Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2008

EF0 tornado, Beggs, Oklahoma, June 5, 2008

This EF0 tornado ran 4.4 miles across Okmulgee County on June 5, 2008, touching down at 11:35 PM CDT and reaching 100 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $15,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

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

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

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

  3. EF2111 to 135 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. EF3136 to 165 mph

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

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

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

  6. EF5over 200 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.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 5, 2008
Touchdown
11:35 PM CDT (04:35 UTC)
Lifted
11:41 PM CDT (04:41 UTC)
On the ground
6 minutes
Path length
4.4 miles (7.1 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
County
Okmulgee County
Touchdown point
35.789, -96.142
Lift-off point
35.813, -96.112
Record number
0806052235-01

What the Weather Service recorded

An upper level storm system developed into the southern Rockies causing low pressure to deepen over the Southern High Plains. A dry line extending from this low, which was centered over western Kansas much of the day, translated into western Oklahoma during the afternoon. Thunderstorms developed on the dry line and progressed east into eastern Oklahoma during the evening hours with widespread severe weather resulting from these storms.

A tornado damaged a barn, blew down power poles and power lines, and blew down a number of trees.

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

The warnings

1 minute of warning. NWS TSA issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:34 UTC, 1 minute before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 03:00 UTC and running to 07:01 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
03:00 UTC07:01 UTCTornado WatchTSA
03:46 UTC05:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSA
04:34 UTC05:15 UTCTornado WarningTSA
04:43 UTC05:32 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSA

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 forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:53 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 air that afternoon

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.

Norman, OK (KOUN), 00:00Z

4.6 hours before the tornado, 132 km from the path. June 6, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2008-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2209 joules per kilogram, CIN -40, lifted condensation level 1457 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2008-06-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 339 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 66 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2209 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-40 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2675 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1457 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
339 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
408 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.2
Supercell composite
21.2
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Norman, OK (KOUN), 12:00Z

7.4 hours after it, 132 km from the path. June 6, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2008-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1545 joules per kilogram, CIN -37, lifted condensation level 622 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2008-06-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 60 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1545 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Surface CAPE
430 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
622 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
222 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.7
Supercell composite
7.1
0-3 km lapse rate
4.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
04:00 UTCTSTM WND DMGPadenOkfuskee, OKLARGE LIMBS DOWN
04:04 UTCTSTM WND GST 603 W DepewCreek, OK
04:21 UTCTSTM WND GST 60BristowCreek, OK
04:21 UTCHAIL 0.75BristowCreek, OKPEA TO PENNY SIZE HAIL
04:42 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 S MoundsOkmulgee, OKPOWER LINES DOWN...TREES DOWN AND A METAL SHED DESTROYED AND BLOWN ACROSS A FIELD NEAR 221ST AT N150 ROAD. ALSO POWER POLES BROKEN AT N150 ROAD AND GRIMES ROAD. LOCATION IN NORTHERN OKMULGEE COUNTY
04:42 UTCTSTM WND DMGBeggsOkmulgee, OKLARGE LIMBS DOWN.
04:47 UTCTSTM WND DMGMoundsCreek, OK2 TO 3 INCH TREE LIMBS DOWN AT 180TH STREET AND HIGHWAY 75
05:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 622 Ne BixbyTulsa, OK
05:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ne Broken ArrowWagoner, OKSEVERAL LARGE TREE BRANCHES DOWN AT 51ST AND COUNTY LINE ROAD
05:08 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 Nnw OnetaWagoner, OKTREE BLOWN DOWN NEAR 51ST STREE AND COUNTY LINE ROAD. OTHER TREE DAMAGE REPORTED.
05:08 UTCTSTM WND DMGBroken ArrowTulsa, OKPOWER POLE SNAPPED AT 61ST AND LYNN LANE
05:08 UTCDENSE FOG6 Nnw OnetaWagoner, OKTREE BLOWN DOWN NEAR 51ST STREE AND COUNTY LINE ROAD. OTHER TREE DAMAGE REPORTED.
05:12 UTCTSTM WND DMGHaskellMuskogee, OKSEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN.
05:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG10 Nne CowetaWagoner, OKA FEW LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN.
05:23 UTCFLASH FLOODTulsaTulsa, OKSTREET FLOODING ON SHERIDAN AND 44TH

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 5, 2008

40 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 512:15 PM MDTEF0Prowers, CO6.5150$5,000
June 52:30 PM CDTEF0Logan, KS1.025
June 52:41 PM CDTEF0Logan, KS1.025
June 52:59 PM CDTEF1Pratt, KS1.1100$65,000
June 53:13 PM CDTEF0Gove, KS1.025
June 53:39 PM CDTEF0Trego, KS1.075
June 53:40 PM CDTEF2Rock, NE29.950$200,000
June 53:40 PM CDTEF0Trego, KS1.775
June 54:19 PM CDTEF1Clay, KS14.3100
June 54:20 PM CDTEF0Clay, KS4.650
June 54:33 PM CDTEF1Clay, KS10.125
June 55:00 PM CDTEF1Charles Mix, SD9.9100$100,000
June 55:08 PM CDTEF0Washington, KS0.125
June 55:41 PM CDTEF0Marshall, KS0.150
June 56:20 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE2.6100
June 56:23 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE6.5220
June 56:35 PM CDTEF1Nemaha, NE0.7100
June 56:55 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO0.125
June 57:02 PM CDTEF0Fremont, IA0.550
June 57:11 PM CDTEF0Fremont, IA1.350
June 57:23 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO0.125
June 57:24 PM CDTEF0Page, IA1.280
June 57:27 PM CDTEF0Brown, KS0.125
June 57:33 PM CDTEF0Richardson, NE1.3100
June 57:39 PM CDTEF2Richardson, NE to MO18.4880$250,000
June 57:55 PM CDTEF0Holt, MO4.425$2,000
June 57:59 PM CDTEF0Atchison, MO10.5100$210,000
June 58:12 PM CDTEF0Cass, IA1.550
June 58:15 PM CDTEF0Minnehaha, SD1.550
June 58:42 PM CDTEF2Minnehaha, SD2.6100
June 59:00 PM CDTEF1Moody, SD0.850$10,000
June 59:24 PM CDTEF1Union, IA3.0150$25,000
June 510:57 PM CDTEF0Linn, KS1.025$50,000
June 511:15 PM CDTEF0Bates, MO0.350$25,000
June 511:49 PM CDTEF1Clarke, IA7.6125
June 512:10 AM CDTEF1Warren, IA18.3150$180,000
June 512:23 AM CDTEF0Lafayette, MO0.325$500
June 512:36 AM CDTEF1Jasper, IA9.8125$75,000
June 512:45 AM CDTEF1Jasper, IA14.31502$250,000
June 512:49 AM CDTEF0Jasper, IA10.975$25,000

What this means

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.

Sources

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