EF1 Tornado — Cherokee, Oklahoma

2025-05-19 · near Eldon, Cherokee, Oklahoma

Event narrative

This tornado developed east of Highway 10, near Scraper, and moved east. It snapped and uprooted numerous trees and destroyed an outbuilding west of the Illinois River. It crossed the Illinois River near the E 732 Road, continuing to snap and uproot trees until it dissipated north of the E 728 Road and west of the N 593 Road. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 100 to 105 mph.

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms developed over central Oklahoma along and ahead of a dry line during the afternoon of the 19th, as an upper level disturbance approached the Southern Plains. These thunderstorms moved northeast off the dry line and across portions of eastern Oklahoma during the mid afternoon and evening hours. The atmosphere east of the dry line across eastern Oklahoma became very unstable during the afternoon and evening, and this instability combined with strong deep-layer and low-level wind shear, resulted in the development of a few supercell thunderstorms and a severe squall line. Multiple tornadoes, large hail slightly larger than golf ball size, and damaging wind gusts occurred with these thunderstorms across eastern Oklahoma. Locally heavy rainfall also produced some localized flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.9560, -94.8960)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1262996. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.