Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2024
EF0 tornado, Bison to Covington, Oklahoma, May 6, 2024
From Bison to Covington, this EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Garfield County on May 6, 2024, touching down at 7:34 PM CDT and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $5,000 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 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 6, 2024
- Touchdown
- 7:34 PM CDT (00:34 UTC)
- Path length
- 0.2 miles (0.3 km)
- Path width
- 30 yards (27 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- County
- Garfield County
- Touchdown point
- 36.174, -97.804
- Lift-off point
- 36.174, -97.804
- Record number
- 2405061834-01
The damage survey
16 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS OUN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 110 mph.
- Poles broken about 1/2 mile N of this spot.
- Garfield Co EM drone imagery
- report of pole barn destroyed from Garfield Co EM
- FB message: "Our barn was completely destroyed."
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 significant severe weather outbreak, including ten (10) tornadoes, impacted northern and central portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area during the evening of the 6th into the early morning hours of the 7th. The synoptic pattern across the western half of the Continental United States favored a significant severe weather episode across the region, with a powerful (110-120 knot) upper-level jet streak ejecting across the Central Plains during the evening of the 6th. In concert with robust kinematics in place, extreme instability (pockets of >4000-5000 J/kg of CAPE) promoted an environment favorable for significant severe weather. As such, the Storm Prediction Center issued a rare 'High Risk' of severe weather for portions of central and northern Oklahoma, the first to include portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area since 20 May 2019. ||Initial supercell thunderstorms developed in the late afternoon off an accelerating dryline/Pacific front near the 100th meridian. These initial supercell thunderstorms produced large to very large hail and damaging wind gusts, though failed to undergo tornadogenesis. This may have been due to the propensity for rapid and strong downdraft surges in the vicinity of low-level mesocyclones (among other factors). With time, as storms matured and moved into an environment characterized by richer low-level moisture, and as low-level flow increased, multiple tornado occurrences did result. Additional supercell thunderstorms and thunderstorm clusters developed by the late evening of the 6th across west-central into central Oklahoma. A particularly impactful cluster moved across the southern Oklahoma City Metropolitan area, producing numerous reports of significant thunderstorm wind damage (and gusts) and two weak tornadoes.
A storm chaser observed a brief tornado south of Bison. An NWS damage survey team found multiple road signs damaged at the intersections of US-81 and Marshall Road. No other damage was observed.
A brief tornado damaged an outbuilding near Marshall Road.
NWS survey teams found evidence of an EF1 tornado that began in Douglas where at least two outbuildings and trees were damaged. The tornado moved east along Flynn Road then to the east-northeast damaging trees and power poles and crossing State Highway 74 about 2.5 miles south of Covington. The last damage was observed just east of Wood Road and County Road N3050.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 6, 6:49 PM CDT, 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 6, 6:49 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK Issued by National Weather Service Lubbock TX 649 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Tuesday) Issued at 132 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 **SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT** SUMMARY - All the ingredients still appear to be coming together for a significant severe event as a potent shortwave trough ejects into the plains later this afternoon. Ahead of this feature, moisture advection is underway with low stratus seen across much of the forecast area. Moisture advection will continue through the day, contributing to strong instability by peak daytime heating. Wind fields will also be strong, with large, curved hodographs seen in model soundings across much of the area, especially towards and after 00z as the low level jet ramps up. With high confidence that the necessary ingredients will be there, the biggest question mark remaining is storm coverage and how far south storms will develop as the greatest forcing from the trough passes largely to our north, i.e. will we see widespread thunderstorm development or just a couple scattered (likely intense) storms. For now, it appears storm coverage will be greatest closer to the Kansas border, tapering to isolated near and south of I-40. Storm mode is a secondary uncertainty, with several of the CAMs suggesting a faster transition to a more linear mode across northern Oklahoma, which could decrease the hail threat but increase the wind threat (lower probability scenario for now). Tornadoes will be possible with either storm mode. SEVERE HAZARDS - The overall environment will support large to giant hail (>3" in diameter) and significant, long-track tornadoes with any discrete supercell that develops. Damaging wind gusts will also be a concern, especially if we see high-precipitation supercells and/or a transition to more linear modes later on. The environment will remain supportive of severe weather, including tornadoes, well after dark. In fact, the tornado environment will only become more favorable after dark as low-level wind shear maximizes and influx of a moist and unstable airmass continues. Additionally, thunderstorms will be capable