An unseasonably strong arctic cold front swept through Oklahoma on the afternoon and evening of April 9. Behind the front, elevated thunderstorms affected much of western and central Oklahoma as temperatures fell to near or just below freezing.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 OUN wrote it up.
An unseasonably strong arctic cold front swept through Oklahoma on the afternoon and evening of April 9. Behind the front, elevated thunderstorms affected much of western and central Oklahoma as temperatures fell to near or just below freezing. As a result, some areas received minor to moderate ice accumulations, with the maximum amounts around one-half inch on the west side of the Oklahoma City metro area.
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 Apr 9, 3:52 AM CST, 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 452 AM CDT TUE APR 9 2013 .DISCUSSION... HAVE A MIXED PLATE OF WEATHER ISSUES TODAY. FIRST WILL BE STORMS AND SEVERE POTENTIAL. AS COLD FRONT MOVES INTO NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA LATER TODAY... EXPECT STORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS FRONT ADVANCES SOUTHEAST... EXPECT A SQUALL LINE TO DEVELOP AND SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA WITH POTENTIAL OF SEVERE WINDS AND MODERATELY SEVERE HAIL. A DRYLINE WILL ALSO MOVE INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. MAY SEE ISOLATED STORMS DEVELOP ON THE DRYLINE THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE THE COLD FRONT OVERTAKES THE AREA. AFTERNOON DRYLINE STORMS WILL HAVE A LIKELIHOOD OF BEING SUPERCELLULAR WITH THE RISK OF LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF TORNADOES LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...ALTHOUGH THE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR IS ONLY MODERATE UNTIL THE LOW-LEVEL JET INCREASES THIS EVENING. SO ALTHOUGH THERE IS A RISK OF SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES... THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE WITH THE SQUALL LINE AND WINDS. SECOND ISSUE IS FIRE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON SOUTHWEST BEHIND THE DRYLINE. OUR FORECAST MIN RH IS 20 OR LOWER IN THE HOLLIS-BENJAMIN CORRIDOR... BUT IT IS UNCLEAR HOW WIDESPREAD THE HIGHER WINDS WILL BE AS SURFACE GRADIENT RELAXES SOMEWHAT IN THIS AREA. ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME FIRE WEATHER RISK WEST... WILL CANCEL THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH AND NOT ISSUE A RED FLAG WITH THIS PACKAGE. IF WINDS STAY HIGHER... A RED FLAG MAY STILL BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. THIRD IS WINTER PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTHWEST LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY AS COLD AIR SPREADS INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT BEFORE PRECIPITATION COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THAT COLD AIR IS INITIALLY RATHER SHALLOW AND A WARM LAYER ABOVE 0C IS MAINTAINED ABOVE THE FRONTAL SURFACE THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT. SO SLEET AND/OR FREEZING RAIN LOOKS TO BE MORE OF AN ISSUE THAN SNOW. WILL NOT ISSUE ANY ADVISORY WITH THIS PACKAGE AS EXPECT PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS TO BE LIGHT. ALSO RELATED... THE COLD AIR SPREADING INTO THE AREA WILL BRING MINIMUM TEMPERATURES NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING ACROSS NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA WEDNESDAY MORNING... AND ACROSS A LARGER AREA THURSDAY MORNING. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... OKLAHOMA CITY OK 76 36 47 31 / 20 80 30 10 HOBART OK 78 31 48 28 / 30 50 20 0 WICHITA FALLS TX 82 38 53 32 / 20 70 20 0 GAGE OK 69 24 44 27 / 30 40 10 0 PONCA CITY OK 76 35 47 31 / 30 70 40 10 DURANT OK 79 52 55 37 / 20 80 60 10 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 26
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
740 PM CDT MON APR 8 2013
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-091100-
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-
740 PM CDT MON APR 8 2013
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
DISCUSSION...
A LAYER OF WARM AIR ALOFT WILL PREVENT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH TONIGHT.
PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT TUESDAY APR 9.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...5 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...40 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY...MAINLY BETWEEN 4 PM TUESDAY AND
7 AM WEDNESDAY...AS A STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVES TOWARD THE PLAINS
AND A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK TUESDAY
AND TUESDAY NIGHT FOR NEARLY ALL OF OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
SCATTERED STORMS MAY DEVELOP TUESDAY AFTERNOON ALONG A DRYLINE IN
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. AS THE
COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST LATE TUESDAY
AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...A SQUALL LINE WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ALONG
THE FRONT WITH A CONTINUED THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS
ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER AN INCH. STORM CHANCES WILL
DECREASE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT TUESDAY
NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING.
BEYOND WEDNESDAY...NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
ON WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON THURSDAY MORNING
ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN...CENTRAL AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA.
ELEVATED TO NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS
FAR WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND FAR WESTERN NORTH TEXAS TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO
EARLY EVENING WHERE BREEZY CONDITIONS...LOW HUMIDITY...AND VERY WARM
TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR.
WINDY CONDITIONS WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH MAY OCCUR AWAY FROM
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA WITH THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG
COLD FRONT TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A WIND ADVISORY MAY
BE NECESSARY.
THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN
OKLAHOMA ON WEDNESDAY MORNING...BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED BY
5 AM TUESDAY.
MBS/30The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
One quarter inch or less of ice on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads or sidewalks. Small limbs downed by ice.
A mix of winter weather occurred from Freedom to Waynoka. Up to a half inch of snow and sleet accumulated with some light ice accumulation also reported. No major damage was reported.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No damage was reported.
Up to one quarter inch of ice accumulated on trees, power lines, and vehicles. Sporadic power outages were reported in the Cordell area.
Law enforcement and COOP observers reported a coating of ice 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Ice accumulated on trees, power lines, and vehicles. Sporadic power outages were also reported.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Utility company and local media report between 1/8 and 1/4 inch of ice on trees, power lines, and vehicles. Sporadic to widespread power outages reported in the Yukon area.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No accumulation occurred on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No accumulation occurred on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to one quarter inch of ice accumulation on elevated surfaces. Roads and sidewalks not impacted. Sporadic power outages occurred due to falling limbs.
Reports of up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation on trees and elevated surfaces at Vance Air Force Base. No damage was reported.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulated on elevated surfaces. A few power outages occurred. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, April 2013
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: 445364, 445365, 445366, 444938, 444939, 445372, 444940, 445369, 445370, 445371, 444936, 444937, 445368, 445367.