F1 tornado, Tabler to Middleberg, Oklahoma, May 25, 1997

1. F040 to 72 mph

   Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

2. F173 to 112 mphthis tornado

   Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

3. F2113 to 157 mph

   Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

4. F3158 to 206 mph

   Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

5. F4207 to 260 mph

   Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

6. F5261 to 318 mph

   Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

7. Unrated

   The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Rating

F1

Date

May 25, 1997

Touchdown

4:14 PM CDT (21:14 UTC)

Path length

2.5 miles (4.0 km)

Path width

73 yards (67 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$20,000

County

Grady County

Touchdown point

35.080, -97.780

Lift-off point

35.070, -97.600

Record number

1010

Summary of events of the afternoon and evening of May 25, 1997:Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon in central Oklahoma and spread into southern Oklahoma during the late afternoon and evening. In all, thirteen tornadoes were confirmed, including an F2 tornado that tracked for 6 miles through McClain County southwest of Purcell. Some minor injuries were reported with one of the tornadoes, but no fatalities or serious injuries occurred. Reports of 3-inch hail, severe straight-line winds, and lightning damage were also received.One particularly strong supercell storm tracked across central Oklahoma, reaching its maximum strength and producing 3 tornadoes and extensive straight-line wind damage over Grady and McClain Counties. What follows here is an excerpt from a damage survey conducted by a National Weather Service meteorologist on May 26th, the day after the storm. "A large severe thunderstorm moved through northern and central Grady County into central and southern McClain County during the late afternoon on Sunday, 25 May 1997. Several reports were received immediately after the storm indicating significant wind damage, especially in southern McClain County southwest of Purcell. There also were numerous confirmed tornado sightings by storm spotters, chasers, local emergency management officials, and local residents.Findings indicate that 3 tornadoes occurred in this area. Most of the damage, and all of the significant structural damage, resulted from the first two tornadoes. Widespread tree damage in some areas, especially in McClain County, was attributed to straight-line winds.The first tornado, rated F1, began 3 miles northeast of Tabler at 15:14 CST and tracked just south of due east for about 2.5 miles before dissipating 2.5 miles SSW of Middleberg at 15:24 CST. Structural damage was confined to a dairy farm near the beginning of the track; otherwise, this tornado remained over mostly open country.The second and more significant tornado, rated F2, began 5 miles east of Criner, or 7 miles WSW of downtown Purcell, in southern McClain County. The beginning time of this tornado is less certain but is believed to be near or just after 16:00 CST. This tornado also tracked just south of due east for 6 miles, ending about 4 miles NW of Wayne or 4 miles S of downtown Purcell at around 16:24 CST. Numerous power lines were downed, prompting the temporary closing of both Highways 24 and 74 for a time Sunday evening. At least 18 dwellings, including mobile homes and permanent dwellings, were destroyed or suffered major damage. This probably was a multiple-vortex tornado, at least in its latter stages, based on eyewitness reports. A third small tornado, rated F0, formed around 16:32 CST and lasted about one or two minutes. It damaged an outbuilding and a few trees 2 miles NNE of Wayne in Southern McClain County, about 4 miles east of where the second tornado ended. No one was killed or seriously injured by any of the tornadoes, but several minor injuries were reported. "The remaining 10 tornadoes were associated with other severe thunderstorms, mainly across central and southern Oklahoma. The strongest of these occurred south of Duncan in Stephens County at 17:36 CST. Spotter and damage reports rated this as an F1 tornado. The remaining 9 tornadoes were all rated F0 and resulted in little or no damage. In chronological order, these tornadoes occurred on the Caddo Comanche County line between Cyril and Fletcher (16:27CST), south of Maysville in Garvin County (17:28 CST), east of Joy in Murray County (18:07 CST), south of Stratford in Garvin County (18:13 CST), east of Roff in Pontotoc County (18:53 CST), northeast of Mill Creek in Johnston County (19:20 CST), west-northwest of Madill in Marshall County, (19:43 CST), north of Tupelo in Coal County (19:48 CST), and northwest of Newkirk in Kay County (21:10 CST). Severe straight-line winds were estimated at up to 80 mph (southwest of Fittstown in Pontotoc County). Wind damage from thunderstorm winds occurred north of Tabler in Grady County, southwest of Purcell in McClain County, in Wynnewood in Garvin County, west of Hardy in Kay County, and west of Antlers in Pushmataha County. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter fell south of Stratford in Garvin County, and lightning damage was reported south of Duncan in Stephens County. See preceding individual Storm Data entries for further details and additional reports.

This description, with very minimal editing, was taken from a damage survey conducted by a National Weather Service meteorologist on Monday May 26th (Memorial Day), the day after the tornado occurred.This tornado, rated F1, began 3 miles northeast of Tabler at 15:14 CST and tracked just south of due east for about 2.5 miles before dissipating 2.5 miles south-southwest of Middleberg at 15:24 CST. The maximum width of the damage path was 75 yards. Structural damage was confined to a dairy farm near the beginning of the track; otherwise, this tornado remained over mostly open country.Spotter observations and corresponding video confirm that the first tornado formed rapidly west of State Highway 9 at 15:14 CST, in mostly open country between Tabler and Middleberg. Survey results located the first signs of damage to trees just west of the Mid-Am Dairy Farm (or R & S Dairy), located 3 miles northeast of Tabler. More than a dozen trees lost large branches near and west of the dairy. At the dairy itself, a mobile home was destroyed, power lines were downed, and two metal outbuildings suffered heavy damage to roofs and walls. Metal grain silos also were damaged. Considering the construction of the outbuildings and the large piles of hay bales near the mobile home that were relatively unaffected, damage in this area was rated F1. The maximum path width of about 75 yards, based on visible damage and on video, was estimated to be in this area. Observations and video indicate that the tornado then proceeded eastward and eventually east-southeastward, narrowing to a thin, mostly vertical rope funnel that underwent several cycles of lifting and returning to ground contact. However, the circulation was likely in contact with the ground the entire time. The funnel crossed Highway 9 around 15:22 CST 2.5 miles southwest of Middleberg, where several trees lost large branches and a road sign was damaged. Between the dairy and this point, the tornado track was inaccessible. Although the funnel lifted from the ground shortly after crossing the highway, video confirms that a tight, small circulation with ground condensation persisted, crossing an open field southeast of the road. This rotation at the ground lasted about another two minutes before dissipating at about 15:24 CST. Since the tornado passed over open country, no further damage was found.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

11 minutes of warning. NWS OUN issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:03 UTC, 11 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:45 UTC.

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:51 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Oklahoma City (OKC), 36 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The Norman radar (KTLX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

The live radar over the trackEvery 1997 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

52 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.