A late-evening round of severe weather occurred across northwestern into west-central Oklahoma on the 26th. , cold temperatures), promoting a sufficient overlap of instability and lapse rates for large to very large hail.
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 OUN wrote it up.
A late-evening round of severe weather occurred across northwestern into west-central Oklahoma on the 26th. Thunderstorm activity was focused near and beneath an upper low aloft (i.e., cold temperatures), promoting a sufficient overlap of instability and lapse rates for large to very large hail.
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 May 26, 5:50 PM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK 650 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 641 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025 - Scattered storms tonight. - After a brief break, rain chances return late Wednesday / Thursday. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of today and tonight) Issued at 156 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025 The upper trough over the Rockies will move toward the Plains today with lift increasing tonight. This will provide enough lift for scattered showers and thunderstorms tonight. The low- level airmass has been worked over by this morning's storms, but there has been enough instability redeveloping and deep-layer wind shear is sufficient that some isolated strong or marginally severe storms will be possible. But low-level wind shear is very weak. Fortunately, the most likely area for showers and storms tonight is not where we have seen the heaviest precipitation over the last couple of days. && .SHORT TERM... (Tuesday through Wednesday night) Issued at 156 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025 Precipitation chances will be low on Tuesday/Tuesday night after the trough moves to the east. But the trough does not go too far to the east at the main upper low sits and spins over the Upper Mississippi Valley. An upper trough pivots southward around the south side of the upper low on Wednesday/Wednesday night with increasing precipitation chances again. With upslope low-level winds over the central High Plains and this trough moving south, a thunderstorm complex will likely develop over the eastern Colorado Plains and move southeast bringing very high precipitation chances into northwest Oklahoma Wednesday night. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday through next Sunday) Issued at 1057 PM CDT Sun May 25 2025 After our midweek respite, models suggest the next upper wave moving through Wednesday night / Thursday with an associated front, bringing medium rain chances with it. Too early to start diving into mesoscale details as the synoptic level is still showing some model variance. After this wave moves through, we should get another dry period before another shortwave possibly arrives sometime next weekend. Day && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 641 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025 Low ceiling from persisting stratus will keep our terminals under MVFR to periods of IFR conditions through much of the forecast period. An upper trough will be digging through bringing a final round of TSRA across our area generally between 03-10Z although probabilities of any storms moving over our terminals is around 30%. Easterly surface winds will be gradually backing more northeasterly as a warm front will be lifting although windspeeds rather weak at 5 to 10 kts. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 75 60 73 58 / 50 50 10 10 Hobart OK 76 59 75 57 / 60 50 10 10 Wichita Falls TX 78 64 77 61 / 50 40 0 10 Gage OK 71 54 73 54 / 60 50 10 10 Ponca City OK 72 57 72 55 / 70 50 10 0 Durant OK 79 65 78 62 / 90 60 20 10 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && NEAR TERM...26 SHORT TERM...26 LONG TERM....14 AVIATION...68
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
409 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
OKZ009-014-262145-
Roger Mills OK-Ellis OK-
409 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern Ellis
and central Roger Mills Counties through 445 PM CDT...
At 409 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 6
miles northeast of Reydon, moving east at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Cheyenne, Reydon, Strong City, Crawford, and Roll.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor NOAA Weather
Radio, local radio stations or available television stations for
additional information and possible warnings from the National
Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 3555 9991 3575 9994 3599 9950 3569 9939
TIME...MOT...LOC 2109Z 247DEG 33KT 3570 9982
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
30Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
718 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
OKZ009-270045-
Ellis OK-
718 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of west central Ellis
County through 745 PM CDT...
At 718 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 5
miles southwest of Shattuck, moving east at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Shattuck, Arnett, and Gage.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor NOAA Weather
Radio, local radio stations or available television stations for
additional information and possible warnings from the National
Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 3631 10000 3639 9968 3615 9965 3611 10000
TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 253DEG 28KT 3623 9996
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
30Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
801 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
OKZ009-014-270130-
Roger Mills OK-Ellis OK-
801 PM CDT Mon May 26 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Ellis
and northwestern Roger Mills Counties through 830 PM CDT...
At 801 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 4
miles north of Crawford, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Crawford.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor NOAA Weather
Radio, local radio stations or available television stations for
additional information and possible warnings from the National
Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 3577 9988 3595 9993 3603 9967 3580 9957
TIME...MOT...LOC 0101Z 256DEG 22KT 3588 9982
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
30The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 178 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:26 UTC.
9 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An image was relayed by emergency management. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations.
The report was relayed by emergency management. The location is approximate.
The location is approximate.
The report was relayed by a broadcast media storm chaser. The location is approximate.
An image showing a ruler measurement was shared on social media. Additional images show accumulating hailfall at this location. The location is approximate, and the event time is estimated from radar observations.
The location is approximate.
The report was relayed through mPING.
Elk City Regional Business Airport (KELK) observation.
The report was relayed through mPING. The event time is adjusted based on radar observations.
An estimated wind gust. The location is approximate.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2025
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: 1261056, 1261067, 1261069, 1261073, 1261075, 1264312, 1261080, 1261248, 1261249, 1261250, 1261251.