL SITES...WITH STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AT KFYV/KXNA THROUGH ABOUT 15Z. CIGS SHOULD IMPROVE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. CIGS LIKELY TO FALL BACK TO IFR CATEGORY AFTER 06Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 303 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010/ DISCUSSION... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING AS A MID-LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA WORKS TO THE EAST. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TODAY AS THE MID-LEVEL LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROF MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. HAVE OPTED TO CANCEL THE FLOOD WATCH THAT WAS IN PLACE UNTIL NOON ACROSS THE REGION. MOST LOCATIONS WILL SEE UNDER AN INCH OF RAIN TODAY WHICH WILL NOT CAUSE ANY WIDESPREAD FLOODING ISSUES. HOWEVER... WITH THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO BE MORE NUMEROUS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...THERE COULD BE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. THE BIGGER CONCERN FOR THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AS THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS IN THE 60S AND AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S AND 80S. THE GREATEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS WHERE A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LIFT. LARGE HAIL AND WINDS WILL BE THE CONCERN. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL TAPER OFF TONIGHT AS THE MID-LEVEL LOW SWEEPS OFF TO THE EAST. MONDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE DRY AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT. THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INCREASE ON TUESDAY AND REMAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK AS A COUPLE OF CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES MAKE A RUN AT THE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AND THEN ANOTHER MID-LEVEL LOW MOVES OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND ACROSS THE PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. WILL KEEP THE WEEKEND DRY FOR NOW AS HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY BUILDS ALOFT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TUL 74 56 76 54 / 70 20 10 10 FSM 76 58 76 57 / 70 20 10 0 MLC 76 57 77 56 / 60 20 10 10 BVO 70 54 76 52 / 70 20 10 10 FYV 71 53 70 50 / 80 30 10 10 BYV 70 54 66 51 / 80 40 10 10 MKO 74 57 75 54 / 60 20 10 0 MIO 71 54 72 51 / 80 30 10 10 F10 74 57 75 56 / 60 20 10 10 HHW 80 61 82 59 / 60 20 10 10 && .TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...NONE. AR...NONE. && AVIATION...18
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 500 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-171000- ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK- CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK- LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK- OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK- PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK- WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR- 500 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010 ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...MAINLY SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. ONSET...AFTER 3 PM. FLASH FLOOD. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. HEAVY RAIN. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. DISCUSSION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM THAT IS PUSHING INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED WITH THIS ACTIVITY...BUT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL OCCUR WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR THE RED RIVER BY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS BOUNDARY COULD BE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY LATE AFTERNOON. INSTABILITY AND OVERALL SHEAR APPEAR SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT AT LEAST A FEW SEVERE STORMS INTO THE EVENING HOURS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... LOCAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MONDAY...NO HAZARDS. TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SATURDAY...NO HAZARDS. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... THE UPPER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO BECOME FAVORABLE FOR OVERNIGHT THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES...MAINLY BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS. THE ACTIVE PATTER WILL CONTINUE INTO THE LATE WEEK...WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
521 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010
OKZ067-068-070-161100-
CHEROKEE OK-MUSKOGEE OK-WAGONER OK-
521 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
NORTHEASTERN MUSKOGEE AND CHEROKEE
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
SOUTHEASTERN WAGONER
AT 521 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHEAST
OF MUSKOGEE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE
AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...HULBERT...OKAY...MUSKOGEE AND FORT
GIBSON.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO 40 MPH. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE
THE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.
LAT...LON 3579 9488 3570 9534 3582 9544 3609 9511
TIME...MOT...LOC 1021Z 237DEG 14KT 3580 9530SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
555 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010
OKZ068>070-072-161145-
ADAIR OK-CHEROKEE OK-MUSKOGEE OK-SEQUOYAH OK-
555 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
NORTHEASTERN MUSKOGEE...CHEROKEE AND NORTHWESTERN SEQUOYAH
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
NORTHWESTERN ADAIR
AT 555 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HULBERT TO 5 MILES WEST OF
BRAGGS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE
AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...PUMPKIN CENTER...PROCTOR...
TAHLEQUAH...COOKSON...HULBERT...ELDON AND BRAGGS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO 40 MPH.
LAT...LON 3613 9470 3561 9481 3561 9530 3596 9514
TIME...MOT...LOC 1055Z 242DEG 16KT 3590 9510 3564 9526The Tulsa radar (KINX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:31 UTC.
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees and power lines.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2010
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: 228453, 228455, 228456, 228457.