EF1 tornado in Mayes County, Oklahoma

This tornado developed on the east side of Pryor, south of Highway 20 and east of S Bailey Street. It moved northeast across Highway 20 and NE 1st Street, where a metal building structure was severely damaged, and the roof of a funeral home was damaged. Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped. The tornado continued to move northeast, crossing the W 480 and W 470 Roads, before turning more easterly. It then crossed the N 434 and N 435 Roads before dissipating. The roof of a home was damaged, several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and large tree limbs were snapped in the portion of the tornado north of NE 5th Street. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 100 to 105 mph.

Thunderstorms developed over north central and northwestern Oklahoma during the early evening of the 17th, near an outflow boundary from earlier thunderstorms, and north of a developing warm front that stretched across the area. The atmosphere ahead of the thunderstorms over eastern Oklahoma had become very unstable. The strong instability combined with strong wind fields and strong wind shear associated with an intense upper level disturbance moving through the region, resulted in a few supercells that evolved into a severe squall line that moved through the area during the mid to late evening of the 17th, and early morning of the 18th. Widespread damaging wind, multiple tornadoes, and large hail up to golf ball size occurred across northeastern Oklahoma as the storms moved through the area.