Oklahoma, 2016

Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 6, 2016

July 6, 2016 · NWS OUN · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

A line of storms formed on the 6th along a boundary in the Texas panhandle, then crossed through western north Texas and southwest Oklahoma that evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.

A line of storms formed on the 6th along a boundary in the Texas panhandle, then crossed through western north Texas and southwest Oklahoma that evening.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jul 6, 5:52 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 6, 5:52 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
652 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016

.DISCUSSION...
00Z TAFS.

&&

.AVIATION...
Scattered storms are expected to move into western Oklahoma and
western north Texas. But as usual, the probability of one of
these storms affecting any specific TAF site is less than 50
percent at this point so will not include a TEMPO group in this
set. Away from storms, VFR conditions are expected.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 252 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016/

DISCUSSION...
Forecast concerns for this update are focused upon ongoing
excessive heat over parts of north/central Oklahoma and prospects
for convection to spread east from west Texas this evening.

Current heat index values are occasionally reaching 110 degrees
from Kingfisher to Perkins and surrounding sites. Meanwhile 105 to
110 degree heat index values continue along a broad corridor from
western north Texas over much of Oklahoma. The Heat Advisory has
been expanded a bit on its western periphery and upgraded to an
Excessive Heat Warning over north/central Oklahoma. Will maintain
these headlines through Thursday, but influences from convection
tonight and/or any slight decrease in surface dewpoints could
dictate later adjustments.

Convection allowing models have shown a consistent signal for
scattered convection to originate within the deeply mixed boundary
layer over west Texas late this afternoon and spreading eastward
over western Oklahoma and western north Texas this evening. This
appears evident in satellite trends with deepening cumulus over
the southern Texas Panhandle and South Plains. With sufficient
steering flow and deep effective shear around 30 kt a threat of
severe/damaging wind gusts appears to exist with this activity as
it moves east of the 100th meridian around 00z.

Beyond these immediate hazards, ensemble confidence plots suggest
low confidence in the model blends through the weekend when a
front is expected to approach/impact the region. As of now, the
most likely timeframe for meaningful rainfall appears to be Friday
night/early Saturday favoring northern/northeastern Oklahoma.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK  77  97  78  96 /  10   0  10  20
Hobart OK         77 103  79  99 /  40   0   0  20
Wichita Falls TX  79 101  79 100 /  20   0   0  10
Gage OK           76 105  74  97 /  40   0  10  30
Ponca City OK     80  99  78  93 /  20  10  10  30
Durant OK         77  95  78  95 /  10   0   0  10

&&

.OUN Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
OK...Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM CDT Thursday for OKZ012-013-
     018>020-024>026.

     Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT Thursday for OKZ006>008-011-016-017-
     022-023-027>032-035>048-050>052.

TX...Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT Thursday for TXZ083>090.

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 6, 5:20 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
620 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-071015-
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-
620 PM CDT WED JUL 6 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN...
WESTERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH
TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

.THUNDERSTORMS
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE...JUST EAST OF AMARILLO.  AS SUNSET APPROACHES...A FEW
OF THESE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO FAR WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND PERHAPS
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.  THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH. SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS
WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN.

STORM INTENSITY WILL DECREASE THROUGH THE LATE EVENING. IT'S
POSSIBLE THAT A FEW STORMS MAY REACH THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

.THUNDERSTORMS...
A FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO OKLAHOMA FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
INCREASING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ACROSS THE AREA. THERE IS A
MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY IN NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. LOWER CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EXIST SUNDAY INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK.

.HEAT...
HEAT INDEX VALUES OF 105 TO 113 ARE EXPECTED AGAIN THURSDAY
AFTERNOON. HEAT ADVISORIES AND EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS ARE IN
EFFECT.

GET GRAPHICS AND MORE DETAILS AT WEATHER.GOV/NORMAN...AND FOLLOW
OUR WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK.

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harmon

When
July 6, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Harmon County, 3.41 mi W of Gould
Measured
64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.670, -99.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
July 6, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 6.33 mi WNW of Eldorado
Measured
71 kt (82 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
34.510, -99.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Harmon

When
July 6, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Harmon County, 3.41 mi W of Gould
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.670, -99.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
July 6, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, Olustee
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
34.550, -99.420

Grain bin blown was over at D street and W 5th.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
July 6, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 2.76 mi S of Altus
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.600, -99.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Tillman

When
July 6, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Tillman County, 2.2 mi SE of Tipton Arpt
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.440, -99.140

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, July 2016

Sources

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: 642982, 642983, 642984, 642985, 642986, 642987.