EF1 Tornado — Mccurtain, Oklahoma

2025-04-04 · near Millerton, Mccurtain, Oklahoma

Event narrative

A strong EF-1 tornado with estimated maximum winds near 105 mph touched down just west of Snows Arena Road and south of Highway 70 between Millerton and Garvin, where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado tracked towards Highway 70. Before the tornado crossed the highway, tree damage was noted near a home, with a small outbuilding appearing to have collapsed next to the home. After the tornado crossed Highway 70, it produced extensive tree damage along Quails Nest Road, and another small shed/outbuilding was also damaged along this road, with the metal roof having been blown off and carried across the street into a neighboring yard. Documentation of continued damage north-northeast of this road was difficult due to inaccessibility, but based on radar data and noted damage into the North Pole community, the track continued across the Cedar Mountains. In North Pole, very extensive tree damage was found, with numerous snaps and uproots found along Pine View Road. Here, a large tree was found to have fallen on a home. It was in this area that the tornado was expected to had been strongest, with peak winds around 105 mph. Roads were then difficult to follow north of Pine View Road, although extensive tree damage was found along Roadways 5000, 51033, and 50220 to Old Glory Mountain where trees were damaged up to the ridgeline. Roadway access was lost soon after reaching this area, but based on radar data and additional damage found along Highway 259 north of Hochatown and just south of Catfish Bay Road, the tornado track continued. Additional tree damage was found northeast of Catfish Bay Road before road access became problematic again. However, it appears the tornado lifted shortly thereafter over the mountainous terrain, with a nearly 25 mile long track while on the ground for just over 45 minutes.

Wider weather episode

A stationary front extended across portions of Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas during the early morning hours on April 4th, but lifted north into Southeast Oklahoma and Western Arkansas during the day. This was in response to an intensifying low level jet that developed ahead of a large upper trough that extended from the Intermountain West into the Plains, which provided the necessary lift across the very warm, moist, and unstable air mass in place south of this front across much of the region. As a result, numerous showers and thunderstorms developed across the area during the afternoon and evening, which produced damaging winds, large hail, and an isolated long-track tornado in Southern and Central McCurtain County Oklahoma.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.9582, -94.9867)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1256268. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.