of very heavy rainfall which could lead to localized flooding, especially in areas that have seen excessive rainfall recently. STORM MOTION - Storm motion will generally be northeast or east- northeast at 40-50 mph, with right-moving supercells moving east or east-northeast at 30-35 mph. TIMING - Convective development is expected first across northwest and/or western OK by 2-4 PM as the initial forcing with the shortwave impinges on the dryline. These storms will continue east- northeastward into north-central OK by early evening (6pm to midnight). There is a lower risk for more isolated thunderstorms developing out ahead of the main line in northern/central OK between 4-8 PM. The threat could linger past midnight across eastern/southeastern parts of the area, but uncertainty is greater here on if we will see storms develop this far south and east. Bottom line: Not everyone will see a storm today, but any storm that develops will be capable of significant severe weather and should be taken seriously this afternoon through late this evening! Day/Ware && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday night through next Sunday) Issued at 132 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 Fair weather is expected Tuesday with sunny skies and highs in the 80s. Another upper short wave will pass by on Wednesday, bringing the next chance of showers and storms to southeast portions of the forecast area. An early cold front will be draped southeast of the I- 44 corridor by noon, keeping moisture (and, thus, storm chances) confined to areas southeast of the front. Instability and shear will support severe weather with these storms, with large hail and damaging wind gusts the main threat. After Wednesday, precipitation chances drop off with only low PoPs scattered here and there (peaking around 30% this weekend). For now, nothing stands out to indicate any severe risk after Wednesday. Day && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 641 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 Severe thunderstorms remain expected across most of the terminals, with very strong winds/shear, hail, heavy rain, and tornadoes all possible. Sites to the south and west do not have as favorable thunderstorm probabilities. Storms should generally end after midnight. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 54 81 64 79 / 50 0 0 10 Hobart OK 51 83 57 81 / 20 0 0 0 Wichita Falls TX 55 84 66 82 / 20 0 0 10 Gage OK 49 85 51 78 / 10 0 0 0 Ponca City OK 51 81 58 77 / 80 0 10 10 Durant OK 67 85 68 87 / 30 0 10 20 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && SHORT TERM...14 LONG TERM....14 AVIATION...WFO Lubbock
Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 4:01 PM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Norman OK 401 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-072115- Harper-Woods-Alfalfa-Grant-Kay-Ellis-Woodward-Major-Garfield- Noble-Roger Mills-Dewey-Custer-Blaine-Kingfisher-Logan-Payne- Beckham-Washita-Caddo-Canadian-Oklahoma-Lincoln-Grady-McClain- Cleveland-Pottawatomie-Seminole-Hughes-Harmon-Greer-Kiowa-Jackson- Tillman-Comanche-Stephens-Garvin-Murray-Pontotoc-Coal-Cotton- Jefferson-Carter-Johnston-Atoka-Love-Marshall-Bryan-Hardeman- Foard-Wilbarger-Wichita-Knox-Baylor-Archer-Clay- 401 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern... western...central...and southern Oklahoma...and western north Texas. .DAY ONE...Through Tonight... .SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STATEMENT... Storm spotter groups and emergency management personnel across Oklahoma and western north Texas should prepare for severe weather operations. .Thunderstorms... A significant severe weather outbreak, with potentially two rounds, is expected to impact Oklahoma and possible far northern Texas through the evening hours. The atmospheric environment will support storms with strong, long-lived tornadoes, destructive very large hail, and damaging wind gusts 80 mph or greater. Thunderstorms will develop across northwest and west-central Oklahoma through late afternoon, moving eastward into central and northern Oklahoma during the evening. An isolated storm or two is also possible farther south across southwest Oklahoma and western north Texas. A potential second round of severe thunderstorms appears possible across central into south central and southeast Oklahoma late evening and overnight. .Excessive Rainfall... Long-lived severe thunderstorms could produce rainfall amounts of two to four inches, with locally higher amounts possible. Excessive rainfall could lead to flash flooding this afternoon and into tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday... .Thunderstorms... Strong to severe storms are possible across southeast Oklahoma Wednesday afternoon. Get graphics and more details at weather.gov/norman...and follow our weather forecast office on Twitter and Facebook.
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 6, 6:39 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
639 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0637 PM Hail 1 W Oakwood 35.93N 98.73W
05/06/2024 E1.25 Inch Dewey OK Public
Report from mPING.
&&
JHLocal storm report, May 6, 6:46 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
646 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0643 PM Tornado 4 SE Okeene 36.08N 98.27W
05/06/2024 Blaine OK Broadcast Media
&&
JHLocal storm report, May 6, 6:48 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
648 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM Hail Okeene 36.12N 98.31W
05/06/2024 E1.75 Inch Blaine OK Fire Dept/Rescue
&&
JHLocal storm report, May 6, 7:01 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
701 PM CDT Mon May 6 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0657 PM Hail 2 W Southard 36.06N 98.52W
05/06/2024 E1.50 Inch Blaine OK Public
Report from mPING.
