EF2 tornado, Barber to Gallitin, Oklahoma, November 4, 2024

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.

Rating

EF2

Date

November 4, 2024

Touchdown

3:21 PM CST (21:21 UTC)

Lifted

4:11 PM CST (22:11 UTC)

On the ground

50 minutes

Path length

32.9 miles (52.9 km)

Path width

1,200 yards (1097 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Property damage

$280,000

Counties

Cherokee, Adair, Washington and Benton counties

Touchdown point

35.785, -94.861

Lift-off point

36.144, -94.483

Record number

2411041521-01

69 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.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed into and across eastern Oklahoma during the late morning through afternoon of the 4th, in an unseasonably moist and unstable air mass ahead of an approaching cold front. The atmosphere became very unstable ahead of the thunderstorms. The deep-layer and low-level wind shear strengthened during the afternoon, in response to a strong storm system translating into the Southern Plains from the Southern Rockies. The combination of very unstable air and very strong wind shear resulted in the development of some supercell thunderstorms, which produced multiple tornadoes across northeast and east central Oklahoma, including a long-track significant tornado that affected Cherokee and Adair Counties before moving into Arkansas. Damaging wind gusts also occurred. Locally heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding.

Strong to severe thunderstorms developed into and across northwestern Arkansas during the afternoon of the 4th, in an unseasonably moist and unstable air mass ahead of an approaching cold front. The atmosphere became very unstable ahead of the thunderstorms. The deep-layer and low-level wind shear strengthened during the afternoon, in response to a strong storm system translating into the Southern Plains from the Southern Rockies. The combination of very unstable air and very strong wind shear resulted in the development of some supercell thunderstorms, which produced several tornadoes across Benton and Washington Counties. Locally heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding across portions of Benton, Madison, and Franklin Counties.

This is the first segment of a four-segment tornado. The tornado developed southwest of Tenkiller and moved northeast, crossing into Adair County north of Caney Creek and south of the E 813 Road. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted in its path, and outbuildings were destroyed. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph.

This is the second segment of a four-segment tornado. The tornado moved into Adair County north of Caney Creek and south of the E 808 Road. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted, outbuildings were damaged, homes were damaged, and utility poles were snapped between the county line and Christie. Extensive tree damage occurred northeast of Christie along Highway 62, and continued to near the S 4720 Road. A manufactured home was destroyed and outbuildings were damaged. The tornado widened to about 1200 yards for several miles as it approached the state line. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 110 to 120 mph. The tornado continued into Washington County, Arkansas.

This is the third segment of a four-segment tornado. The tornado moved into Washington County just north of Brush Road. It moved northeast, crossing Highway 59 and Highway 244, before moving into Benton County. Numerous trees were uprooted in Washington County, and many large tree limbs were snapped. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 90 to 100 mph.

This is the fourth segment of a four-segment tornado. The tornado moved into Benton County west of Cincinnati Creek Road. It moved northeast across Fisher Ford Road and Nicodemus Church Road, and then dissipated after crossing Highway 16. Numerous trees were uprooted, the roofs of a couple homes were damaged, and outbuildings were damaged in the path of the tornado. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 90 to 100 mph.

This tornado developed along and north of River Valley Road and south of Gary Turner Road. It moved northeast crossing Highway 412 west of Fairmount Road, and then dissipated south of Water Tower Road. Numerous trees were uprooted, a few trees were snapped, outbuildings were destroyed, a few homes were damaged, and power poles were snapped in its path. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 100 to 105 mph.

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

37 minutes of warning. NWS TSA issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:44 UTC, 37 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 16:53 UTC and running to 23:21 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:59 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 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.

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:23 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.

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

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

The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in OklahomaEvery tornado in Oklahoma since 1950Warnings in force in Oklahoma nowThe forecast where you are

20 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.