Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of the 15th across northeastern Oklahoma, along a weak stationary frontal boundary. The air mass across the region had become moderately unstable during the afternoon, but wind shear was very weak.
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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 TSA wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of the 15th across northeastern Oklahoma, along a weak stationary frontal boundary. The air mass across the region had become moderately unstable during the afternoon, but wind shear was very weak. As a result, storms that developed were short-lived. The strongest thunderstorms produced brief, damaging wind gusts.
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 Sep 15, 2:42 PM CST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tulsa OK 342 PM CDT Wed Sep 15 2021 .DISCUSSION... This afternoon....a west to east oriented vorticity lobe was positioned from the Texas Panhandle through Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas and into Central Arkansas. Along and near this vorticity lobe...combined with a couple weak surface boundaries...isolated showers and thunderstorms had develop across portions of Eastern Oklahoma and West Central Arkansas. This activity will remain possible into the evening hours before weakening with the loss of daytime heating and decreasing instability. Severe weather is not anticipated through this evening. Starting Thursday...high pressure looks to set up over the Southern Plains with the upper level jet over the northern CONUS. High pressure is forecast to remain common over the region into the weekend before lifting more northeast Sunday. This will allow for warming temps into the weekend with highs back in the low/mid 90s Saturday. Also through this time period...an upper level impulse within the ridge of high pressure is progged to hold over the region with an upper level trof axis moving through the region Friday. In response...isolated chances for showers and storms look to be possible each afternoon Friday through Sunday mainly over the higher terrain of Southeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas. Will continue with slight chance pops Friday as the upper trof moves through and hold onto pops just below mentionable criteria Saturday. Sunday into the Monday the weak impulse is forecast to begin lifting through the region ahead of a much more defined wave moving eastward into the Plains Monday/Tuesday. Thus...will continue to carry at least slight chance pops Sunday and Monday afternoons across Southeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas. The stronger wave is progged to push a more fall like cold front into the CWA during the Tuesday to Wednesday time frame...depending on the model of choice. GFS continues to be faster while the ECMWF has been more consistent with timing of Tuesday night into Wednesday. Thus...have leaned toward the ECMWF for details. Shower and thunderstorm chances increase as the front moves through with much cooler temps...highs of 70s near 80 deg...behind the front Wednesday. Will continue to refine timing/strength of this system as the event approaches. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TUL 68 92 69 92 / 10 0 0 0 FSM 69 90 70 91 / 20 10 0 20 MLC 66 89 66 90 / 20 0 0 10 BVO 63 91 64 92 / 0 0 0 0 FYV 62 86 63 88 / 10 10 0 10 BYV 64 85 64 87 / 10 10 0 20 MKO 66 88 66 89 / 10 0 0 10 MIO 65 89 65 90 / 0 0 0 0 F10 66 90 67 90 / 10 0 0 10 HHW 67 88 68 88 / 10 10 0 20 && .TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. AR...None. && SHORT TERM...07 LONG TERM....20
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Tulsa OK 1254 PM CDT Wed Sep 15 2021 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-161030- 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- 1254 PM CDT Wed Sep 15 2021 This Outlook is for Northwest and West Central Arkansas as well as much of Eastern Oklahoma. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. THUNDERSTORMS WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. RISK...Limited. AREA...Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas. ONSET...Afternoon. DISCUSSION... Isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon across portions of eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. A brief strong storm will be possible with locally gusty winds. Any storms which do develop will diminish soon after sunset. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... Spotter Activation Not Expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. THURSDAY...No Hazards. FRIDAY...Thunderstorm Potential. SATURDAY...No Hazards. SUNDAY through TUESDAY...Thunderstorm Potential. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... Daily isolated showers and storms are forecast Friday through next Monday with slightly higher chances being across far eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. A cold front is forecast to move into the region late Tuesday with increasing thunderstorm chances and cooler temperatures. weather.gov/tulsa contains additional information.
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large trees limbs, and blew down a power pole.
Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs near the intersection of S Peoria Avenue and E 56th Street.
The ASOS at the Tulsa Richard L Jones Jr Riverside Airport (KRVS) measured 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts. Large tree limbs were reported to be blown down near the airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, September 2021
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: 981826, 981833, 981830.