A complex of strong to severe thunderstorms developed over Central and Southern Oklahoma during the evening hour on May 24th, and shifted east into Eastern Oklahoma during the predawn hours on May 25th. These storms developed along and east of the dryline and associated weak upper level trough of low pressure, and advanced east while being maintained by the nocturnal low level jet.
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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 SHV wrote it up.
A complex of strong to severe thunderstorms developed over Central and Southern Oklahoma during the evening hour on May 24th, and shifted east into Eastern Oklahoma during the predawn hours on May 25th. These storms developed along and east of the dryline and associated weak upper level trough of low pressure, and advanced east while being maintained by the nocturnal low level jet. These storms began to weaken as they entered Southeast Oklahoma, but still produced strong wind gusts which downed a large tree near Battiest in Northern McCurtain County. Locally heavy rainfall, which trained over this same area, also resulted in flash flooding as well. These storms weakened as they moved into Western Arkansas by daybreak.
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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 1:40 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 240 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2016 .DISCUSSION... A complex of strong to severe thunderstorms across Eastern Oklahoma continues to gradually shift east this morning. Convection to gradually dissipate by daybreak, however not before possibly moving into McCurtain county. Ongoing southwest flow aloft to maintain a fairly persistent weather pattern today characterized by partly to mostly cloudy skies and isolated showers and thunderstorms in the late afternoon and evening. Rain chances to increase on Thursday as an upper-level low moves from southern California to the Four Corners region. Severe weather threat will remain just slightly west of the region mainly concentrated along a dry-line across Texas. However, some strong storms will be possible mainly across East Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, and portions of Southwest Arkansas on Thursday and Friday. Upper-trough to push east across the region on Saturday allowing for a continued chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. However, upper-ridge to rebuild across the region late in the weekend bringing warmer and drier conditions through the remainder of the forecast period. Temperatures through the weekend to range from highs in the 80s to lows in the 70s. Could see slightly cooler temperatures on Thursday and Friday due to higher rain chances. Otherwise, high temperatures to approach 90 across North Louisiana and Southern Arkansas by Monday and Tuesday. /05/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 88 74 84 71 / 20 0 40 50 MLU 88 73 86 72 / 10 0 40 30 DEQ 85 72 82 69 / 20 20 50 60 TXK 87 73 83 70 / 20 10 50 60 ELD 87 73 85 70 / 20 0 50 40 TYR 87 74 82 71 / 20 20 50 60 GGG 87 74 83 71 / 20 10 50 60 LFK 88 75 83 73 / 20 10 50 40 && .SHV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && 05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 1130 AM CDT TUE MAY 24 2016 ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077- TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-251100- SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE- COLUMBIA-UNION-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-DE SOTO- RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE-NATCHITOCHES-WINN- GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP- MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK- PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-SAN AUGUSTINE- 1130 AM CDT TUE MAY 24 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST LOUISIANA... SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND EAST AND NORTHEAST TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING ACROSS MAINLY NORTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE SMALL HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEEK...THROUGH THE WEEKEND... AND INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION. THE MAIN CONCERNS WILL BE SMALL HAIL...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF BUT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE FROM LATE THURSDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS...AND STORM SPOTTERS IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. 06
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 352 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2016 OKZ077-250930- MCCURTAIN OK- 352 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN MCCURTAIN COUNTY UNTIL 430 AM CDT... AT 352 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 14 MILES EAST OF NASHOBA...OR 24 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CLAYTON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... MOUNT HERMAN...PLUNKETVILLE...BATTIEST...WATSON...PICKENS...BETHEL... SHERWOOD AND SMITHVILLE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 3451 9446 3427 9447 3428 9505 3451 9505 TIME...MOT...LOC 0852Z 269DEG 36KT 3443 9496 09
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:32 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A large tree was blown down across Little Silver Creek Road southwest of Battiest.
Four to five inches of rain across Northern McCurtain County resulted in county roads flooded in and around the town of Battiest.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2016
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: 627264, 627266.