Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma · 2025

Unrated tornado, Pond Creek, Oklahoma, June 17, 2025

Name: Unrated tornado, Pond Creek, Oklahoma, June 17, 2025
Start: 2025-06-18T02:53:00.000Z
End: 2025-06-18T02:55:00.000Z
Location: Pond Creek, Oklahoma

This Unrated tornado ran 1.0 miles across Grant County on June 17, 2025, touching down at 9:53 PM CDT and reaching 30 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 17, 2025
Touchdown: 9:53 PM CDT (02:53 UTC)
Lifted: 9:55 PM CDT (02:55 UTC)
On the ground: 2 minutes
Path length: 1.0 miles (1.6 km)
Path width: 30 yards (27 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Grant County
Touchdown point: 36.598, -97.889
Lift-off point: 36.609, -97.876
Record number: 2506172053-01

What the Weather Service recorded

In addition to a morning complex of severe thunderstorms, a multi-modal severe weather outbreak impacted portions of northern and central Oklahoma during the evening of the 17th. Initial thunderstorm coverage during the morning across northern Oklahoma featured a few reports of thunderstorm wind damage/gusts. After quickly moving eastward, allowing for substantial airmass recovery across the area, additional severe thunderstorms developed ahead of an approaching synoptic wave by the early evening. Initial thunderstorms impacted the Oklahoma/Kansas border areas of Kay County, producing a few reports of large hail. All the while, an intense supercell thunderstorm was drifting from the northeastern Texas Panhandle into portions of western Oklahoma. This storm became tornadic as it crossed into Ellis and Roger Mills County, producing a significant (EF-2) tornado here. As this thunderstorm grew upscale, along with additional development to its north, an organized mesoscale convective system (MCS) took shape. Numerous reports of wind damage and three brief tornadoes occurred as this system swept eastward across the northern one-half of the forecast area.

Storm spotters reported a tornado near or west of US-81 near the Garfield-Grant County line. No damage was reported and the location is estimated.

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

The warnings

5 minutes of warning. NWS OUN issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:48 UTC, 5 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:15 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 02:44 UTC and running to 06:44 UTC.

Issued (UTC)	Expired	Product	Office
09:20 UTC	12:16 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	OUN
09:54 UTC	10:45 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN
10:45 UTC	11:30 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN
20:40 UTC	02:44 UTC	Tornado Watch	OUN
22:00 UTC	15:00 UTC	Flood Watch	OUN
00:13 UTC	00:43 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN
00:48 UTC	04:00 UTC	Flood Advisory	OUN
02:39 UTC	03:30 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN
02:44 UTC	06:44 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	OUN
02:48 UTC	03:15 UTC	Tornado Warning	OUN
03:09 UTC	03:45 UTC	Tornado Warning	OUN
03:24 UTC	04:09 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN
18:40 UTC	13:01 UTC	Flood Warning	OUN

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 Moderate Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 00:57 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.

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 Jun 17, 5:59 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Updated at 513 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025
Severe thunderstorm chances Tuesday evening through Wednesday.
Above-average temperatures are expected much of this week and into next weekend and staying dry.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 5:59 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
559 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 513 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

- Severe thunderstorm chances Tuesday evening through Wednesday.

- Above-average temperatures are expected much of this week and
  into next weekend and staying dry.

&&

.NEAR TERM...
(Rest of today and tonight)
Issued at 308 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

There is a risk for multiple rounds of up to severe thunderstorms
this evening and overnight near and north of the I-40 corridor with
the highest risk in our area across northern Oklahoma. There will
also be an additional risk for flash flooding as well across parts
of the severe risk area as well.

An upper level shortwave will develop lee of the Colorado Rockies
which will be digging through the Central & Southern High Plains
early this evening to across our CWA overnight.  Meanwhile down at
the surface the remnants of the MCS activity early this morning
had produced an outflow boundary stretched across northern
Oklahoma along with a synoptic front/cold front pushing through
later tonight. Another surface feature is a dryline stretched lee
of the Colorado & New Mexico Rockies which will be punching into
the Southern High Plains where a surface low will be in place.

