Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2023
Unrated tornado, Adams, Oklahoma, June 27, 2023
This Unrated tornado ran 0.1 miles across Texas County on June 27, 2023, touching down at 7:28 PM CDT and reaching 25 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 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 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.
Unratedthis tornado
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
- Unrated
- Date
- June 27, 2023
- Touchdown
- 7:28 PM CDT (00:28 UTC)
- Lifted
- 7:29 PM CDT (00:29 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 0.1 miles (0.1 km)
- Path width
- 25 yards (23 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Texas County
- Touchdown point
- 36.713, -101.074
- Lift-off point
- 36.713, -101.072
- Record number
- 2306271828-01
What the Weather Service recorded
On the evening of the 27th, a convective complex developed in the northwestern combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. This system moved northeast into Texas County in Oklahoma Panhandle where it continued to strengthen and take a more easterly direction into Beaver County. Good dynamics and an unstable airmass lead to cells with in this complex that managed to drop hail between 1 and 4 in diameter and even produced some strong winds. Of which a 114 mph wind gust that was measured by the Beaver mesonet.
A storm chaser captured a brief tornado touchdown around 2.5 miles south-southeast of Adams. The tornado remained in open country and no damage was reported.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jun 27, 5:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 5:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Amarillo TX 547 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 ...New AVIATION... .MESOSCALE UPDATE FOR WIND AND HAIL THREAT FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING... Issued at 212 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 * Synoptic Overview: Upper level high pressure remains in place across central Texas through tomorrow morning. This is leading to the main axis of the H500 ridge being just to the east of the Panhandles early this afternoon. The latest H500 RAP analysis shows a subtle shortwave trough currently located over eastern New Mexico. This shortwave is forecast to move northeast later today and the PVA associated with this wave should kick off thunderstorms this afternoon through this evening. * Mesoscale: Based on 18z surface analysis, a surface trough is currently oriented across the far southern Texas Panhandle early this afternoon. With southwesterly winds across the southwestern Panhandles, drier air is moving across this area. Further east, lower 70s dew points are now moving in across the eastern TX Panhandle with the winds remaining out of the southeast. These higher dew points will continue to fill in further north and west this afternoon. These higher dew points should lead to MLCAPE values of around 3500-4000 across the northeast by early this evening. Effective shear around 50 kts is expected as a LLJ will slowly begin to form this evening into the overnight hours. Main concern will be capping across this area, with most model forecast soundings suggesting this will be in play. In any case, sufficient instability and shear will be across portions of the Panhandles (favoring the northeast) for at least a few strong to severe storms late this afternoon through this evening. Across the western TX Panhandle, instability and shear will not be as prevalent, but with enough lift, a few storms may still develop in this environment. The main concern will be damaging winds with DCAPE values around 1800-2000 J/kg. * Threats: The primary hazards with the storms today will be damaging wind gusts (up to 75 mph) and large hail (up to 2 inches in diameter). For any storms that develop across the TX Panhandle, the main hazard would the damaging wind gusts, but cannot rule out some hail with these. The higher threat for both damaging winds and very large hail will be across the central and eastern Oklahoma Panhandle as storms move southeast out of Kansas. * Timing & Location: Scattered thunderstorms may begin to develop across eastern NM and western TX by mid to late afternoon today. The more concerning storms may begin to develop across southeast CO/southwest KS around this same time. These storms will generally move east and should be out of the Panhandles by late this evening. Muscha && .SHORT TERM ... (This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 212 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 For today's severe weather threat, refer to the Mesoscale Update above. Hot temperatures are expected today and tomorrow across the Southern High Plains. Highs in the upper 90s to triple digits are expected both this afternoon and tomorrow. Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon, favoring the northern Panhandles, and there may even be a small chance again tomorrow afternoon in the northwest. So far today, surface temperatures are continuing to increase into the low to mid 90s at the time of this writing. With areas in the southwest mixing out, dew points are dropping in this area with drier air moving in from the west and southwest. A shortwave will crest the top of the ridge this afternoon into this evening and sufficient moisture will be in place to generate thunderstorms. In addition, the convective temperature may be reached for some locations today and that could generate a couple more storms. With the warm air mass in place over the Panhandles overnight, temperatures will remain on the warm side and lows tomorrow morning will only be in the mid 60s to lower 70s. The main axis of the H500 ridge will slide off to the east tomorrow. This will displace the warmer H850 temperatures a bit further east, but the temperatures may still remain in the 32-34 C range over the Panhandles. Another day of widespread highs in the triple digits is expected across the area, except for the northwest where highs in the upper 90s are currently forecast. With the main axis of the ridge moving off to the east, another ridge riding shortwave will move across portions of the Southern Plains tomorrow afternoon. Some guidance suggests that any storms that form from this wave may reach as far east as the northwestern TX Panhandle and the western OK Panhandle. If any storms do make it this far east, they likely will not be great rain producers as surface moisture will be very low tomorrow (dew points in the low to mid 40s). Strong downburst winds will be possible along with some light rain accumulation. Another night of warm overnight lows should be expected on Wednesday night due to the hot daytime highs. Muscha && .LONG TERM ... (Thursday through next Monday) Issued at 243 