F1 tornado in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

This tornado touched down as a waterspout over Lake Hefner and moved east to dissipate between May Avenue and Lake Hefner Parkway. Total path length was approximately 3/4 mile and its width was approximately 50 yards. Numerous boats in dry dock suffered damage at the Oklahoma City Boat Club as the tornado passed slightly south of the marina. Boats that were in the water suffered little, if any, damage. Damage to the OKC Boat Club facilities and nearby boats was estimated at $250 K. Traffic signs along the east shore of the lake were bent and a small storage shed was destroyed approximately 1/8 mile south of the OKC Boat Club. Minor roof damage occurred to homes immediately east of Lake Hefner Parkway.

Summary of events of June 13, 1998:During the afternoon and evening four supercell thunderstorms developed near a dryline in western Oklahoma and tracked east into central sections of the state. The most significant storm developed in Washita county at approximately 400 pm CST and intensified as it moved east toward central Oklahoma. This storm produced at least six tornadoes as it tracked from Canadian County across Oklahoma County during the early evening. The most damaging tornado (an F2) touched down in northeast Oklahoma City and crossed Interstate 35 near the Frontier City theme park. Other tornadoes damaged the Oklahoma City Boat Club, portions of The Village and Nichols Hills, the Highland Park neighborhood west of Broadway Extension, and the area near May and Grand Avenues in Oklahoma City. Three weak tornadoes also touched down in open country northwest of El Reno and near Yukon. In addition to damaging tornadoes, the storm produced extensive straight-line wind damage from Lake Hefner, across Nichols Hills and The Village, into northeast Oklahoma County. Winds likely exceeded 100 mph in some areas. There were no fatalities and only 21 relatively minor injuries reported in Oklahoma County. The majority of the injuries were sustained at the Frontier City theme park. Earlier, another supercell thunderstorm produced tornadoes near Longdale in Blaine County and 3 miles southwest of Guthrie. Supercells that tracked across Noble County and northern Cleveland County produced large hail and severe winds, but no tornadoes.See preceding individual Storm Data entries for further details and additional reports.