&&
JHLocal storm report, May 6, 7:13 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 6, 7:19 PM CDT, 15 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.
Norman, OK (KOUN), 00:00Z
0.6 hours before the tornado, 112 km from the path. May 7, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3547 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 3772 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 710 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 337 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 387 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 8.3
- Supercell composite
- 27.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 6.0 K/km
Norman, OK (KOUN), 12:00Z
11.4 hours after it, 112 km from the path. May 7, 2024.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -9177 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3482 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 71 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -59 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -10 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.1 K/km
The surface observations
Vance Afb/Enid (END), 21 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 Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:31 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 2024 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 6, 2024
40 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6 | 12:49 PM MDT | Unrated | Butte, SD | 3.5 | 10 | |||
| May 6 | 1:53 PM CDT | EF0 | Lincoln, NE | 0.9 | 10 | |||
| May 6 | 1:07 PM MDT | Unrated | Butte, SD | 10.5 | 10 | |||
| May 6 | 2:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Wilson, TN | 0.5 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| May 6 | 4:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Webster, NE | 7.0 | 40 | $20,000 | ||
| May 6 | 4:23 PM CDT | EF1 | DeKalb, TN | 3.2 | 150 | $300,000 | ||
| May 6 | 6:04 PM CDT | Unrated | Major, OK | 3.8 | 30 | |||
| May 6 | 6:40 PM CDT | Unrated | Custer, NE | 0.1 | 1 | |||
| May 6 | 6:41 PM CDT | EF1 | Blaine, OK | 11.1 | 300 | $40,000 | ||
| May 6 | 7:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Gage, NE | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| May 6 | 7:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Gage, NE | 0.2 | 20 | |||
| May 6 | 7:27 PM CDT | EF0 | Garfield, OK | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 7:39 PM CDT | EF0 | Riley, KS | 1.2 | 75 | |||
| May 6 | 7:44 PM CDT | EF1 | Garfield, OK | 6.3 | 300 | |||
| May 6 | 8:44 PM CDT | EF0 | Kay, OK | 0.7 | 30 | $50,000 | ||
| May 6 | 8:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Mills, IA | 5.7 | 250 | |||
| May 6 | 8:54 PM CDT | EF1 | Kay, OK | 8.0 | 75 | $100,000 | ||
| May 6 | 8:55 PM CDT | Unrated | Chautauqua, KS | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 6 | 9:07 PM CDT | EF1 | Pottawattamie, IA | 1.5 | 200 | |||
| May 6 | 9:12 PM CDT | EF4 | Barnsdall–Bartlesville tornado, OK | 40.8 | 1,700 | 2 | 33 | $25 million |
| May 6 | 9:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Pottawattamie, IA | 4.0 | 450 | |||
| May 6 | 9:22 PM CDT | EF0 | Coffey, KS | 0.9 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 9:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Coffey, KS | 0.9 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 10:56 PM CDT | EF0 | Lincoln, OK | 2.2 | 50 | $5,000 | ||
| May 6 | 10:59 PM CDT | EF0 | Platte, MO | 6.0 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 11:00 PM CDT | EF0 | Ottawa, OK to KS | 24.1 | 1,100 | $350,000 | ||
| May 6 | 11:13 PM CDT | EF0 | Cherokee, KS | 2.7 | 50 | $64,000 | ||
| May 6 | 11:26 PM CDT | EF1 | Jackson, MO | 5.8 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 11:29 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, MO | 4.5 | 100 | $160,000 | ||
| May 6 | 11:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Jasper, MO | 2.0 | 100 | $50,000 | ||
| May 6 | 11:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Oklahoma, OK | 2.2 | 75 | $300,000 | ||
| May 6 | 11:39 PM CDT | EF0 | Jackson, MO | 4.4 | 50 | |||
| May 6 | 11:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Oklahoma, OK | 1.1 | 30 | $50,000 | ||
| May 6 | 12:06 AM CDT | EF1 | Okmulgee, OK | 4.0 | 350 | |||
| May 6 | 12:12 AM CDT | EF0 | Dade, MO | 0.4 | 200 | $10,000 | ||
| May 6 | 12:21 AM CDT | EF0 | St. Clair, MO | 1.0 | 100 | $5,000 | ||
| May 6 | 12:33 AM CDT | EF0 | Greene, MO | 18.7 | 150 | 1 | $73,000 | |
| May 6 | 12:38 AM CDT | EF1 | Clarke, IA | 6.2 | 80 | $250,000 | ||
| May 6 | 12:51 AM CDT | EF1 | Pettis, MO | 9.7 | 75 | |||
| May 6 | 12:53 AM CDT | EF0 | Clarke, IA | 2.0 | 80 | $100,000 |
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.