The initial round of severe convection may initiate late this
afternoon into the evening hours near and north of the
aforementioned outflow boundary while additional convection may also
initiate along and east of the dryline bringing storms in from the
west.  Heating will strongly destabilize the atmosphere in the
warm/moist sector by late afternoon as both NAM & RAP deterministic
solutions are suggesting 3000-4000 J/kg of SBCAPE to perhaps higher
near the Kansas/Oklahoma state lines.  The deep-layer shear will
also be sufficient for organization and multiple supercells capable
of producing a tornado in the highest risk area although large hail
& damaging wind gusts of 70 mph or greater will pose the greatest
severe hazards.  Additional rounds of storms will follow into the
overnight hours as a second mid-level shortwave and surface front
start pushing through enhanced by low-level shear from a
strengthening low-level jet overnight.  Although the severe risk
will be highest with this first round of storms, the severe risk
area after midnight may be restricted to areas near, east, and south
of the I-44 corridor as those areas to the west and north may have
destabilized.  With the heaviest rainfall rates and training from
multiple storms across parts of the severe risk area, there will
also be an additional risk that excessive rainfall in short periods
of time may produce a flash flood hazard.  As a result we have a
Flood Watch in place across all of northern into a portion of
central Oklahoma down to Oklahoma City in effect through the morning
hours.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Wednesday through Thursday night)
Issued at 308 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

Isolated storms will likely be ongoing after sunrise along the slow
moving cold front although expected to be non-severe and mainly east
of the I-35 corridor.  Diurnal heating will again destabilize the
warm sector east of the surface front for afternoon severe storm
initiation generally near, east, and south of the I-44 corridor.
However shear will be weak keeping the tornado risk very low but
could see a lower-end severe risk with large hail & damaging wind
gusts as the hazards during Wednesday afternoon into the evening
hours.  Although the severe risk will have lowered, will keep storm
POPs in the forecast for Wednesday night across our southeastern CWA
as the upper wave moves out/east and the surface boundary washes
out.  An upper ridge over the western U.S. starts building in on
Thursday with south winds returning as we transition back into a hot
and dry weather pattern.  Will see widespread 90s for highs Thursday
afternoon.  With the surface moisture sticking around and perhaps
increasing with the south winds will see afternoon heat indices in
the lower triple digits getting close to Heat Advisory criteria.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday through next Monday)
Issued at 308 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

Longwave ridging will maintain the dry & hot muggy conditions on
Friday into the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 513 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are moving across far
south central Kansas late this afternoon. Additional
thunderstorms are expected to form along a frontal boundary this
evening and overnight. Very warm mid-level temperatures across
west Texas and western Oklahoma may limit thunderstorm develop
and/or coverage, but CAMs are insistent in better thunderstorm
coverage across western parts of Oklahoma this evening. Some of
the thunderstorms may produce strong damaging winds and hail with
MVFR conditions likely (ceilings and visibility). Will mention a
better chance of storms at PNC/SWO/WWR with still a chance at
CSM/OUN/OKC.

A majority of the convection should be east of all TAF sites by
12-14Z Wednesday. An outflow boundary/front may add in additional
thunderstorm develop Wednesday afternoon, mainly across southern
Oklahoma.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK  71  88  70  93 /  30  10  10   0
Hobart OK         69  91  69  97 /  20   0  10   0
Wichita Falls TX  76  93  73  96 /  20  10  20   0
Gage OK           63  87  63  94 /  30   0   0   0
Ponca City OK     67  86  66  91 /  60  30   0   0
Durant OK         76  92  73  92 /  20  20  40  10

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...Flood Watch through Wednesday morning for OKZ004>008-010>013-
     018>020-025-026.

