Some rainfall events occurred during May, but with a heavy bias toward central Oklahoma near the I-35 corridor, where drought conditions continued to improve. Drought was eliminated for the first time since June 2012 in and around the Oklahoma City metro area, extending southeast toward Ada and Atoka.
Every event with a place to put it; 35 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.
Some rainfall events occurred during May, but with a heavy bias toward central Oklahoma near the I-35 corridor, where drought conditions continued to improve. Drought was eliminated for the first time since June 2012 in and around the Oklahoma City metro area, extending southeast toward Ada and Atoka. However, extreme to exceptional drought persisted over much of western Oklahoma, including some worsening along the border with the Texas Panhandle.
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 30, 6:27 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 727 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2013 .UPDATE... REMOVED RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. TWEAKED SKY COVER DOWNWARD. && .DISCUSSION... DRY AND MILD WEATHER IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. THINK CAPPING WILL BE TOO STRONG FOR ANY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. ONGOING STORMS EAST OF LUBBOCK ARE EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. MBS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 645 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2013/ AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THIS EVENING... BUT MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASES. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TOMORROW SHIFTING THE WINDS AND INCREASING STORM CHANCES. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 424 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2013/ DISCUSSION... BREEZY SOUTH WINDS CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON WITH A LEE LOW DEEPENING OVER THE TX PANHANDLE. A CU FIELD HAS DEVELOPED NEAR THE CAPROCK THIS AFTERNOON ALONG A SFC TROUGH/DRYLINE...BUT ANY THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF OUR FA TONIGHT. THE MAIN CONCERNS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE THE TIMING OF A POTENT COLD FRONT TOMORROW...WINTRY PRECIP ACROSS THE NW...A FEW SEVERE STORMS...AND STRONG TO PERHAPS A FEW HIGH POST-FRONTAL WINDS. THE NAM REMAINS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH THE FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH...PUSHING THE COLD FRONT THROUGH MOST OF OK BY 12Z THURS. THE REST OF THE DETERMINISTIC NWP MODELS ARE SLIGHTLY SLOWER. DECIDED TO LEAN A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE NAM WITH REGARDS TO FRONTAL TIMING...BUT BELIEVE IT MAY BE TOO FAST WITH UPPER LOW/TROUGH. POST-FRONTAL POPS STILL LOOK LIKELY ALONG 850MB BAROCLINIC ZONE THURS AS POTENT VORT MAX SWINGS OVER THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES SOME SEVERE STORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE TOMORROW AFT/EVE JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HOWEVER...MODEST MID TO UPPER FLOW AND CIN WILL LIMIT ORGANIZATION AND THE OVERALL SEVERE THREAT. PROFILES STILL LOOK COLD ENOUGH ACROSS NW/W OK FOR SLEET/SNOW/RAIN THURS MORNING. DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY TRAVEL IMPACTS THOUGH CONSIDERING HOW WARM GROUND TEMPS ARE. A VERY TIGHT THERMAL/PRESSURE GRADIENT AND STRONG N 850MB JET (50KT) BEHIND THE FRONT WILL RESULT IN VERY WINDY CONDITIONS LATE WED NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. WE WILL NOT ISSUE ANY HEADLINES FOR NOW...BUT IF CONFIDENCE INCREASES TON- TOM....AT LEAST A WIND ADV FOR MUCH OF THE AREA WILL BE NEEDED. MUCH COLDER TEMPS WILL IMPACT THE REGION THURS AND HAVE DECIDED TO LOWER HIGHS INTO THE 40S FOR MANY LOCATIONS WITH RAIN CHANCES/CLOUD COVER REMAINING IN PLACE BEHIND THE FRONT. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL STRUGGLE TO CLIMB OUT OF THE 30S. TEMPS WILL BE A BIT DIFFICULT FRI MORNING DEPENDING ON WIND SPEEDS AND CLOUD COVER. OVERALL...IT LOOKS LIKE AT LEAST NW/W OK WILL EXPERIENCE ANOTHER FREEZE. OTHER LOCATIONS WILL DROP INTO THE LOW TO MID 30S. LIKELY POPS FOR EASTERN OK WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH FRI MORNING AS THE CUTOFF LOW SLOWLY MOVES INTO THE MIDWEST. AS ALWAYS WITH CUTOFF LOWS...ITS STILL UNCLEAR HOW FAST IT WILL PROGRESS SO IT IS POSSIBLE AT LEAST SCHC POPS COULD LINGER THROUGH MOST OF FRI ACROSS THE NE/E. CONFIDENCE IS FAIRLY HIGH THOUGH THAT BELOW AVG TEMPS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... OKLAHOMA CITY OK 62 77 40 44 / 0 30 60 60 HOBART OK 62 74 39 44 / 10 40 70 50 WICHITA FALLS TX 64 84 44 48 / 10 30 40 40 GAGE OK 56 62 34 47 / 10 20 80 40 PONCA CITY OK 61 74 39 42 / 10 40 60 80 DURANT OK 62 83 48 53 / 0 10 30 20 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 17/26
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
751 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2013
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-011000-
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-
751 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2013
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT.
DISCUSSION...
A STRONG CAP...WARM LAYER OF AIR ALOFT...WILL PREVENT THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT.
PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT WEDNESDAY MAY 1.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...10 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. STRONG TO
SEVERE STORMS APPEAR POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS
PARTS OF SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHERN TEXAS. LARGE HAIL AND
STRONG WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
VERY STRONG NORTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA WEDNESDAY
THROUGH THURSDAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT
5 AM WEDNESDAY.
MBSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
35 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
D3 (extreme) drought continued with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had worsened to D4 (exceptional) by the end of the month.
D1 (moderate) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D1 (moderate) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had worsened slightly to D3 (extreme) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D0 (abnormally dry) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D4 (exceptional) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D4 (exceptional) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D4 (exceptional) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved to D0 (abnormally dry) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D1 (moderate) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D0 (abnormally dry) by the end of the month.
D3 (extreme) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D2 (severe) by the end of the month.
D1 (moderate) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D0 (abnormally dry) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved to D0 (abnormally dry) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D1 (moderate) by the end of the month.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D1 (moderate) by the end of the month.
D1 (moderate) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D0 (abnormally dry) by the end of the month.
D3 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had improved slightly to D2 (severe) by the end of the month.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D3 (extreme) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought continued through the month with persistent dry conditions.
D2 (severe) drought was present at the beginning of the month, but had worsened to D3 (extreme) by the end of the month.
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, May 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: 445392, 445393, 445395, 445397, 445398, 445399, 445400, 445401, 445402, 445403, 445404, 445405, 445406, 445407, 445408, 445409, 445411, 445414, 445415, 445416, 445417, 445419, 445420, 445421, 445422, 445423, 445424, 445425, 445426, 445427, 445428, 445429, 445431, 445432, 445433.