F1 tornado in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

This tornado began within the Bethany city limits and moved northeast before dissipating within Warr Acres city limits. This tornado which caused mostly F0 damage with pockets of high-end F1 damage tracked from near the intersection of Glade Avenue and Northwest 38th Street, across Northwest 50th Street and North Rockwell Avenue, and finally to Hammond Avenue and Northwest 59th Street. Most damage was in the F0 category to trees and roof shingles. Several pockets of F1 damage were noted embedded within the path, indicative of possible multiple-vortices. Most structures that received F1 damage were structures with susceptibilities to high wind. These included several churches, a self-storage facility, airport hangars at Wiley Post Airport, several warehouses, a few small homes, and several businesses. The tornado damaged approximately 70 airplanes and 40 hangers were damaged or destroyed at Wiley Post Airport. Many of the airplanes damaged were inside the hangers.A man suffered fatal injuries (indirect) in Warr Acres. An eighty year old man from Woodward, Oklahoma was visiting relatives in Warr Acres. He injured his head as he was seeking shelter and died from his injuries two days later. The structure he was in was not affected by the storm.

All of the tornadoes, nine total, that occurred on May 9, 2003 were produced by the same supercell. This thunderstorm developed in southwest Oklahoma along a retreating dryline. The storm moved northeast across Oklahoma eventually dissipating in northeastern Oklahoma. Most of the tornadoes occurred after dark. Three of the tornadoes affected western and northern portions of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area making two days in a row (see May 8, 2003 data) that the Oklahoma City metro area was affected by a tornadic thunderstorm. The strongest tornado, an F3, moved across portions of the northeastern metro area. Large hail and strong straight-line winds associated with the rear-flank downdraft also occurred with this tornadic supercell. Other severe thunderstorms produced damaging large hail and strong winds across portions of Oklahoma.