TX...None.
&&

NEAR TERM...68
SHORT TERM...68
LONG TERM....68
AVIATION...06

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 17, 8:56 PM CDT, 57 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
856 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0810 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     8 WSW Arnett            36.09N 99.90W
06/17/2025  M65 MPH          Ellis              OK   Mesonet

&&

oun

Local storm report, Jun 17, 8:58 PM CDT, 55 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
858 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0837 PM     Hail             8 SW Arnett             36.06N 99.87W
06/17/2025  M1.25 Inch       Ellis              OK   Trained Spotter

&&

oun

Local storm report, Jun 17, 9:06 PM CDT, 47 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
906 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0855 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     5 NW Camargo            36.06N 99.36W
06/17/2025  M63 MPH          Dewey              OK   Mesonet

&&

oun

Local storm report, Jun 17, 9:22 PM CDT, 31 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
922 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0905 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     6 SW Vici               36.09N 99.38W
06/17/2025  E55 MPH          Dewey              OK   Mesonet

&&

oun

Local storm report, Jun 17, 9:31 PM CDT, 22 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
931 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0920 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     4 N Putnam              35.91N 98.97W
06/17/2025  M65 MPH          Dewey              OK   Mesonet

&&

oun

Local storm report, Jun 17, 9:51 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
951 PM CDT Tue Jun 17 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0940 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 S Jet                 36.66N 98.18W
06/17/2025  E71 MPH          Alfalfa            OK   Public

            Personal Weather Station.

&&

oun

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

2.9 hours before the tornado, 160 km from the path. June 18, 2025.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: 2854 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -53 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 3891 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1272 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 94 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 465 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.1
Supercell composite: 17.4
0-3 km lapse rate: 6.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Norman, OK (KOUN), 12:00Z

9.1 hours after it, 160 km from the path. June 18, 2025.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 90 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -390 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 989 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 172 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 240 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 6.6
0-3 km lapse rate: 3.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 27 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:55 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)	Report	Where	County	Remark
02:40 UTC	TSTM WND GST 71	1 S Jet	Alfalfa, OK	Personal Weather Station.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2025 tornado in Oklahoma Every tornado in Oklahoma since 1950 Warnings in force in Oklahoma now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 17, 2025

21 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 17	11:41 AM CDT	EF0	Escambia, FL	0.1	5
June 17	12:25 PM MDT	EF1	Albany, WY	1.6	450
June 17	12:41 PM MDT	EF1	Teller, CO	0.4	150
June 17	1:38 PM MDT	Unrated	Adams, ND	0.9	50
June 17	2:15 PM MDT	EF0	Kimball, NE	0.1	10
June 17	2:35 PM MDT	Unrated	Niobrara, WY	0.1	10
June 17	2:50 PM MDT	Unrated	Niobrara, WY	0.1	10
June 17	3:03 PM MDT	Unrated	Converse, WY	0.1	10
June 17	4:25 PM CDT	EF0	Harper, KS	0.1	10
June 17	6:09 PM EDT	EF1	Bedford, PA	1.1	175	$60,000
June 17	5:40 PM MDT	Unrated	Morrill, NE	0.1	10
June 17	8:06 PM CDT	EF2	Ellis, OK	14.3	1,200	$105,000
June 17	8:07 PM CDT	EF1	Ellis, OK	1.8	50	$20,000
June 17	8:16 PM CDT	Unrated	Roger Mills, OK	0.1	30
June 17	9:39 PM CDT	EF0	Alfalfa, OK	2.2	40	$10,000
June 17	9:52 PM CDT	Unrated	Major, OK	2.0	30
June 17	12:36 AM CDT	EF1	Mayes, OK	4.3	350	$300,000
June 17	12:42 AM CDT	EF1	Mayes, OK	8.2	750
June 17	12:53 AM CDT	EF1	Cherokee, OK	1.8	700	$10,000
June 17	12:56 AM CDT	EF1	Cherokee, OK	6.9	600	$50,000
June 17	12:59 AM CDT	EF1	Delaware, OK	3.7	700	$20,000

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.