TornadoLookup

Home / Oklahoma / Canadian

F1 tornado in Canadian County, Oklahoma

Tornado May 9, 2003 · Canadian County, Oklahoma

F1
Rating
0.5 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
$2K
Damage as recorded
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 F1 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F1 meant moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken; the scale paired it with winds of 73–112 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

This brief tornado began 0.2 miles south of EW108 Road on Choctaw Road (NS283 Road) then moved east-northeast for half a mile before dissipating 0.6 miles west of Highway 81 on EW108 Road. A power pole was snapped, consistent with F1 damage, and two others blown over at the start of the path. Minor structural damage to a house was noted towards the end of the path.

The wider 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.

Began near Union City (35.3000, -98.7833).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

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

F3 Oklahoma CountyF1 Oklahoma CountyF1 Oklahoma CountyF1 Caddo CountyF1 Lincoln CountyF1 Oklahoma CountyF0 Caddo CountyF0 Grady CountyF0 Caddo CountyF0 Lincoln County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5361340. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.