EF1 Tornado — Adair, Oklahoma

2025-05-19 · near Bunch, Adair, Oklahoma

Event narrative

This is the second segment of a two segment tornado. The tornado moved into southwestern Adair County near Beaver Mountain, and moved northeast snapping and uprooting numerous trees and snapping large tree limbs as it moved through rugged terrain. It dissipated east of the N 4660 Road, south of the Stilwell City Lake. It produced a tornadic debris signature from the KSRX WSR-88D. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 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 → (35.7000, -94.8080)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1264100. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.