Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2015
EF2 tornado, LeFlore County, Oklahoma, May 25, 2015
This EF2 tornado ran 15.5 miles across LeFlore County on May 25, 2015, touching down at 5:48 PM CDT and reaching 1,700 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $500,000 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 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado
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
- EF2
- Date
- May 25, 2015
- Touchdown
- 5:48 PM CDT (22:48 UTC)
- Lifted
- 6:07 PM CDT (23:07 UTC)
- On the ground
- 19 minutes
- Path length
- 15.5 miles (24.9 km)
- Path width
- 1,700 yards (1554 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $500,000
- County
- LeFlore County
- Touchdown point
- 34.983, -94.666
- Lift-off point
- 35.200, -94.691
- Record number
- 1505251648-01
The damage survey
124 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS TSA, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 115 mph.
- uprooted trees to the w and nw
- Approximate beginning point of EF-1 tornado
- continuation point of tornado
Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.
The warnings
40 minutes of warning. NWS TSA issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:08 UTC, 40 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:52 UTC and running to 00:09 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 UTC | 05:13 UTC | Flash Flood Watch | TSA |
| 19:52 UTC | 00:09 UTC | Tornado Watch | TSA |
| 20:54 UTC | 05:00 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | TSA |
| 21:30 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA |
| 21:48 UTC | 22:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 21:52 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA |
| 21:52 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:01 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:08 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:19 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:23 UTC | 23:15 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA |
| 22:28 UTC | 23:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:41 UTC | 23:30 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 22:50 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA |
| 22:56 UTC | 23:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | TSA |
| 01:34 UTC | 01:30 UTC | Flood 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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:32 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), 12:00Z
10.8 hours before the tornado, 216 km from the path. May 25, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -88038 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1260 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 99 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 159 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.4 K/km
Springfield, MO (KSGF), 00:00Z
1.2 hours after it, 216 km from the path. May 26, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 849 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -22 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1986 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1323 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 45 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 50 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 7.5 K/km
The surface observations
Robert S Kerr Airport/Poteau (RKR), 10 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:35 UTC | 79.7 | 65.3 | 130° 9 kt | 19 | 1011.2 | |
| 20:55 UTC | 79.7 | 65.66 | 120° 7 kt | 15 | 1011.2 | |
| 21:15 UTC | 78.62 | 66.74 | 80° 4 kt | 1010.8 | ||
| 21:35 UTC | 77.72 | 66.74 | 90° 5 kt | 1010.2 | ||
| 21:55 UTC | 77 | 66.56 | 90° 5 kt | 1010.2 | ||
| 22:15 UTC | 76.28 | 67.28 | 50° 3 kt | 1009.5 | -VCTSRA | |
| 22:35 UTC | 76 | 66 | 40° 8 kt | 1008.5 | TSRA | |
| 22:50 UTC | 76 | 66.2 | 50° 6 kt | 1006.8 | -TSRA |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:31 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Honobia | Le Flore, OK | |
| 21:34 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Honobia | Pushmataha, OK | NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN AND AROUND HONOBIA. TREES APPEAR BLOWN IN SAME DIRECTION. |
| 21:45 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 W Whitesboro | Le Flore, OK | |
| 22:10 UTC | TORNADO | 1 W Albion | Pushmataha, OK | REPORT OF TREES DOWNED WEST OF ALBION AND SEVERE DAMAGE IN ALBION. |
| 22:15 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Talihina | Le Flore, OK | MULTIPLE TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. HOMES DAMAGED. |
| 22:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 2 E Whitesboro | Le Flore, OK | SEVERAL TREES DOWN AND MINOR DAMAGE TO ONE HOUSE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 TO 2 MILES EAST OF WHITESBORO ON HIGHWAY 63. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 22:21 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | 3 W Muse | Le Flore, OK | TREES BROKEN AND BLOWN DOWN AT HWY 63 BETWEEN MUSE AND WHITESBORO. MORE TREES DOWN 2 MI SOUTHWEST ON RIVER ROAD THAT CONNECTS MUSE AND WHITESBORO. PROBABLE TORNADO. |
