May 29 - 31, 2013 Severe Weather & Flooding

2013 May 29-June 1 Severe Weather and Flooding Event

Information on this webpage is considered preliminary and will continue to be updated as the event is analyzed.

Anyone with information that could enhance the record of these storms should contact the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa at 918-838-7838 during business hours, submit an online storm report, or send us an email at: sr-tsa.stormreport@noaa.gov. Information can also be posted on our Facebook page.

Jump to:	Event Summary	Meteorological Data from SPC	SPC Storm Report Maps
	Preliminary Tornado Information	Oilton Tornado	Mazie Tornado
	Murphy Tornado	Broken Arrow Tornado	Hulah Tornado
	Pawhuska Tornado	Copan Tornado	South Coffeyville Tornado
	Watova #1 Tornado	Watova #2 Tornado	Grove Tornado
	Saint Paul Tornado	Heavy Rainfall and Flooding	Return to All Weather Events webpage

Event Summary:

Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours of May 29th over central Oklahoma along a dry line and frontal boundary. A strong upper-level system was located over the northern plains, and a warm and unstable air mass was east of the front. The severe storms that developed moved east and northeast into eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. Many of the storms became severe, producing strong damaging winds and large hail. Much of northeast Oklahoma northwest of I-44 had 1.5”- 4” of rain. The highest totals of 4”-5” occurred in the Skiatook, OK area. The widespread heavy rain resulted in mainstem river flooding along Bird Creek, the Caney River, the Verdigris River, and the Neosho River.

The severe weather continued into May 30th, as the frontal boundary stalled across the region, and conditions across the area remained very unstable. Additional severe thunderstorms developed over central and eastern Oklahoma, as well as in northwest Arkansas, producing very strong winds and large hail. Several tornadoes developed, affecting areas near Oilton, Mazie, Murphy, and Broken Arrow. The tornado that moved through Broken Arrow damaged dozens of homes, several severely, and destroyed outbuildings and several businesses. Major flooding became an issue as the thunderstorms tracked over the same areas, dropping several inches of rainfall. While rainfall on the 30th was generally 0.75”-2” across northeast Oklahoma north of Highway 412, as well as across northwest Arkansas, additional rainfall of 0.25”-over 2” occurred in southeast Oklahoma. Southern Le Flore County received 3” to over 6” of rain on the 30th into the 31st, with a majority of that rain falling in the 6-hour period from 9pm 5/30 to 3am 5/31. This rain led to extreme flash flooding, with the Emergency Manager reporting 4’-5’ of water in homes, several bridges washed out, and numerous roads and culverts with damage.

A third round of severe weather and heavy, flooding rain once again affected Oklahoma on May 31st. Thunderstorms initially developed along a cold front/dryline across much of central Oklahoma, and tracked northeast into eastern Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening hours. Several rotating storms affected eastern Oklahoma, producing tornadoes near Hulah, Pawhuska, Copan, Watova, Grove, and Saint Paul. A long-lived HP supercell brought numerous tornadoes and widespread flooding to the Oklahoma City metro area (see NWS Norman for details), before moving east along I-40 into eastern Oklahoma. This slow moving storm continued to be a prolific rain producer, bringing widespread 3”-8” of rain to all of Okfuskee and McIntosh Counties, as well as portions of Okmulgee, Muskogee, Pittsburg, and Haskell Counties. 7.54” of rain was measured 3 miles east of Okemah, OK in 24 hours. This heavy rain resulted in widespread flash flooding, and unfortunately, one fatality occurred. Okfuskee County Emergency Management reported that 20 people were evacuated from Weleetka on June 1 due to flooding. Additionally, several roadways and bridges had damage from flooding. Okmulgee County Emergency Management reported approximately 25 homes and one nursing home were evacuated in Henryetta due to flooding. Dewar had more than 50 homes affected by the flooding. Water rescues took place in both communities, and many roads were barricaded due to high water. Widespread 1”-3” of rain fell elsewhere in east central Oklahoma and west central Arkansas as the storm finally began to weaken. 0.50”-around 3” of rain also occurred along the counties that border Kansas from the severe thunderstorms that moved through that area.

This Preliminary Event Impact Map will be updated as additional information is received. Click on the icons within the map for additional details and/or images related to that impact. Tornado information can be found by clicking on the track. Individual tornado track maps and images may be available below the overview Event Impact Map.

