Oklahoma's Top 10 Weather
Events of the 20th Century

Here is a list of the top 10 weather events of the 20th century (which officially ends on December 31, 2000.) The list was produced by the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, and the NWS offices in Norman and Tulsa.

1. Dust Bowl - Early and Mid 1930s. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s ranks also among the most significant events of the century nationally, by literally changing the face of the Great Plains. Extreme heat and drought, especially in 1934 and 1936, with the all-time record high of 113°F set at Oklahoma City in August 1936. "Black Sunday" was the near the height of the Dust Bowl, with accounts of giant clouds of dust descending on Hooker, Oklahoma on April 14, 1935.

2. Tornado Outbreak - May 3-4, 1999. In terms of sheer numbers of tornadoes (73 in a 21-hour period), the outbreak more than doubled the previous record for number of tornadoes reported. Two tornadoes were rated F4, and the tornado that struck the Oklahoma City metro area was the first F5 recorded in the state in nearly 20 years. There were 40 deaths and almost 700 injuries, and damage exceeded $1 billion. As a result of their life-saving actions in issuing timely and accurate warnings, the Norman NWS office was recently awarded a gold medal and the Tulsa NWS office was awarded a silver medal by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

3. Blizzard - February 20-22, 1971. Although this snowstorm was confined to a relatively small part of northwest Oklahoma, the storm total of 3 feet at Buffalo, Oklahoma nearly doubles the maximum storm total of any other snowstorm in Oklahoma history. Winds whipped snow into enormous drifts, forcing some people to use second-story windows to get out of their homes.
   
   
4. Woodward Tornado - April 9, 1947. The most deadly tornado in Oklahoma history killed 116 people in Woodward alone, part of a total death toll of 181. This tornado, or perhaps a family of tornadoes, tracked from White Deer, Texas in the Texas Panhandle to St. Leo, Kansas.

5. Tinker Air Force Base Tornadoes - March 1948. Two direct hits, only 5 days apart, led to the genesis of tornado forecasting, which in turn paved the way for all of the scientific and technological advances in severe weather forecasting since. The first tornado hit on March 20, causing over $10 million in damage to the base and prompting officers to launch the very first efforts to predict tornadoes. As a result, when the second tornado hit the base five days later, it was predicted accurately by officers Fawbush and Miller- the first successful tornado forecast in history.

6. Arctic Cold Wave - December 1983. Like the 1980 heat wave, many Oklahomans remember this as one of the most severe bouts of prolonged wind and cold ever. The latter half of the month saw temperatures 20 to 40 degrees below average nearly every day, along with winds that kept wind chills routinely between 0°F and -40°F. The temperature at Oklahoma City remained below freezing from the evening of the 17th until New Year's Eve - an all-time record of nearly 2 weeks. Temperatures dropped to 0°F or colder on 4 days, never rose out of the single digits on 3 days, and never rose above the teens on 7 days.

7. Heat Wave - Summer 1980. This event is well remembered by many Oklahomans as the most prolonged and severe heat wave outside of the dust bowl years. The 50 days of triple-digit temperatures at Oklahoma City stands as an all-time record- the maximum of 110°F is the hottest day on record outside of the dust bowl.

8. Snowstorm - January 5-7, 1988. This weather event makes the list because of the unprecedented areal coverage of heavy snow. Although the maximum storm total of 17 inches at Hennessey has been exceeded in several other storms, significant snowfall amounts were reported across most of Oklahoma. The storm totals exceeded 4 inches over virtually the entire state, and exceeded 6 inches over all but a few areas near the Red River and the far western Oklahoma Panhandle. The 12.1 inches at Oklahoma City still stands as an all-time record for storm total snowfall.

9. Flash Flood in Tulsa - May 26-27, 1984 (Memorial Day weekend). This event is arguably the most significant urban flash flood in Oklahoma history, as rainfall of up to 15 inches (perhaps more - many gages overflowed) pounded the city overnight, leading to 14 deaths. The flood also led to the development of Tulsa's successful urban flood-plain management and warning system.

10. Ice Storm - December 25-27, 1987. Ice accumulations up to 2 inches, from near Duncan to Norman to Tulsa, left many areas without power for a week or more. The storm ranks as one of the costliest winter storms on record based on utility records.
    
    

    Honorable Mention

11. Flooding, Northern Oklahoma - Late September and Early October 1986. Remnants of two pacific tropical cyclones (Newton, and then Paine) combined to produce widespread 1-week rainfall totals of 10-20 inches across northern Oklahoma, leading to record river flooding.

12. "Blue Norther" - November 11, 1911. 11/11/11 is the only date left in the record books on which the existing record high and record low temperatures were recorded on the same day. An Arctic front, also known as a "Blue Norther," roared into the state and plunged the temperature reading at Oklahoma City from an afternoon high of 83°F to a midnight low of 17°F. The temperature fell to 14°F on the morning of the 12th - a drop of 69 degrees in less than 24 hours.

13. Snyder Tornado - May 10, 1905. The death toll of 97 makes this F5 the 2nd-deadliest tornado in state history.

14. Flooding - October 17-21, 1983. Moisture from the remains of pacific hurricane Tico combined with a frontal system to produce widespread rainfall of 6-15 inches across southwest, central, and northeast Oklahoma, leading to extensive flooding. This event produced the current 24-hour rainfall record at Oklahoma City (8.95 inches).

15. Flash Flood - Enid, October 10, 1973. Rainfall of over 15 inches led to nine deaths. This flash flood nearly rivals the Tulsa flash flood of May 26-27, 1984 (#9).

16. Antlers Tornado - April 12, 1945. The death toll of 69 makes this F5 the third deadliest tornado in state history.

    Others...

• Tornado Outbreak - April 26, 1991. An outbreak of strong and violent tornadoes across northern Oklahoma occurred on this date. This marked the first operational use of the NWS WSR-88D (NEXRAD) radar in a major outbreak to detect thunderstorms with tornadic potential and issue warnings.

• Tornado Outbreak - October 4, 1998. Over 20 tornadoes set a national October record for most tornadoes in any state on a single day.

• Heavy Rain - June 1989. Many areas exceeded an inch per day for the first half of the month, and set records for monthly rainfall.

• Flash Flooding in Hydro - June 23-24, 1948. Unofficial rainfall of over 20 inches in a few hours led to 11 drownings on Highway 66.

• "Ice Bowl," - Late November 1985. "Bedlam" football (between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University) was played on a virtual skating rink at Lewis Field in Stillwater. Heavy freezing rain and sleet fell throughout the evening game, and was accompanied by thunder and lightning at times. Freezing rain showers and thunderstorms affected many parts of the state through the day. This was the same day when winter storm warnings and tornado watches were issued for parts of southern Oklahoma at the same time, and when golfball-size hail was reported in Duncan with a temperature of 33°F.

• Cold Front - March 3, 1989. The arrival of this cold front dropped the temperature at Oklahoma City from an afternoon high of 74°F to a midnight low of 23°F, and a morning low of 16°F on the fourth. With total temperature drop of 58 degrees, this cold front rivaled the "Blue Norther" of 11/11/11. Even more interesting was the development of severe thunderstorms on the evening of the third well behind the cold front. These storms produced nickel-size hail while surface temperatures were near 20°F in central Oklahoma.

• North Canadian River Flood - October 13-16, 1923. Floodwaters from the North Canadian River produced extensive damage in downtown Oklahoma City.