| 22:24 UTC | TORNADO | 4 E Whitesboro | Le Flore, OK | |
| 22:31 UTC | HAIL 1 | Webbers Falls | Muskogee, OK | |
| 22:42 UTC | TORNADO | 6 Ne Fanshawe | Le Flore, OK | A TORNADO SNAPPED AND UPROOTED TREES. |
| 22:44 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Heavener | Le Flore, OK | ROOF BLOWN OFF A BUILDING. MANY TREES BROKEN. SOME POWER LINES DOWNED. |
| 22:48 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Howe | Le Flore, OK | EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTS WIND DAMAGE FROM THUNDERSTORMS IN HOWE. |
| 22:54 UTC | TORNADO | 2 W Poteau | Le Flore, OK | A TORNADO SEVERELY DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES...SNAPPED OR UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES...AND BLEW DOWN POWER POLES. |
| 23:00 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Poteau | Le Flore, OK | DAMAGE TO 4 NEIGHBORHOODS IN POTEAU...INCLUDING TREE DAMAGE...STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. POSSIBLE TORNADO. |
| 23:00 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Talihina | Le Flore, OK | |
| 23:03 UTC | TSTM WND GST 70 | Shady Point | Le Flore, OK | REPORT OF THUNDERSTORM WINDS 60 TO 70 MPH. |
| 23:10 UTC | TSTM WND GST 78 | 2 N Poteau | Le Flore, OK | SPOTTER MEASURED 78 M PH THUNDERSTORM WIND GUST NORTH OF POTEAU. |
| 23:12 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Poteau | Le Flore, OK | REPORT OF TREES DOWNED ONTO SEVERAL HOMES. |
| 23:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Panama | Le Flore, OK | REPORT OF TREES DOWNED. |
| 23:13 UTC | TSTM WND DMG | Shady Point | Le Flore, OK | REPORT OF TREES DOWNED. |
| 23:40 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 3 W Spiro | Le Flore, OK | SIGNIFICANT ROAD FLOODING NEAR SUNSET CORNER. |
| 23:45 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | Poteau | Le Flore, OK | SIGNIFICANT FLOODING OF COUNTY ROADS NEAR POTEAU AIRPORT. PHOTOS RECEIVED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. |
| 01:15 UTC | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Nw Bunch | Adair, OK | LOW WATER CROSSING FLOODED. |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2015 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 25, 2015
32 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 8:41 AM CDT | EF0 | Monroe, MS | 4.1 | 70 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 8:51 AM CDT | EF1 | Monroe, MS | 2.5 | 150 | $150,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:00 AM CDT | EF1 | Mitchell, TX | 0.2 | 50 | $40,000 | ||
| May 25 | 9:45 AM CDT | EF0 | Fisher, TX | 1.1 | 40 | |||
| May 25 | 10:19 AM CDT | EF0 | Winston, MS | 0.9 | 25 | $20,000 | ||
| May 25 | 12:00 PM EDT | EF0 | Broward, FL | 0.1 | 10 | 4 | ||
| May 25 | 11:46 AM CDT | EF1 | Harrison, TX | 9.5 | 201 | $300,000 | ||
| May 25 | 12:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Gillespie, TX | 2.4 | 100 | |||
| May 25 | 1:04 PM CDT | EF0 | Blanco, TX | 4.8 | 200 | |||
| May 25 | 1:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Lampasas, TX | 0.4 | 90 | $35,000 | ||
| May 25 | 1:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Lampasas, TX | 1.5 | 180 | $85,000 | ||
| May 25 | 2:06 PM CDT | EF1 | Coryell, TX | 5.7 | 600 | $90,000 | ||
| May 25 | 2:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Grayson, TX | 1.7 | 30 | $20,000 | ||
| May 25 | 2:42 PM CDT | EF3 | Bryan, OK | 18.8 | 700 | 1 | 1 | |
| May 25 | 2:45 PM CDT | EF1 | Williamson, TX | 0.3 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 25 | 3:29 PM CDT | EF2 | Atoka, OK | 8.0 | 1,000 | |||
| May 25 | 3:41 PM CDT | EF0 | Fannin, TX | 2.4 | 100 | $65,000 | ||
| May 25 | 3:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Freestone, TX | 0.3 | 25 | |||
| May 25 | 3:55 PM CDT | EF2 | Milam, TX | 8.9 | 400 | 1 | 6 | $700,000 |
| May 25 | 4:06 PM CDT | EF1 | Atoka, OK | 1.0 | 400 | |||
| May 25 | 4:24 PM CDT | EF1 | Bastrop, TX | 3.0 | 440 | 1 | ||
| May 25 | 4:52 PM CDT | EF2 | Pushmataha, OK | 13.3 | 1,000 | $45,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:17 PM CDT | EF1 | LeFlore, OK | 6.4 | 600 | $10,000 | ||
| May 25 | 5:34 PM CDT | EF1 | LeFlore, OK | 7.5 | 250 | |||
| May 25 | 6:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Wilson, TX | 1.7 | 50 | |||
| May 25 | 6:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Fayette, TX | 4.1 | 100 | |||
| May 25 | 6:35 PM CDT | EF1 | Yell, AR | 0.4 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:40 PM CDT | EF1 | Yell, AR | 1.9 | 250 | $300,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Rusk, TX | 19.4 | 600 | $250,000 | ||
| May 25 | 6:57 PM CDT | EF0 | Wilson, TX | 1.8 | 150 | |||
| May 25 | 7:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Panola, TX | 21.6 | 1,251 | $600,000 | ||
| May 25 | 8:12 PM CDT | EF1 | Caddo Parish, LA | 0.4 | 91 | $500,000 |
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.