Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of the 19th along a stationary front that extended across northern Oklahoma. The storms formed over north central Oklahoma and then moved through eastern Oklahoma producing two tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail up to golfball size.
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.
Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of the 19th along a stationary front that extended across northern Oklahoma. The storms formed over north central Oklahoma and then moved through eastern Oklahoma producing two tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail up to golfball size.
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 19, 11:26 AM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tulsa OK 1226 PM CDT Sat May 19 2018 .AVIATION... CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KBVO/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM/KROG. Morning convection over NE OK has mostly dissipated, with attention turning to thunderstorm potential later this afternoon and especially overnight. Current indications are strong to severe storms may develop from western into north central OK as early as 21z, potentially impacting NE OK TAFS a little before 00z, with additional more widespread storms after 06z, again with main impacts focused on NE OK. A weak frontal boundary will push through parts of the area by early Sunday morning with a period of MVFR cigs likely behind it. Will also likely see MVFR conditions with thunderstorms. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 1040 AM CDT Sat May 19 2018/ DISCUSSION... Scattered elevated convection continues in narrow zone of warm advection this morning across northeast OK. Will continue to see downward trend in this activity during the next few hours, with decreasing clouds and a hot and humid afternoon. Have issued another update to freshen up morning precip chances, afternoon POP configuration looks okay for now as strong to severe storms expected to develop to our west this afternoon and move into eastern OK this evening. However, CAM solutions are trending toward earlier development of storms into northeast OK in the 21-00z time frame. PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 621 AM CDT Sat May 19 2018/ DISCUSSION... The discussion for the 12Z TAF forecast can be found below. AVIATION... CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KBVO/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM/KROG. The main aviation concern will be tstorm potential tonight. The best potential will be at the NE OK sites, where a tempo group was added during the most favorable time window at each site. Prob30 groups were added at the other sites for the tail end of the period with the expectation that storms will eventually make their way to these sites thru the night. MVFR cigs are expected behind a weak boundary in the wake of the storms at the NE OK sites late in the period. Lacy PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 349 AM CDT Sat May 19 2018/ DISCUSSION... Main concerns for this forecast focus on storm potential for today through the next several days. Early morning radar loops show the large MCS across Kansas with numerous boundaries noted across OK/TX. The main synoptic front is over north central Oklahoma, likely reinforced with gravity waves/undular bores or thunderstorm outflow. The dryline in the TX panhandle will also be a focus for convection this afternoon. For today, showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible just about anywhere due to the divergent southwest flow at upper levels. Will keep low pops for parts of northeast Oklahoma this morning where isolated showers have been persistent overnight. The main precipitation event will develop late this afternoon into tonight. The short term guidance and global models blow up a line of strong to severe storms between 4-7pm along the front in Oklahoma and the TX dryline. The airmass will be capped farther east, but the capping inversion has weakened over the past few days given the observed soundings last night at Lamont and Norman. Whatever develops west of here will move in tonight into the early morning hours on Sunday. Large hail and damaging winds will be the main severe threats tonight, in addition to training storms, which could produce locally heavy rainfall. Sunday will be noticeably cooler behind the front, with highs only in the low to mid 80s. There probably will be a good amount of remaining convective cloud cover for part of the day as well. Monday and Tuesday will be quieter, with a building upper ridge by Tuesday. Low chances for storms will persist through much of next week, though the chances for widespread severe weather are low for eastern Oklahoma/western Arkansas after tonight. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TUL 92 66 81 63 / 30 50 30 20 FSM 92 70 88 68 / 10 20 20 20 MLC 89 69 84 64 / 10 30 30 20 BVO 91 64 77 58 / 20 60 40 20 FYV 88 65 83 62 / 10 40 20 20 BYV 88 66 85 62 / 10 40 20 20 MKO 90 68 82 64 / 20 40 30 20 MIO 90 65 80 60 / 30 50 30 20 F10 90 68 80 63 / 20 40 40 20 HHW 89 68 86 67 / 10 20 20 20 && .TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. AR...None. && SHORT TERM...14 LONG TERM....18 AVIATION.....14
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Tulsa OK 102 PM CDT Sat May 19 2018 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-201045- 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- 102 PM CDT Sat May 19 2018 ...ELEVATED SEVERE STORM RISK OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... This Outlook is for Northwest and West Central Arkansas as well as much of Eastern Oklahoma. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. TORNADO. RISK...Limited. AREA...Northwest of Interstate 44. ONSET...After 4 PM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. RISK...Elevated. AREA...Northeast Oklahoma into Extreme Northwest Arkansas. ONSET...After 4 PM. FLASH FLOOD. RISK...Limited. AREA...Northeast Oklahoma. ONSET...This Evening. HEAVY RAIN. RISK...Limited. AREA...Northeast Oklahoma. ONSET...This Evening. DISCUSSION... There is an elevated risk of severe thunderstorms by late this afternoon generally northwest of Interstate 44. Very large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are all possible late this afternoon and early this evening. The threat for hail and damaging winds will continue into tonight as storms eventually spread farther east. Storms are expected to develop from southwest into north central Oklahoma and southeast Kansas this afternoon. An outflow boundary from morning storms just south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border may locally enhance the severe weather potential as some chance for discrete supercell development will exist late this afternoon and evening. Storm potential will gradually spread east during the overnight as a weak frontal boundary sinks southeast into the region, though severe potential is expected to wane during this time. Locally heavy rainfall is possible if storms can train over the same areas tonight. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... Activation of the Regional Spotter Network Likely. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. SUNDAY through FRIDAY...Thunderstorm Potential. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... Isolated to scattered storms remain possible mainly during the daytime hours Sunday thru Tuesday across western Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma. Daytime thunderstorms will be possible across all of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas Wednesday through Friday. While isolated severe storms can't be ruled out, a more widespread organized severe event is not expected due to weak flow aloft. weather.gov/tulsa contains additional information.
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:40 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs and blew shingles off of roofs.
Strong thunderstorm wind damaged the metal roof of a building and snapped numerous large tree limbs.
Strong thunderstorm wind damaged the roofs of businesses, damaged the high school, and blew down trees and power lines.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Burbank measured 63 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
This tornado was reported to the NWS by multiple storm chasers. It remained over open country for much of its lifecycle, but an NWS storm survey team found a barn that received some roof damage as well as trees that had large limbs snapped by this tornado. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 75 to 85 mph.
This tornado was reported to the NWS by multiple storm chasers. It remained over open country for much of its lifecycle, but an NWS storm survey team found a barn that had its roof blown off and some trees that had large limbs snapped by this tornado. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 75 to 85 mph.
Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
Strong thunderstorm wind was estimated to near 70 mph.
Strong thunderstorm wind blew down billboards.
Strong thunderstorm wind blew the awnings off several campers.
The Oklahoma Mesonet station near Copan measured 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.
Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs.
Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several large trees, snapped large tree limbs, and damaged a home.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Oklahoma, 2018Warnings in Oklahoma, May 2018
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: 757207, 757208, 757209, 757210, 748001, 748002, 757211, 757212, 757213, 757214, 757215, 757216, 757217, 757218, 757219, 757220.