An unseasonably strong arctic cold front swept through western north Texas on the evening of April 9. Behind the front, elevated thunderstorms affected the region as temperatures fell to near or just below freezing.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 western north Texas on the evening of April 9. Behind the front, elevated thunderstorms affected the region as temperatures fell to near or just below freezing. As a result, some areas received minor to moderate ice accumulations.
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 10, 3:25 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
425 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
.DISCUSSION...
MESSY MIX OF WINTER WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING. MUCH OF
WESTERN OKLAHOMA IS BELOW FREEZING AT THE SURFACE WHILE THERE
REMAINS ENOUGH OF A WARM LAYER ABOVE THE COLD AIRMASS THAT SLEET
AND/OR FREEZING RAIN IS MORE OF A CONCERN THAN SNOW. EVEN IN THE
AREAS WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING... SLEET IS STILL
IN THE MIX AS WELL. SPECIFIC EVOLUTION OF WEATHER TYPES WILL
DEPEND ON AT WHAT POINT THE SLOW DIURNAL WARMING WILL BEGIN TO
COUNTERACT THE COLD AIR ADVECTION AND ALLOW SURFACE TEMPERATURES
TO START WARMING BACK ABOVE FREEZING IN AREAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY
AT OR BELOW FREEZING. WILL GO WITH A SLOW WARMING ALLOWING MOST
AREAS /EXCEPT PERHAPS IN THE FAR NORTHWEST/ TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING
BY LATE MORNING. WILL NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ADVISORY
AREA WITH THIS PACKAGE. HIGHEST CONCERN FOR HAZARDOUS WEATHER
CONDITIONS WILL BE IN THE AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN... ESPECIALLY
FROM LAWTON TO EL RENO TO ENID/FAIRVIEW WHERE HEAVIER
PRECIPITATION MAY STILL FALL THIS MORNING AT THE WESTERN EDGE OF
THE MORE SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION SHIELD.
PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST TODAY. EVEN AS
PRECIPITATION DECREASES TODAY... LINGERING CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO
LIMIT WARMING. MOS GUIDANCE MAX TEMPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON SEEM
QUITE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF LINGERING CLOUDS AND THIS
AIRMASS... SO HAVE GONE BELOW OR MUCH BELOW MOS. WIDESPREAD
FREEZE IS LIKELY TONIGHT. WILL NOT ISSUE ANY FREEZE HEADLINES
WITH THIS PACKAGE THOUGH TO AVOID CONFUSION WITH TODAY'S WINTER
WEATHER SITUATION.
ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO LATER PERIODS OF THE FORECAST.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 40 29 55 35 / 70 10 0 0
HOBART OK 42 25 58 34 / 30 0 0 0
WICHITA FALLS TX 46 32 60 37 / 60 10 0 0
GAGE OK 38 25 59 32 / 20 0 0 0
PONCA CITY OK 39 28 52 32 / 80 10 0 0
DURANT OK 48 36 60 39 / 80 10 0 0
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
OKZ004>025-027-033>038.
TX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
TXZ083>085-087.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
500 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-111000-
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-
500 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER ALL BUT FAR WESTERN
OKLAHOMA TODAY. ALTHOUGH MANY STORMS WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...
NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED.
DISCUSSION...
AS UNSTABLE AIR CONTINUES TO BE PULLED OVER THE COLD SURFACE
AIRMASS...RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
MUCH OF THE MORNING...BEFORE ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST. MANY OF
THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE EFFICIENT PRODUCERS OF SMALL HAIL
WHICH MAY COVER THE GROUND FOR A SHORT TIME. HOWEVER...ORGANIZED
SEVERE STORMS ARE UNLIKELY.
PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT THURSDAY APR 11.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...100 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...10 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
WIDESPREAD FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
MORNING. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS TO SEE IMPACTING ACCUMULATIONS
OF ICE AND SLEET WILL BE WEST OF WICHITA FALLS...OKLAHOMA CITY...
AND STILLWATER. ICE ACCUMULATIONS...WHICH COULD RESULT IN POWER
LINE AND VEGETATION DAMAGE...ARE EXPECTED FROM AROUND HOBART...
UP THROUGH WEATHERFORD AND ANADARKO...TO WATONGA...FAIRVIEW...
ENID AND MEDFORD. SOME BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WILL ALSO BECOME
ICY THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
LOW THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN ON SATURDAY AND AGAIN NEXT TUESDAY.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
WIDESPREAD FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY MORNING.
TENDER PLANTS WILL NEED TO BE COVERED OR BROUGHT INDOORS.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND NOON
WITH UPDATES AS NEEDED.SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1222 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
TXZ087-100545-
KNOX TX-
1222 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR KNOX COUNTY UNTIL 1245 AM CDT...
AT 1221 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES WEST OF
O'BRIEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS...
LAT...LON 3340 9999 3357 9999 3383 9986 3372 9948
3371 9948 3340 9974 3340 9998
TIME...MOT...LOC 0521Z 210DEG 52KT 3339 9996SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1226 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
TXZ085-100600-
WILBARGER TX-
1226 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WILBARGER COUNTY UNTIL 100 AM
CDT...
AT 1221 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES EAST OF
THALIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS...
LAT...LON 3418 9947 3440 9929 3420 9919 3420 9897
3384 9921 3383 9947
TIME...MOT...LOC 0521Z 210DEG 52KT 3399 9942SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1238 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
OKZ023-038-100645-
CADDO OK-COMANCHE OK-
1238 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN CADDO AND NORTHERN
COMANCHE COUNTIES UNTIL 145 AM CDT...
AT 1235 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MEERS...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH DIAMETER...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
LAT...LON 3486 9866 3486 9862 3491 9862 3537 9827
3537 9810 3488 9810 3453 9852 3474 9875
TIME...MOT...LOC 0535Z 221DEG 48KT 3475 9861PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1240 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 W MEDICINE PARK 34.73N 98.55W
04/10/2013 M59 MPH COMANCHE OK MESONET
&&
MDAYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1250 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1245 AM HAIL 1 SW VERNON 34.14N 99.30W
04/10/2013 E0.50 INCH WILBARGER TX AMATEUR RADIO
&&
MDAYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1257 AM CDT WED APR 10 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1256 AM HAIL 5 N MEDICINE PARK 34.80N 98.50W
04/10/2013 E1.00 INCH COMANCHE OK BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
MDAYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation on elevated surfaces. No ice accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to a quarter inch of ice on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
Up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation on elevated surfaces. No accumulation on roads, bridges, or sidewalks.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, 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: 445373, 445374, 445375.