Tornado Tracks: Due to mapping/GPS software differences and road accessibility along the track, use the plotted tracks for general reference only. Tornado tracks may be updated and/or changed due to storm damage surveys, data analysis, and eyewitness reports. Colored icons represent the Storm Survey rating assigned to surveyed damage. Click on the icon for additional information and available photos. You may need to zoom in tightly to see all the available data points when data points are logged close to one another. Links to photos are available in the upper portion of the text window that opens when you click on one of the colored data icons or points.

Tornado, Hail, Wind, and Flood Reports: Click on the icon for the time, location, and description of the storm report. Note that these reports are preliminary and the time and/or location may not be accurate. Click here to submit your storm report.

You can download the .kmz file displayed on the map by clicking on the layer name located just above the map.

Maps

SPC's Storm Report Maps:

Here are links to the Storm Prediction Center's (SPC) severe weather report maps showing all the severe hail, wind, and tornado reports for May 29 - 31.


May 29, 2013	May 30, 2013	May 31, 2013

Preliminary Tornado Information (last updated 11:15 am 6/11/2013):

Information from this event is still considered preliminary and will be modified based on additional information that may become available to us. Anyone with information that could enhance the record of this event should contact the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa at 918-838-7838 during business hours, or send us an email at sr-tsa.stormreport@noaa.gov, or submit an online report.

Damage images for each tornado can be found by clicking on the icons within the track map. Additional images related to each tornado can be enlarged by clicking. Hover your mouse over the image for a caption.

Oilton Tornado (Creek County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-0	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	Unknown, no damage	A storm chaser reported a brief tornado. No known damage occurred as it remained over open country.
Path Length	Short
Maximum Path Width	Narrow
Start Location and Time	3.5 miles NNW Oilton, OK at 4:01 pm May 30, 2013
End Location and Time	3.5 miles NNW Oilton, OK at 4:01 pm May 30, 2013

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Mazie Tornado (Mayes County, OK )
EF-Scale	EF-0	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	Unknown, no damage	Several media storm chasers reported brief tornadoes over open country. No known damage resulted from these tornadoes.
Path Length	Short
Maximum Path Width	Narrow
Start Location and Time	2 miles WSW Mazie, OK at 6:54 pm May 30, 2013
End Location and Time	2 miles WSW Mazie, OK at 6:54 pm May 30, 2013

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Murphy Tornado (Mayes County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	95 to 105 mph	This tornado snapped a couple of trees and uprooted several others.
Path Length	2.1 miles
Maximum Path Width	200 yards
Start Location and Time	2 miles SE Murphy, OK at 7:24 pm May 30, 2013
End Location and Time	3 miles ESE Murphy, OK at 7:30 pm May 30, 2013

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Broken Arrow Tornado (Tulsa and Wagoner Counties, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-2	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	125 to 135 mph	This tornado developed about half a mile west of County Line Road, north of New Orleans Street. It moved east snapping trees, destroying barns, and damaging houses before crossing into Wagoner County just south of Houston Street. Trees were snapped and homes damaged as it approached the Creek Turnpike and Highway 51 intersection, where it severely damaged metal buildings and a gas station. The tornado turned more east, severely damaging dozens of homes, a few lost their roofs and one lost the entire second story. It continued east crossing the Muskogee Turnpike snapping more trees, destroying a wood-framed outbuilding, and damaging more homes.
Path Length	5.6 miles
Maximum Path Width	450 yards
Start Location and Time	2 miles SSE Broken Arrow, OK at 8:40 pm May 30, 2013
End Location and Time	2 miles NE Oneta, OK at 8:54 pm May 30, 2013

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Hulah Tornado (Osage County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-0	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	Unknown, no damage	This brief tornado was reported by a storm chaser and was strongly supported by radar data. The survey team could find no damage as a result of the tornado, as it occurred over open country.
Path Length	Short
Maximum Path Width	Narrow
Start Location and Time	2 miles NW Hulah, OK at 6:18 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	2 miles NW Hulah, OK at 6:18 pm May 31, 2013

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Pawhuska Tornado (Osage County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	85-95 mph	This tornado occurred mostly over open country, but two snapped power poles were found by the survey team. The tornado's path length, width, and duration are estimates since it remained over open grasslands that were mostly inaccessible by road and there were few damage indicators.
Path Length	2.5 miles
Maximum Path Width	Unknown
Start Location and Time	15 miles WSW Pawhuska, OK at 6:30 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	12.6 miles WSW Pawhuska, OK at 6:37 pm May 31, 2013

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Copan Tornado (Washington County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	85-95 mph	This tornado occurred mostly over open country, but did damage the roof of a home, and uprooted several trees. Some straight-line wind damage was noted by the survey team to the south of this tornado as a result of the rear flank downdraft.
Path Length	1.2 miles
Maximum Path Width	200 yards
Start Location and Time	6.8 miles NE Copan, OK at 6:38 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	7.9 miles NE Copan, OK at 6:40 pm May 31, 2013

