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F0 tornado in Custer County, Oklahoma

Tornado October 9, 2001 · Custer County, Oklahoma

F0
Rating
0.1 mi
Path length
25 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F0 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F0 meant light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken; the scale paired it with winds of 40–72 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

B3. This was a brief tornado with no damage.

The wider storm

A major tornado outbreak occurred across western Oklahoma during the afternoon and early evening of October 9th. Nineteen tornadoes were confirmed, with three rated F3. The first F3 tornado developed in northeast Beckham County, near Elk City, and tracked northeastward for 11 miles before dissipating. As the tornado entered Custer County, a home of wood frame with brick exterior had most of its interior and exterior walls destroyed. The tornado then continued across an unpopulated area, causing major damage to trees and fences, before dissipating 2.5 miles west of Foss Dam. The second F3 tornado developed in Washita County, near Cordell. The Oklahoma State Emergency Management Office estimated that 477 single-family homes were damaged, 132 considered uninhabitable. In addition, 40 businesses were damaged, 22 considered uninhabitable. Damage was estimated near 100 million dollars, and nine injuries were reported. The last F3 tornado developed in Kiowa County and produced F3 damage soon after entering Washita County. Several vehicles and large pieces of farm equipment were tossed and destroyed. About 4 miles north-northeast of Mountain View, 3 homes suffered major damage, with one rated F3. As the tornado continued northeastward, F3 damage was inflicted on a farm, where a house and several barns and outbuildings were leveled. A 10,000 gallon diesel tank ended up in an open field about one-quarter mile away from its original position.For simplicity, the tornadoes that occurred on this day were identified by the supercell thunderstorm that produced them, beginning with A and ending with E. Each tornado was then given its own number. For example, the 3rd tornado produced by supercell thunderstorm A is called A3. In addition, some tornadoes tracked across multiple counties.

Began near Custer City (35.3833, -97.9333).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

22 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5270688. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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