The May 9, 2003 Central Oklahoma Tornadoes

One day after an F4 tornado struck the southern Oklahoma City metropolitan area on May 8, 2003, a single supercell thunderstorm produced ten tornadoes in central Oklahoma, including one F3 and three F1 tornadoes in the northern Oklahoma City metropolitan area. This thunderstorm developed in southwest Oklahoma along a retreating dryline. The storm moved northeast across Oklahoma and eventually dissipated in northeastern Oklahoma. One of the tornadoes occurred in the NWS Tulsa forecast area near Depew, OK. Most of the tornadoes occurred after dark. Large hail and strong straight-line winds associated with the rear-flank downdraft also occurred with this tornadic supercell. Other severe thunderstorms produced damaging large hail and strong winds across portions of Oklahoma.

Damage Path Map for the May 9, 2003 Central Oklahoma Tornadoes	Tornado #7 Near I-35 and Britton Rd at approximately 10:45 pm CDT 5/09/2003 ©Tim Marshall

The following two radar images are from the Oklahoma City/Twin Lakes (KTLX) WSR-88D radar. The date/time for these images was at 1054 pm CDT 5/9/2003, when the tornadic circulation was over northeast OKC. Select the images to view a higher resolution image.
Oklahoma City/Twin Lakes (KTLX) Reflectivity at 1054 pm CDT 5/9/2003	Oklahoma City/Twin Lakes (KTLX) Storm-Relative Velocity at 1054 pm CDT 5/9/2003
Approximate Path of the May 9, 2003 Caddo/Canadian County Tornadoes	Approximate Path of the May 9, 2003 Bethany/NW OKC Tornado
Larger view of the May 9, 2003 Canadian/Western Oklahoma County Storm Damage	Approximate Path of the May 9, 2003 NE OKC Tornado
Approximate Path of the May 9, 2003 Jones-Luther Tornadoes	Approximate Path of the May 9, 2003 Eastern Lincoln County Tornado