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 A shift in the jet stream pattern takes place during the long term forecast period. High pressure transitions over the central Gulf Coast and an upper trough in the jet stream sets up over central New Mexico. This will allow for a reduction in high temperatures and multiple chances for thunderstorms in the coming days. On Thursday, Highs across the CWA will be in the upper 90's and perhaps a few triple digits in the southeast Texas Panhandle. Then later on in the evening, thunderstorms could form along a surface trough and enter into our area from New Mexico and Colorado. Mid range model guidance still has some disparities in how far the line of storms could travel southeast, so we have let the NBM give the northwest Panhandles slight chance pops for Thursday evening through the night. Later on through the extended, each day has a chance for pops as temperatures decrease from 90's to upper 80's. We have let the NBM continue with it's coverage considering any slight upper level pattern change could influence timing and location for precipitation each day. Also, if long range models continue with westerly flow during the weekend, the severity of thunderstorm activity could become a topic of concern. Rangel && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 544 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 Thunderstorms will likely affect the TAF sites this evening with gusty winds the main threat. Skies are expected to remain VFR outside of thunderstorms. Southerly winds will pick up into the 15 to 20 knot range after sunrise with higher gusts. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 74 101 72 97 / 10 0 0 0 Beaver OK 68 101 71 98 / 60 0 0 0 Boise City OK 66 97 68 93 / 20 10 10 0 Borger TX 74 105 74 100 / 20 0 0 0 Boys Ranch TX 71 103 71 98 / 10 0 0 0 Canyon TX 73 101 71 96 / 10 0 0 0 Clarendon TX 74 103 73 98 / 0 0 0 0 Dalhart TX 66 98 66 94 / 20 10 10 0 Guymon OK 69 100 69 96 / 30 0 10 0 Hereford TX 71 101 70 97 / 0 0 0 0 Lipscomb TX 69 103 72 98 / 30 0 0 0 Pampa TX 73 102 73 97 / 20 0 0 0 Shamrock TX 74 103 73 98 / 10 0 0 0 Wellington TX 74 105 73 100 / 0 0 0 0 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...Heat Advisory until 9 PM CDT this evening for TXZ317. OK...None. && SHORT TERM...05 LONG TERM....55 AVIATION...15
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 27, 2:26 PM CDT, 5 hours 2 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 226 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-280830- Cimarron-Texas-Beaver-Dallam-Sherman-Hansford-Ochiltree-Lipscomb- Hartley-Moore-Hutchinson-Roberts-Hemphill-Oldham-Potter-Carson- Gray-Wheeler-Deaf Smith-Randall-Armstrong-Donley-Collingsworth- Palo Duro Canyon- 226 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon through the evening in the northern half of the Texas Panhandle and the entire Oklahoma Panhandle. Damaging winds and large to very large hail will be possible, along with a low chance for a tornado. Dangerously hot temperatures are expected today in Palo Duro Canyon as well as portions of the Texas Panhandle. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Dangerously hot temperatures are expected Wednesday across the combined Panhandles, and especially in Palo Duro Canyon. Strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible from Thursday through Sunday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Jun 27, 6:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
618 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0611 PM Hail 6 SE Hough 36.82N 101.49W
06/27/2023 E1.75 inch Texas OK Trained Spotter
&&
CRSpecial weather statement, Jun 27, 6:33 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
633 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023
TXZ002-003-007-008-280000-
Hutchinson TX-Sherman TX-Hansford TX-Moore TX-
633 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern Hutchinson,
Hansford, eastern Sherman and northeastern Moore Counties through 700
PM CDT...
At 632 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles north of Sunray, or 18 miles southeast of Stratford, moving
east at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Sunray, Gruver, Morse and Pringle.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for
the Panhandle of Oklahoma...and the Panhandle of Texas.
&&
LAT...LON 3595 10116 3592 10196 3628 10202 3650 10160
3650 10135
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 256DEG 39KT 3613 10186
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
LFMLocal storm report, Jun 27, 6:41 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
641 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0631 PM Hail 7 SE Hough 36.80N 101.48W
06/27/2023 E2.25 inch Texas OK Storm Chaser
Photo submitted via social media.
&&
CRLocal storm report, Jun 27, 6:42 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
642 PM CDT Tue Jun 27 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0611 PM Hail 6 ESE Hough 36.83N 101.48W
06/27/2023 M4.00 inch Texas OK Storm Chaser
Photo submitted via social media.
&&
CRLocal storm report, Jun 27, 6:48 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
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</html>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.
Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z
0.5 hours before the tornado, 157 km from the path. June 28, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2616 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -75 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2755 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1067 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 144 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 239 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.6
- Supercell composite
- 6.5
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.4 K/km
Dodge City, (KDDC), 12:00Z
11.5 hours after it, 157 km from the path. June 28, 2023.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 373 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -656 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 53 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2293 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 496 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 643 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.5 K/km
The surface observations
Liberal_muni (LBL), 38 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 Dodge City radar (KDDC), 152 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:30 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 trackEvery 2023 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of June 27, 2023
2 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
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.