Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2019

EF2 tornado, Hobart, Oklahoma, May 7, 2019

This EF2 tornado ran 3.7 miles across Kiowa County on May 7, 2019, touching down at 11:23 PM CDT and reaching 300 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $75,000 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 mph

    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 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.

  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
EF2
Date
May 7, 2019
Touchdown
11:23 PM CDT (04:23 UTC)
Lifted
11:33 PM CDT (04:33 UTC)
On the ground
10 minutes
Path length
3.7 miles (6.0 km)
Path width
300 yards (274 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$75,000
County
Kiowa County
Touchdown point
35.065, -99.080
Lift-off point
35.115, -99.063
Record number
1905072223-01

The damage survey

31 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS OUN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 118 mph.

  • debris from property to the SW
  • roof lost on Pioneer Telephone transmitter shelter
  • road closed due to lake flooding
  • Four poles snapped at this location

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

Numerous supercell storms were followed by a large line of thunderstorms that produced severe weather on the evening and overnight of the 7th into the 8th.

A large tornado developed north-northeast of Hobart and moved north-northeast to just southwest of the intersection of US-183 and the Kiowa-Washita County line. One mobile home received roof damage, a number of barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and trees and power poles were damaged, including at least four wooden large transmission line poles that were snapped. As this tornado was dissipating, a second tornado was developing about one mile to the NW in Washita County.

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

The warnings

6 minutes of warning. NWS OUN issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:17 UTC, 6 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 04:41 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 02:19 UTC and running to 09:06 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
22:38 UTC02:19 UTCTornado WatchOUN
02:19 UTC09:06 UTCTornado WatchOUN
03:04 UTC03:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
03:37 UTC04:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
04:10 UTC04:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
04:14 UTC05:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
04:17 UTC04:41 UTCTornado WarningOUN
05:13 UTC06:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
05:33 UTC06:15 UTCTornado WarningOUN
06:07 UTC06:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUN
06:17 UTC15:00 UTCFlood WatchOUN
06:26 UTC07:00 UTCTornado WarningOUN
06:55 UTC10:00 UTCFlood AdvisoryOUN
15:25 UTC02:20 UTCFlood WarningOUN

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 01:03 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

4.4 hours before the tornado, 153 km from the path. May 8, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2019-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1355 joules per kilogram, CIN -11, lifted condensation level 1174 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 2019-05-08The 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 87 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 32 knots.19395878Sfc1 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
1355 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Surface CAPE
3231 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1174 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
5.9
0-3 km lapse rate
7.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Norman, OK (KOUN), 12:00Z

7.6 hours after it, 153 km from the path. May 8, 2019.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2019-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -40372, lifted condensation level 1045 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2019-05-08The 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 -192 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 46 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-40372 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1045 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-192 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:21 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
03:40 UTCFLASH FLOOD9 Ssw SayreBeckham, OKFLOOD WATER OVER ROADS.
04:15 UTCTSTM WND GST 775 Se MangumGreer, OKMESONET MEASUREMENT
04:23 UTCTORNADO2 N HobartKiowa, OKLARGE TORNADO ON THE GROUND, TV BROADCAST AND STORM SPOTTER REPORTS.
04:44 UTCHAIL 11 W RockyWashita, OKREPORT VIA NWSCHAT. TIME IS ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.
04:55 UTCTSTM WND GST 613 S AltusJackson, OKMESONET MEASUREMENT
05:05 UTCFLASH FLOODClintonCuster, OKREPORTS OF WATER FLOWING OVER I-40
05:35 UTCTSTM WND GST 584 Wnw BessieWashita, OKMESONET MEASUREMENT
06:04 UTCHAIL 1.75CoopertonKiowa, OKBROADCAST STORM SPOTTER REPORTED.
06:51 UTCHAIL 21 Ese CarnegieCaddo, OKREPORTS FROM HAM RADIO, MEDIA BROADCAST, AND SPOTTER REPORTS.
07:06 UTCFLASH FLOOD6 Nnw WillowBeckham, OKWATER COVERING HIGHWAY 283 WITH STRANDED SEMI TRUCKS.
07:10 UTCHAIL 17 Nw Fort CobbCaddo, OKEM REPORT IN NWSCHAT
07:21 UTCFLASH FLOODCarnegieCaddo, OKWATER OVER ROADWAYS IN CARNEGIE. WATER REPORTED IN 2 HOUSES, AND HIGHWAY 9 IS CLOSED DUE TO WATER ON ROAD.
07:21 UTCFLASH FLOODCarnegieCaddo, OKWATER OVER ROADWAYS IN CARNEGIE. WATER REPORTED IN ONE HOUSE, AND HIGHWAY 9 IS CLOSED DUE TO WATER ON ROAD. CORRECTED HOUSE DAMAGE AMOUNT.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2019 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 7, 2019

22 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 73:36 PM CDTUnratedHutchinson, TX2.9100
May 74:27 PM CDTUnratedHale, TX0.030
May 74:48 PM CDTEF0Pecos, TX2.0200
May 74:49 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, TX0.130
May 74:50 PM CDTEF0Ochiltree, TX0.020
May 74:00 PM MDTEF0Twin Falls, ID1.510
May 75:11 PM CDTUnratedSwisher, TX1.5600
May 75:16 PM CDTEF0Hutchinson, TX5.450
May 75:56 PM CDTUnratedSwisher, TX5.3150
May 76:27 PM CDTEF0Armstrong, TX11.5100
May 76:56 PM CDTEF0Lipscomb, TX0.120
May 77:25 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX1.173
May 77:35 PM CDTEF0Pecos, TX4.1450
May 77:48 PM CDTEF0Donley, TX4.2500
May 78:12 PM CDTUnratedBeckham, OK2.0100
May 78:32 PM CDTUnratedCuster, OK2.050
May 710:10 PM CDTUnratedBeckham, OK0.530
May 711:19 PM CDTEF0Butler, KS1.9100
May 711:32 PM CDTEF2Washita, OK8.8400$120,000
May 711:46 PM CDTUnratedWashita, OK0.540
May 711:57 PM CDTEF1Kay, OK2.160$25,000
May 712:27 AM CDTUnratedKiowa, OK0.530

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.