Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2013

EF0 tornado, Oilton, Oklahoma, May 30, 2013

Name: EF0 tornado, Oilton, Oklahoma, May 30, 2013
Start: 2013-05-30T21:01:00.000Z
Location: Oilton, Oklahoma

This EF0 tornado ran 0.1 miles across Creek County on May 30, 2013, touching down at 4:01 PM CDT and reaching 50 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.

EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
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: EF0
Date: May 30, 2013
Touchdown: 4:01 PM CDT (21:01 UTC)
Path length: 0.1 miles (0.2 km)
Path width: 50 yards (46 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Creek County
Touchdown point: 36.127, -96.604
Lift-off point: 36.127, -96.604
Record number: 1305301501-01

The damage survey

1 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TSA, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0.

Storm chaser reported a brief, rain-wrapped tornado; no known damage

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

A complex of storms that had been over portions of eastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours intensified during the late morning and afternoon resulting in isolated reports of large hail and damaging wind. A much more widespread severe weather event occurred later in the day as severe thunderstorms redeveloped across central and eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon hours ahead of a dry line over central Oklahoma and along an outflow boundary across northeastern Oklahoma. The storms produced large hail and damaging wind. A bow echo type of storm produced a brief tornado in northern Creek County during the afternoon. Two supercell thunderstorms moved along the outflow boundary from the morning thunderstorms and produced several tornadoes during the evening. One storm produced several tornadoes across Mayes County and the other produced a damaging tornado in Broken Arrow.

Storm chasers reported a brief tornado over open country. No known damage resulted from this tornado.

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

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:50 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 30, 2:59 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 2:59 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
259 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

.DISCUSSION...
DISCRETE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ONGOING THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...EXTENDING INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. STORMS HAVE
DEVELOPED ALONG FRONT/DRY LINE AND CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
FROM THIS MORNINGS CONVECTION ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN
OKLAHOMA WITH MLCAPE VALUES AROUND 3000 J/KG. DEEP LAYER SHEAR
WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS WITH THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING
WINDS/TORNADOES THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS LOW LEVEL WIND FIELDS
INCREASE. SEVERE THREAT SHOULD SLOWLY DIMINISH OVERNIGHT AS
ATMOSPHERE BEGINS TO STABILIZE WITH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
REFOCUSING FURTHER NORTH ACROSS KANSAS/MISSOURI.

ANOTHER ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AGAIN ON
FRIDAY AS CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS. STORMS
SHOULD BECOME MORE LINEAR WITH TIME INTO FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TRAIN
OVER THE SAME AREAS. FLOODING THREAT WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO
SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE CONVECTIVE LINE SHIFTS SOUTHEAST SATURDAY
AFTERNOON OR EVENING WITH FROPA.

MILD CONDITIONS EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT SUNDAY INTO THE EARLY
PART OF THE WEEK AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE BY MID WEEK AS
ZONAL FLOW ALOFT BECOMES ESTABLISHED.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TUL   72  85  70  80 /  70  60  90  50
FSM   69  87  72  81 /  60  20  80  80
MLC   73  85  73  80 /  40  20  70  70
BVO   70  84  66  80 /  70  80  90  40
FYV   68  82  69  79 /  60  40  80  80
BYV   67  84  66  78 /  60  40  90  80
MKO   71  85  71  80 /  60  20  80  70
MIO   70  83  65  79 /  70  60  90  70
F10   72  85  72  79 /  50  20  80  70
HHW   72  87  73  83 /  30  10  40  80

&&

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM SATURDAY FOR OKZ054-OKZ055-OKZ056-
     OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ062-OKZ063-OKZ064-
     OKZ065-OKZ066-OKZ067-OKZ068-OKZ069-OKZ070-OKZ071.

AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM SATURDAY FOR ARZ001-ARZ002-ARZ010-
     ARZ011.

