A complex of thunderstorms that formed in Kansas, pushed south into eastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 29th. Strong damaging wind and large hail occurred with the more intense storms.
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.
A complex of thunderstorms that formed in Kansas, pushed south into eastern Oklahoma during the evening of the 29th. Strong damaging wind and large hail occurred with the more intense storms. A narrow band of heavy rain also occurred over portions of eastern Osage County, resulting in localized flash flooding.
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 29, 5:09 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 609 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2013 .AVIATION... CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KBVO/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM. FOR THE 0Z TAFS... VFR CONDITIONS WITH A BROKEN CLOUD DECK AROUND 5K FEET WILL PREVAIL AT ALL TAF SITES OVERNIGHT. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD EASE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY LOCATED ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA WILL TRANSLATE EASTWARD AND EVENTUALLY AFFECT EASTERN OKLAHOMA SITES THIS EVENING. TEMPORARY MVFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFFECTING WESTERN ARKANSAS SITES BY AROUND 12Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 312 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2013/ DISCUSSION... WEAK CAP REMAINS OVER MOST OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON WITH ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS. LIMITED SURFACE HEATING HAS KEPT TEMPERATURES IN CHECK DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER. A FEW BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS HAVE ALLOWED AREAS WEST OF HIGHWAY 75 TO BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE. SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE WEST OF AREA...SPREADING INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. DEEP LAYER SHEAR REMAINS VERY WEAK AND UPPER LEVEL WIND FIELDS ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO MODESTLY INCREASE AS UPPER TROUGH AXIS SWINGS THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SHOULD LIMIT OVERALL SEVERE THREAT...HOWEVER A FEW ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS NE OK THIS EVENING. UPPER LEVEL SPEED MAX WILL SHIFT INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON THURSDAY WITH DRY LINE PUSHING INTO NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. AS LONG AS PRECIPITATION DOES NOT LINGER TOO LONG THURSDAY MORNING... ATMOSPHERE WILL LIKELY BECOME VERY UNSTABLE ALONG/EAST OF DRY LINE AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SURGES INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA. STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL ALSO INCREASE BY THIS TIME WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT BY LATE AFTERNOON. ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA...INCLUDING THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES. ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LIKELY FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH. SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL SHOULD TRANSITION TO MORE OF A HEAVY RAIN THREAT FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING INTO SATURDAY MORNING DEPENDING ON OVERALL SPEED OF SYSTEM. HEAVY RAIN THREAT SHOULD END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AS COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF AREA. MORE TRANQUIL WEATHER PATTERN EXPECTED INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS. && .TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...NONE. AR...NONE. && AVIATION...06
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
529 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2013
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-301000-
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-
529 PM CDT WED MAY 29 2013
THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.
TORNADO.
RISK...LIMITED.
AREA...ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 75.
ONSET...AFTER 8 PM.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
RISK...ELEVATED.
AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
ONSET...AFTER 6 PM.
DISCUSSION...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA WILL MOVE RAPIDLY
NORTHEAST INTO PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...BUT
WIND SHEAR WILL BE MARGINALLY SUFFICIENT FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO
OR TWO TO THE WEST OF HIGHWAY 75. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO
WEAKEN BY LATE EVENING AS INSTABILITY LESSENS AND THE STORMS MOVE
EAST INTO A MORE STRONGLY CAPPED ENVIRONMENT.
SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF THE REGIONAL SPOTTER NETWORK LIKELY.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HIGH WIND POTENTIAL...
HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.
SATURDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL.
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...NO HAZARDS.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
AN ELEVATED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS SETTING UP ON THURSDAY
AFTERNOON OVER MAINLY NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND INTO NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS THURSDAY EVENING. VERY LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF
BASEBALLS...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES...SOME POSSIBLY
STRONG...ARE THE EXPECTED HAZARDS.
THE DRYLINE WILL MIX FARTHER EAST INTO OKLAHOMA THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL REMAIN EAST OF THE DRYLINE AND SOUTH
OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN SOUTHERN KANSAS. WINDS ALOFT WILL BE
STRONG IN THE BASE OF A MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH. AN OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHTS STORMS MAY STRETCH ACROSS THE
REGION... POSSIBLY LOCALLY ENHANCING TORNADO POTENTIAL.
STORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND GROW INTO CLUSTERS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. THE
GREATEST THREAT AREA WILL BE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...AS THE CAP
WILL LIKELY LIMIT DEVELOPMENT FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE DRYLINE. THE
STORMS WILL MOVE EAST INTO THE OZARKS THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A
GRADUALLY DECREASING SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.
AN ELEVATED SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY...AS A
COLD FRONT SINKS INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
DAMAGING WINDS...VERY LARGE HAIL AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO ARE
POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...SLOW MOVING AND TRAINING STORMS WILL
PRODUCE AREAS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND POTENTIAL FLOODING.
A LIMITED SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL SHIFT SOUTH AND EAST WITH THE
FRONT ON SATURDAY INTO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL
ARKANSAS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS WILL BE THE
MAIN THREATS.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT...
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND FIRST RESPONDERS SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR EXPECTED WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE NEXT 24 TO
36 HOURS DUE TO HIGHER POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER
OVER THE REGION.
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.The Tulsa radar (KINX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:28 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Foraker measured 59 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several large trees along Highway 48.
Several large trees were blown down by strong thunderstorm winds, one of which fell onto a home.
A tree was blown down by strong thunderstorm wind.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Pawnee measured 59 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
Large tree limbs and other wind-blown debris blocked portions of Highway 2 between Briartown and the Canadian river.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Stigler measured 58 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
Flood water was reported up to and in some homes on Oak Street.
Several trees were blown down by strong thunderstorm winds.
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: 454495, 454496, 454497, 454498, 454499, 454500, 454501, 454502, 454503, 455531, 454504.