EF1 Tornado — Pontotoc, Oklahoma

2025-05-24 · near Vanoss, Pontotoc, Oklahoma

Event narrative

This tornado developed near the community of Vanoss and moved southeast. A home suffered significant roof damage along County Road 3450. Scattered damage was observed by emergency management personnel southeast to near the intersection of County Roads 3470 and 1570.

Wider weather episode

The approximately 36-hour period, beginning during the initial hours of the 24th, featured three unique severe convective episodes across the WFO Norman Forecast Area. The initial round, triggered by moist isentropic ascent, featured scattered organized thunderstorms, including a few supercell thunderstorms. This activity produced primarily reports of large hail. However, localized storm-scale interactions across Cleveland, Pottawatomie, and Pontotoc Counties resulted in concentrated corridor of thunderstorm wind damage, as well as a tornado near Vanoss, OK, in Pontotoc County. During the same general time frame, a separate organized line of thunderstorms moved from far southern Kansas into north-central Oklahoma producing a few observed severe-caliber wind gusts.

Following the morning activity, dry and pleasant conditions occurred for much of the day on the 24th. However, by near-sunset, a destabilizing boundary layer near and south of a warm front across western and southern Oklahoma fostered the development of a few briefly intense thunderstorms. Finally, a progressive and high-intensity wake low and heat burst event evolved from portions of western-north Texas into central Oklahoma during the late evening of the 24th into the 25th. This event, tied to decaying severe convection from across central Texas, featured strong and occasionally damaging wind gusts.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.7580, -96.8650)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1261191. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.