Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2010
EF1 tornado, Gore to Marble City, Oklahoma, May 10, 2010
From Gore to Marble City, this EF1 tornado ran 4.0 miles across Sequoyah County on May 10, 2010, touching down at 8:27 PM CDT and reaching 500 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $5,000 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.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mphthis tornado
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- EF1
- Date
- May 10, 2010
- Touchdown
- 8:27 PM CDT (01:27 UTC)
- Lifted
- 8:31 PM CDT (01:31 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 4.0 miles (6.4 km)
- Path width
- 500 yards (457 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- County
- Sequoyah County
- Touchdown point
- 35.553, -94.877
- Lift-off point
- 35.576, -94.811
- Record number
- 1005101927-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of a dry line over central Oklahoma during the afternoon hours. Very unstable air along with very strong low level wind shear resulted in a number of supercell thunderstorms. These storms produced numerous tornadoes, very large hail, and damaging wind gusts as they moved eastward across eastern Oklahoma during the evening hours.
The tornado that developed northwest of Webbers Falls in Muskogee County continued into Sequoyah County where it damaged docks on Tenkiller Lake, damaged several homes, snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power poles. The estimated peak wind in the tornado based on this damage was 110 mph.
A tornado snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power poles. The estimated peak wind in the tornado based on this damage was 105 mph.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
33 minutes of warning. NWS TSA issued a tornado warning for this county at 00:54 UTC, 33 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:45 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 22:01 UTC and running to 03:42 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22:01 UTC | 03:42 UTC | Tornado Watch | TSA |
| 00:54 UTC | 01:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 01:33 UTC | 02:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
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 High Risk, with a 0.30 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 01:00 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.
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
1.5 hours before the tornado, 176 km from the path. May 11, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 447 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 70 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 871 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 904 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 1.3 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 12:00Z
10.5 hours after it, 176 km from the path. May 11, 2010.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1264 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1473 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 574 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 312 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 325 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.5
- Supercell composite
- 11.1
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.0 K/km
The radar
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:26 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) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:40 UTC | TORNADO | 2 S Rentiesville | Mcintosh, OK | TORNADO REPORTED 2 SOUTH OF RENTIESVILLE. RAIN WRAPPED. |
| 00:41 UTC | HAIL 1 | Oktaha | Muskogee, OK | NOT MANY STONES NICKLE TO QUARTER IN SIZE. |
| 01:08 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 5 S Braggs | Muskogee, OK | AT BREWERS BEND CAMPGROUND...TRAILER TURNED OVER TRAPPING A COUPLE. LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN ON VEHICLES. THREE INJURED. PROBABLE TORNADO. |
| 01:20 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 4 N Box | Sequoyah, OK | SNAKE CREEK WILDERNESS LODGE |
| 01:31 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 1 S Marble City | Sequoyah, OK | SEVERAL LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN. LARGE ROOT BALLS ABOVE THE GROUND. |
| 01:35 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Bunch | Adair, OK | |
| 01:35 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 Nw Bunch | Adair, OK |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2010 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 10, 2010