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South Coffeyville Tornado (Nowata County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-0	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	80-85 mph	This tornado damaged trees along its path.
Path Length	1.1 miles
Maximum Path Width	310 yards
Start Location and Time	10.4 miles ESE South Coffeyville, OK at 7:21 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	11.1 miles E South Coffeyville, OK at 7:22 pm May 31, 2013

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Watova #1 Tornado (Rogers and Nowata Counties, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	100-110 mph	This tornado snapped or uprooted numerous trees. Several storm chasers reported this tornado.
Path Length	3.5 miles
Maximum Path Width	320 yards
Start Location and Time	4.4 miles NNW Talala, OK at 8:21 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	1.3 miles SW Watova, OK at 8:26 pm May 31, 2013

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Watova #2 Tornado (Rogers and Nowata Counties, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	100-110 mph	2 Injuries This tornado destroyed a mobile home, destroyed a barn, damaged several homes, and snapped or uprooted numerous trees.
Path Length	4.8 miles
Maximum Path Width	350 yards
Start Location and Time	4.9 miles NNE Talala, OK at 8:27 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	2.7 miles ENE Watova, OK at 8:35 pm May 31, 2013

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Grove Tornado (Delaware County, OK)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	90-100 mph	This tornado touched down near the shore of Grand Lake and traveled east-northeast. Many trees were uprooted and snapped. No significant damage to the homes in the path near the lake shore was noted.
Path Length	1.8 miles
Maximum Path Width	500 yards
Start Location and Time	5 miles SW Grove, OK at 11:23 pm May 31, 2013
End Location and Time	4 miles SSW Grove, OK at 11:27 pm May 31, 2013

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Saint Paul Tornado (Madison County, AR)
EF-Scale	EF-1	Damage:
Maximum Estimated Wind Speed	100-110 mph	This tornado developed on the edge of a ridge line and downed many large trees. The tornado completely peeled the roof off a mobile home, damaged two barns, and did minor damage to a home as it moved into the valley along Highway 16. A large tree fell on a truck, badly damaging the truck. Widespread wind damage occurred in the valley around Saint Paul with many trees receiving some damage.
Path Length	1.0 miles
Maximum Path Width	250 yards
Start Location and Time	1 mile NE Saint Paul, AR at 1:54 am June 1, 2013
End Location and Time	2 miles NE Saint Paul, AR at 1:55 am June 1, 2013

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Heavy Rainfall and Flooding:

Here are some 4-day rainfall total amounts from May 29 - June 1 across Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas, along with the Oklahoma Mesonet rainfall map.

Tulsa, OK - 2.09"	Fort Smith, AR - 3.27"
Fayetteville, AR - 2.70"	McAlester, OK - 4.78"
Muskogee, OK - 2.27"	Bartlesville, OK - 4.49"
Riverside, OK - 1.92"	Highfill, AR - 1.62"
Skiatook 4NW, OK - 6.27"	Nowata 3NNE, OK - 7.26"
Okemah 3E, OK - 7.73"	Eufaula 5ENE, OK - 7.49"

24-hr rainfall totals >3.5” for May 29 (ending 7 am CDT 5/30/2013):
Skiatook 6WSW, OK	5.10	Skiatook 4NW, OK	4.82	Sperry 3SE, OK	4.71
Skiatook 4W, OK	4.61	Sand Springs 8.2 NW, OK	4.21	Nowata 3NNE, OK	4.07
Ramona 5SE, OK	3.83	Childers 2SSE, OK	3.60	Ralston, OK	3.52

24-hr rainfall totals >3.0” for May 31 (ending 7 am CDT 6/01/2013):
Okemah 3E, OK	7.54	Okemah, OK	6.50	Eufaula 5W, OK	6.01
Stigler 4WNW, OK	5.40	Eufaula 4.6ENE, OK	5.10	Whitefield 1N, OK	4.80
Okmulgee 5SE, OK	3.64	Scipio 1S, OK	3.30	Charleston 1.7E, AR	3.24
Natural Dam, AR	3.01

Click on image for larger version in a new window.


Flooding in the Henryetta area May 31-June 1. Photo courtesy of The Henryettan	Flooding in the Henryetta area May 31-June 1. Photo courtesy of The Henryettan	Flooding in the Henryetta area May 31-June 1. Photo courtesy of The Henryettan	Flooding in the Henryetta area May 31-June 1. Photo courtesy of The Henryettan

Updated: June 11, 2013

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office