Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2022

EF0 tornado, Adamson, Oklahoma, March 30, 2022

This EF0 tornado ran 0.6 miles across Pittsburg County on March 30, 2022, touching down at 4:39 AM CDT and reaching 100 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 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
March 30, 2022
Touchdown
4:39 AM CDT (09:39 UTC)
Lifted
4:40 AM CDT (09:40 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.6 miles (1.0 km)
Path width
100 yards (91 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$75,000
County
Pittsburg County
Touchdown point
34.922, -95.551
Lift-off point
34.926, -95.542
Record number
2203300339-01

The damage survey

10 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. The highest wind the damage implies is 85 mph.

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

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed across western Oklahoma during the evening of the 29th, along and ahead of a dry line. The storms moved east across eastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 30th. Weak instability combined with very strong low level wind shear to create an environment that supported intense low level circulations in the thunderstorms. One thunderstorm produced a weak tornado in Pittsburg County, and another thunderstorm produced wind damage in Pushmataha County.

This tornado damaged several homes, rolled multiple trailers, damaged outbuildings, damaged a mobile home, uprooted a large hardwood tree, and snapped large tree limbs. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 80 to 85 mph.

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 tornado watch, issued at 04:52 UTC and running to 10:25 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
04:52 UTC10:25 UTCTornado WatchTSA

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 General Thunderstorms Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 05:54 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

9.7 hours before the tornado, 172 km from the path. March 30, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2022-03-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 666 joules per kilogram, CIN -201, lifted condensation level 1295 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2022-03-30The 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 244 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 69 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
666 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-201 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1271 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1295 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
244 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
280 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3
0-3 km lapse rate
6.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Norman, OK (KOUN), 12:00Z

2.3 hours after it, 172 km from the path. March 30, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2022-03-30Temperature 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 -90825, lifted condensation level 1137 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°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 2022-03-30The 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 120 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 96 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
-90825 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1137 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
96 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 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

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 09:40 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
09:39 UTCTORNADO4 Ne DowPittsburg, OKA TORNADO DAMAGED SEVERAL HOMES, ROLLED MULTIPLE TRAILERS, DAMAGED OUTBUILDINGS, DAMAGED A MOBILE HOME, AND SNAPPED LARGE TREE LIMBS.
09:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Ne DowPittsburg, OKTRAVEL TRAILER ROLLED, MOBILE HOME DAMAGED, TREES AND OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED IN THE ADAMSON AREA. PHOTO AND INFORMATION COURTESY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2022 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 30, 2022

80 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 304:04 AM CDTEF3Springdale tornado, AR5.23507$20 million
March 304:34 AM CDTEF1Rockwall, TX0.550$500,000
March 306:25 AM CDTEF1Red River, TX3.0100$25,000
March 307:47 AM CDTEF1Johnson, AR3.5400
March 3011:16 AM CDTEF1Sabine, TX0.9100$15,000
March 3011:41 AM CDTEF1Newton, TX1.9100$150,000
March 3011:53 AM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA1.2100$5,000
March 3011:53 AM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA5.5100
March 3012:05 PM CDTEF1Natchitoches Parish, LA3.7200$12,000
March 3012:20 PM CDTEF1Bienville Parish, LA1.7400
March 3012:22 PM CDTEF0Natchitoches Parish, LA2.750
March 3012:28 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA0.3200$1,000
March 3012:37 PM CDTEF1Vernon Parish, LA2.185$10,000
March 3012:42 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA0.7500
March 3012:44 PM CDTEF1Jackson Parish, LA4.2200$10,000
March 301:53 PM CDTEF1Richland Parish, LA7.41,000$50,000
March 302:03 PM CDTEF0Richland Parish, LA1.825$50,000
March 302:10 PM CDTEF1Franklin Parish, LA6.8350$85,000
March 302:51 PM CDTEF2Madison Parish, LA to MS17.3300$270,000
March 303:19 PM CDTEF1Bolivar, MS7.9450$60,000
March 303:31 PM CDTEF1Bolivar, MS1.0751$110,000
March 303:41 PM CDTEF1Warren, MS6.0100$20,000
March 303:58 PM CDTEF1Yazoo, MS16.6700$110,000
March 304:21 PM CDTEF1Holmes, MS11.51,7001$140,000
March 304:26 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS6.4350$45,000
March 304:37 PM CDTEF1Panola, MS16.22001$140,000
March 304:41 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS2.9350$175,000
March 304:43 PM CDTEF1Hinds, MS8.5200$280,000
March 304:52 PM CDTEF1Carroll, MS6.1250$30,000
March 304:56 PM CDTEF1Madison, MS5.3350$20,000
March 305:23 PM CDTEF0Franklin, IL4.0100$62,000
March 305:24 PM CDTEF1Calhoun, MS7.6100$60,000
March 305:32 PM CDTEF2Leake, MS10.71,200$850,000
March 306:01 PM CDTEF0Wayne, IL0.350$30,000
March 306:11 PM CDTEF1White, IL6.6400$200,000
March 306:12 PM CDTEF1Tangipahoa Parish, LA6.4150$250,000
March 306:18 PM CDTEF1Madison, TN8.5175$500,000
March 306:31 PM CDTEF1Madison, TN7.1250$300,000
March 306:50 PM CDTEF1Carroll, TN9.2150$200,000
March 306:59 PM CDTEF1Vanderburgh, IN1.075$10,000
March 307:16 PM CDTEF0Monroe, MS7.7150$50,000
March 307:44 PM CDTEF1Lamar, MS1.9425$20,000
March 307:44 PM CDTEF0Lamar, MS7.325$35,000
March 307:45 PM CDTEF0Saint Tammany Parish, LA2.050
March 308:01 PM CDTEF0Clarke, MS2.1125$35,000
March 308:06 PM CDTEF1Clarke, MS3.750$152,000
March 308:08 PM CDTEF2Noxubee, MS11.04002$250,000
March 308:11 PM CDTEF2Forrest, MS11.3500$250,000
March 308:24 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, MS6.8200$50,000
March 308:31 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, MS3.9250$75,000
March 308:43 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.550
March 308:45 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.250
March 308:46 PM CDTEF2Perry, MS2.0250
March 308:47 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS1.930
March 308:51 PM CDTEF1Sumter, AL5.6600
March 308:55 PM CDTEF1Wayne, MS0.350
March 309:02 PM CDTEF1Pickens, AL16.6450
March 309:10 PM CDTEF1Greene, AL8.8275
March 309:12 PM CDTEF2Choctaw, AL37.41,350
March 309:33 PM CDTEF2Perry, AL6.0620

All 81 of them

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.