&&

SHORT TERM...05
LONG TERM....12

Hazardous weather outlook, May 30, 12:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1258 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-311000-
ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK-
CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK-
LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK-
OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK-
PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK-
WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR-
1258 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SEVERE STORMS WITH SOME TORNADO POTENTIAL TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.
TORNADO.
	RISK...ELEVATED.
	AREA....NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
	ONSET...AFTER 4 PM.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
	RISK...SIGNIFICANT.
	AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

        AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

FLASH FLOOD.
	RISK...ELEVATED.
	AREA...NORTH OF HIGHWAY 412 IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

HEAVY RAIN.
	RISK...LIMITED.
	AREA...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

SIGNIFICANT WINDS.
	RISK...LIMITED.
	AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
	ONSET...ONGOING.

DISCUSSION...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS...AND TORNADOES WILL ALL BE PRIMARY THREATS. STRONG AND LONG
TRACK TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO
BE A CONCERN.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN ONGOING THROUGH THE DAY ACROSS PARTS OF
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...WITH THE MOST VIGOROUS
DEVELOPMENT SEEN ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA ALONG AN OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY FROM EARLIER CONVECTION. ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE DEVELOPING
ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA IN THE VICINITY OF THE
DRYLINE. INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR ACROSS THE REGION ARE
SUPPORTIVE OF DISCRETE SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT...ESPECIALLY WITH THE
DRYLINE STORMS. THE THREAT OF LONG TRACK TORNADOES WILL BE HIGHEST
WITH ANY STORMS THAT ARE ABLE TO ANCHOR TO THE AFOREMENTIONED
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. THIS IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR ACROSS PARTS OF
NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE
44...INCLUDING THE TULSA METRO AREA. STORMS WILL EVENTUALLY CONGEAL
INTO CLUSTERS OR LINES AND MOVE EAST INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...AND
PERHAPS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING.

PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA HAVE RECEIVED 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL
IN THE PAST 18 HOURS...AND TRAINING OF STORMS OVER THESE SAME AREAS
COULD LEAD TO FLOODING LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS IS MOST LIKELY
TO OCCUR IN AREAS TO THE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 412.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
ACTIVATION OF THE REGIONAL SPOTTER NETWORK LIKELY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
FRIDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HIGH WIND POTENTIAL...
         HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.
SATURDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL.
SUNDAY AND MONDAY...NO HAZARDS.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...

A COLD FRONT WILL SAG INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA FRIDAY AFTERNOON...AND
INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FRIDAY NIGHT...INTERACTING WITH A VERY
UNSTABLE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION. WINDS ALOFT WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZED STORMS. EARLY IN THE EVENT THE
THREAT FOR VERY LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES EXISTS...WITH A TRANSITION
TOWARD DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. WINDS
ALOFT WILL BE PARALLEL TO THE BOUNDARY...SUGGESTING THAT STORMS WILL
GROW INTO CLUSTERS AND TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREAS. WIDESPREAD
FLOODING WILL BECOME AN INCREASING CONCERN BECAUSE OF THIS...WITH
ISOLATED AREAS POTENTIALLY SEEING AS MUCH AS 9 TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.

THE RISK FOR STORMS WILL SHIFT SOUTHEAST WITH THE FRONT ON
SATURDAY...DOWN INTO WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

ANOTHER BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE REGION TOWARD THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...AND WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT...
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND FIRST RESPONDERS SHOULD CONTINUE
TO MONITOR FORECASTS AND ONGOING WEATHER CONDITIONS DUE TO THE
EXPECTATION OF SEVERAL DAYS OF SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING.