70 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | 1:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Wichita, KS | 0.9 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| May 10 | 1:31 PM CDT | EF0 | Wichita, KS | 1.3 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 1:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Logan, KS | 1.6 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 2:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Scott, KS | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 2:18 PM CDT | EF0 | Logan, KS | 2.2 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 2:22 PM CDT | EF0 | Logan, KS | 1.3 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 3:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness, KS | 0.3 | 25 | |||
| May 10 | 3:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Grant, OK | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| May 10 | 3:38 PM CDT | EF3 | Grant, OK to KS | 40.7 | 1,500 | 2 | $125,000 | |
| May 10 | 3:39 PM CDT | EF0 | Grant, OK | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 4:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Grant, OK | 0.3 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 4:12 PM CDT | EF0 | Kingman, KS | 2.7 | 125 | |||
| May 10 | 4:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Grant, OK | 5.0 | 500 | |||
| May 10 | 4:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Kay, OK | 6.7 | 400 | |||
| May 10 | 4:21 PM CDT | EF0 | Kay, OK | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 4:34 PM CDT | EF2 | Kingman, KS | 3.1 | 700 | $125,000 | ||
| May 10 | 4:44 PM CDT | EF1 | Kingman, KS | 1.8 | 300 | |||
| May 10 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Kingfisher, OK | 6.7 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Canadian, OK | 0.2 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 4:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Canadian, OK | 4.0 | 40 | |||
| May 10 | 4:49 PM CDT | EF1 | Cowley, KS | 1.4 | 300 | $200,000 | ||
| May 10 | 4:53 PM CDT | EF0 | Noble, OK | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| May 10 | 4:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Sedgwick, KS | 5.1 | 300 | $50,000 | ||
| May 10 | 5:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Noble, OK | 21.0 | 2,460 | $50,000 | ||
| May 10 | 5:02 PM CDT | EF1 | Noble, OK | 1.5 | 40 | |||
| May 10 | 5:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Jefferson, OK | 5.0 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:08 PM CDT | EF1 | Cowley, KS | 0.7 | 150 | $15,000 | ||
| May 10 | 5:13 PM CDT | EF0 | Oklahoma, OK | 0.2 | 20 | |||
| May 10 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF1 | Stephens, OK | 6.3 | 700 | |||
| May 10 | 5:20 PM CDT | EF4 | Moore–Choctaw tornado, OK | 24.0 | 2,000 | 2 | 49 | |
| May 10 | 5:22 PM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 3.8 | 250 | |||
| May 10 | 5:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:28 PM CDT | EF0 | Elk, KS | 0.3 | 75 | |||
| May 10 | 5:32 PM CDT | EF4 | Norman–Lake Thunderbird tornado, OK | 22.3 | 880 | 1 | 32 | |
| May 10 | 5:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Osage, OK | 0.1 | 75 | |||
| May 10 | 5:34 PM CDT | EF1 | Cleveland, OK | 5.5 | 250 | |||
| May 10 | 5:36 PM CDT | EF1 | McClain, OK | 4.6 | 880 | |||
| May 10 | 5:37 PM CDT | EF0 | McClain, OK | 0.8 | 150 | |||
| May 10 | 5:39 PM CDT | EF2 | Cleveland, OK | 17.4 | 440 | 3 | ||
| May 10 | 5:41 PM CDT | EF0 | Osage, OK | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:44 PM CDT | EF0 | Jefferson, OK | 1.5 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 5:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Osage, OK | 1.0 | 75 | |||
| May 10 | 5:48 PM CDT | EF3 | Pottawatomie, OK | 6.5 | 880 | 3 | ||
| May 10 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Stephens, OK | 2.0 | 50 | |||
| May 10 | 5:56 PM CDT | EF3 | Pottawatomie, OK | 37.2 | 2,200 | 28 | $15,000 | |
| May 10 | 6:04 PM CDT | EF2 | Carter, OK | 4.5 | 400 | |||
| May 10 | 6:22 PM CDT | EF3 | Carter, OK | 4.9 | 400 | |||
| May 10 | 6:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Carter, OK | 0.5 | 30 | |||
| May 10 | 6:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Okfuskee, OK | 14.0 | 1,000 | $40,000 | ||
| May 10 | 6:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Cleveland, OK | 2.0 | 80 | |||
| May 10 | 6:54 PM CDT | EF1 | Love, OK | 2.0 | 200 | |||
| May 10 | 7:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Okmulgee, OK | 0.5 | 100 | $1,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:04 PM CDT | EF2 | Okmulgee, OK | 12.0 | 1,250 | $150,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall, OK | 0.7 | 40 | |||
| May 10 | 7:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Marshall, OK | 0.6 | 40 | |||
| May 10 | 7:16 PM CDT | EF2 | McIntosh, OK | 1.8 | 300 | $40,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Okfuskee, OK | 15.5 | 650 | $40,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:23 PM CDT | EF2 | McIntosh, OK | 13.0 | 800 | $125,000 | ||
| May 10 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF0 | McIntosh, OK | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| May 10 | 7:28 PM CDT | EF1 | McIntosh, OK | 2.6 | 600 | $3,000 |
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.