Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2009

EF0 tornado, Yeager, Oklahoma, April 29, 2009

This EF0 tornado ran 1.5 miles across Hughes County on April 29, 2009, touching down at 11:40 AM CDT and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody.

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
April 29, 2009
Touchdown
11:40 AM CDT (16:40 UTC)
Lifted
11:42 AM CDT (16:42 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Path width
30 yards (27 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Hughes County
Touchdown point
35.172, -96.299
Lift-off point
35.192, -96.302
Record number
0904291040-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A complex of thunderstorms developed over westeTexas and moved northeast toward southwest Oklahoma. Tornadoes, very strong winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall were reported as the thunderstorms moved northeast. Several locations reported flash flooding due to the heavy rainfall, with several roadways impassable. Three tornadoes were reported near Stratford, near Dixon and Wewoka, and near Yeager, with damage reported near Ada. Monetary damages were not available in some cases.

A tornado traveled north along NS377 Road for about a mile and a half in an area northeast of Yeager. The tornado caused trailer and tree damage, and some roof damage to homes.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 14:36 UTC and running to 17:38 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
14:36 UTC17:38 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchOUN
15:38 UTC16:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
16:13 UTC19:15 UTCFlood AdvisoryOUN

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 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:20 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), 12:00Z

4.7 hours before the tornado, 100 km from the path. April 29, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2009-04-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 571 joules per kilogram, CIN -42, lifted condensation level 459 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 2009-04-29The 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 65 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 16 knots.193958Sfc1 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
571 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Surface CAPE
383 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
459 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Norman, OK (KOUN), 00:00Z

7.3 hours after it, 100 km from the path. April 30, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2009-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 630 joules per kilogram, CIN -150, lifted condensation level 642 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 2009-04-30The 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 29 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 51 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
630 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-150 J/kg
Surface CAPE
95 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
642 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4
0-3 km lapse rate
4.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Seminole (SRE), 36 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
14:50 UTC66.266.2120° 8 kt1017.9+TSRA
15:10 UTC66.266.2120° 8 kt1017.3TSRA
15:30 UTC66.266.2100° 7 kt1017.6+TSRA
15:50 UTC66.266.280° 3 kt1017.6+TSRA
16:10 UTC66.266.2 1016.9+TSRA
16:50 UTC64.460.820° 11 kt171015.2TSRA
16:54 UTC66.260.8350° 8 kt161015.2VCTSRA
17:10 UTC64.462.630° 12 kt181012.9VCTSRA
17:30 UTC66.264.4200° 13 kt161015.9VCTS
17:50 UTC62.662.6200° 4 kt1015.6-RA
18:10 UTC62.662.6200° 6 kt1015.2VCTS
18:30 UTC62.660.8230° 5 kt1015.6VCTS

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

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 16:40 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.

What was reported nearby

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

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
15:43 UTCTSTM WND DMGAdaPontotoc, OKTHREE TO FOUR BARNS, ONE HOME, AND AN AIRPORT HANGAR WERE DAMAGED IN AND AROUND ADA. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES WERE ALSO DOWNED.
15:45 UTCTSTM WND GST 652 Nne AdaPontotoc, OK
16:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 W WewokaSeminole, OKVARIOUS REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE IN AND AROUND THE DIXON COMMUNITY WEST OF WEWOKA. AT LEAST ONE HOME WAS DAMAGED AND TREES AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED. STILL GATHERING INFORMATION. TIME AND LOCATION APPROXIMATE.
16:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGYeagerHughes, OKTIME AND LOCATION APPROXIMATE. ONE BARN HEAVILY DAMAGED AND A MOBILE HOME WAS BLOWN OFF ITS FOUNDATION. A HOUSE SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. TREES AND POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN. STILL GATHERING INFORMATION.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 29, 2009

21 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 2910:11 AM CDTEF1Garvin, OK6.840
April 2911:27 AM CDTEF1Seminole, OK2.030
April 294:20 PM CDTEF0Hall, TX2.8100
April 294:25 PM CDTEF0Hall, TX0.850
April 295:00 PM CDTEF2Terrell, TX0.3300$5,000
April 295:01 PM CDTEF0Madison, AR3.0200$20,000
April 295:07 PM CDTEF0Franklin, AR1.0125$75,000
April 295:13 PM CDTEF0Floyd, TX0.375
April 296:07 PM CDTEF0Floyd, TX0.525
April 296:11 PM CDTEF1Floyd, TX4.0125$25,000
April 296:19 PM CDTEF0Floyd, TX0.875
April 296:30 PM CDTEF1Carson, TX0.925$15,000
April 296:36 PM CDTEF0Carson, TX0.125$8,000
April 296:58 PM CDTEF0Floyd, TX1.8500
April 297:00 PM CDTEF0Finney, KS0.750
April 297:26 PM CDTEF1Finney, KS2.13301$240,000
April 297:33 PM CDTEF1Finney, KS4.33301$1.3 million
April 297:37 PM CDTEF1Finney, KS1.0100$225,000
April 297:44 PM CDTEF1Haskell, KS2.4100$240,000
April 298:18 PM CDTEF0King, TX0.350
April 298:28 PM CDTEF0Dickens, TX1.875

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.