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 30, 12:22 PM CDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1222 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ020-029-301800-
FRANKLIN AR-SEBASTIAN AR-
1222 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
     SOUTHERN FRANKLIN AND NORTHEASTERN SEBASTIAN

AT 1222 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM URSULA TO FORT CHAFFEE TO 9 MILES SOUTH OF WASHBURN...
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE
STORMS INCLUDE...ALIX...CHARLESTON...BRANCH...URSULA...PETER
PENDER...VESTA...MEG...DENNING...CECIL...ALTUS...WIEDERKEHR
VILLAGE...LAVACA...WASHBURN...FORT CHAFFEE...BLOOMER AND ETNA.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3536 9375 3540 9380 3532 9381 3532 9390
      3523 9392 3523 9402 3514 9403 3514 9412
      3510 9414 3518 9412 3536 9422 3538 9420
      3538 9415 3539 9413 3551 9370 3538 9370
TIME...MOT...LOC 1722Z 252DEG 30KT 3532 9407 3521 9401
          3505 9407

Special weather statement, May 30, 12:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1227 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ029-301800-
SEBASTIAN AR-
1227 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
     SOUTHERN SEBASTIAN

AT 1227 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF MANSFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL
BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...LIBERTY...CROSSROADS...
MILLTOWN...ARKOLA...HUNTINGTON...DAYTON...BURNVILLE AND MANSFIELD.

THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3514 9413 3510 9413 3510 9414 3507 9423
      3500 9422 3494 9430 3495 9431 3505 9437
      3523 9415 3514 9411
TIME...MOT...LOC 1727Z 230DEG 16KT 3503 9428

Special weather statement, May 30, 12:55 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1255 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ020-301830-
FRANKLIN AR-
1255 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 130 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
     EASTERN FRANKLIN

AT 1255 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM OZARK TO 3 MILES SOUTH OF ALIX...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
40 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS
INCLUDE...ALIX...OZARK...DENNING...ALTUS...WATALULA AND WIEDERKEHR
VILLAGE.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3557 9370 3538 9370 3536 9372 3536 9375
      3539 9379 3554 9389 3563 9370 3558 9369
TIME...MOT...LOC 1755Z 247DEG 34KT 3553 9376 3540 9366

Special weather statement, May 30, 1:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
133 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ002-301930-
CARROLL AR-
133 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
     EASTERN CARROLL

AT 134 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER OSAGE...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS
STORM INCLUDE...DENVER...OSAGE...GREEN FOREST...DRYFORK...DELMAR...
RUDD...CONNOR...CARROLLTON...RULE AND COIN.

THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

LAT...LON 3612 9330 3612 9344 3617 9353 3651 9335
      3650 9329 3612 9329
TIME...MOT...LOC 1834Z 218DEG 30KT 3619 9337

Special weather statement, May 30, 2:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
243 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

ARZ001-010-011-302030-
BENTON AR-MADISON AR-WASHINGTON AR-
243 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
     EASTERN BENTON...NORTHWESTERN MADISON AND NORTHEASTERN
     WASHINGTON

AT 243 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER GREENLAND...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY
THIS STORM INCLUDE...BLAND...SHADY GROVE...TUTTLE...MAYFIELD...WAR
EAGLE...MONTE NE...LOOKOUT...LARUE...WESLEY...HINDSVILLE...FORUM...
BEST...CLIFTY...FAYETTEVILLE...SPRINGDALE...ELKINS...FARMINGTON...
SULPHUR CITY...BLACK OAK...GREENLAND...GOSHEN...JOHNSON...SONORA...
HOBBS STATE PARK...WITHROW SPRINGS STATE PARK AND DRAKE FIELD
AIRPORT.

THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

LAT...LON 3639 9402 3621 9363 3592 9409 3601 9428
TIME...MOT...LOC 1943Z 225DEG 27KT 3601 9414

Special weather statement, May 30, 3:24 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
324 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

OKZ054>057-060-061-302130-
CRAIG OK-NOWATA OK-OSAGE OK-ROGERS OK-TULSA OK-WASHINGTON OK-
324 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 430 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     WESTERN CRAIG...SOUTHERN NOWATA...CENTRAL OSAGE...NORTHWESTERN
     ROGERS...NORTHERN TULSA AND WASHINGTON

AT 324 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BARTLESVILLE TO 2 MILES SOUTH OF
AVANT TO 21 MILES WEST OF SKIATOOK...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SOME
LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...TULSA...
NOWATA...DELAWARE...LENAPAH...WATOVA...OOLOGAH...TALALA...AVANT...
WOLCO...SKIATOOK...COLLINSVILLE...BARTLESVILLE...VERA...RAMONA...
OCHELATA AND DEWEY.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

LAT...LON 3658 9551 3634 9569 3625 9637 3644 9613
      3681 9597 3692 9537
TIME...MOT...LOC 2024Z 249DEG 32KT 3671 9589 3647 9601
          3627 9632

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.

Lamont, OK (KLMN), 12:00Z

9.0 hours before the tornado, 96 km from the path. May 30, 2013.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: 1807 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -97 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 840 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 573 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 473 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 598 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 18.6
0-3 km lapse rate: 3.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lamont, OK (KLMN), 00:00Z

3.0 hours after it, 96 km from the path. May 31, 2013.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 1121 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -55 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 3608 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 329 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 13.1
0-3 km lapse rate: 7.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Cushing (CUH), 25 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)	Weather
00:00 UTC

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

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:58 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.

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2013 tornado in Oklahoma Every tornado in Oklahoma since 1950 Warnings in force in Oklahoma now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 30, 2013

28 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 30	2:08 PM CDT	EF1	Polk, AR	0.8	200			$35,000
May 30	3:00 PM CDT	EF2	Montgomery, AR	3.4	400		2	$250,000
May 30	3:03 PM CDT	EF1	Pike, AR	1.5	300			$10,000
May 30	3:08 PM CDT	EF0	Payne, OK	0.3	100
May 30	3:15 PM CDT	EF0	Payne, OK	0.7	100
May 30	3:16 PM CDT	EF2	Pike, AR	9.0	300		5	$145,000
May 30	3:26 PM CDT	EF0	Payne, OK	1.6	200
May 30	3:35 PM CDT	EF2	Polk, OK to AR	8.6	800		5	$295,000
May 30	3:35 PM CDT	EF1	Garland, AR to OK	8.7	300			$100,000
May 30	3:37 PM CDT	EF0	Payne, OK	0.4	50
May 30	3:49 PM CDT	EF1	Garland, AR	7.2	300			$500,000
May 30	4:10 PM CDT	EF1	Muscatine, IA	2.4	100			$25,000
May 30	4:32 PM CDT	EF1	Polk, AR	2.4	200			$75,000
May 30	4:44 PM CDT	EF1	Rock Island, IL to IA	4.0	150			$140,000
May 30	5:35 PM CDT	EF0	Whiteside, IL	0.6	25
May 30	5:58 PM CDT	EF0	Garvin, OK	0.4	200
May 30	6:10 PM CDT	EF1	Montgomery, AR	3.2	200			$15,000
May 30	6:49 PM CDT	EF0	Mayes, OK	0.1	50
May 30	6:54 PM CDT	EF0	Mayes, OK	0.1	50
May 30	7:08 PM CDT	EF0	Mayes, OK	0.6	100
May 30	7:24 PM CDT	EF1	Mayes, OK	2.1	200
May 30	7:46 PM CDT	EF1	Saline, AR	1.7	250			$25,000
May 30	8:40 PM CDT	EF2	Tulsa, OK	5.6	450			$3.0 million
May 30	9:13 PM CDT	EF1	Pulaski, AR	0.2	150			$150,000
May 30	9:36 PM CDT	EF1	Grant, AR	0.4	200	1		$25,000
May 30	12:20 AM CDT	EF1	Howell, MO	4.3	400			$5,000
May 30	12:25 AM CDT	EF1	Monroe, AR	0.4	100			$25,000
May 30	12:50 AM CDT	EF1	Monroe, AR	3.3	200		1	$150,000

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.