F2 tornado in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

This tornado was the most intense of the day. The tornado touched down approximately 1/4 mile southwest of the corner of Bryant Avenue and Hefner Road, and moved northeast crossing Interstate 35 at the Frontier City theme park parking lot. The tornado continued northeast along northeast 122nd Street and eventually dissipated 1/4 mile northeast of Interstate 44 at Douglas Blvd. The total path length was approximately 5 1/2 miles. Maximum width was 200 yards east of Interstate 35 and south of Interstate 44. The tornado was rated F2 (At 122nd Street approximately 1-2 miles east of I-35). Seventeen minor injuries (3 transported to hospital) occurred at Frontier City. Along the track, major structural damage occurred to businesses along Interstate 35 from 122nd Street southward for approximately three-quarters of a mile. The Frontier City theme park was among the hardest hit businesses. The tornado passed through the parking lot damaging numerous vehicles before striking a two-story concrete block building at the northeast corner of the park. This building suffered partial failure of external walls and the entire roof was removed. Damage to adjacent areas of the park was mainly due to strong inflow into the tornado.On the east side of Interstate 35, a Texaco truck stop was severely damaged. Empty semi-tractor trailers located in the east parking lot of the truck stop were over turned and rolled tens of feet. One trailer was briefly airborne and landed on another empty trailer. A small portable building containing a CB radio shop in the parking area was completely swept away into a grove of trees east of the lot. Numerous homes suffered major damage to roofs, windows, and garage doors in the Nottingham and Quail Ridge Run subdivisions located along 122nd Street 1-2 miles east of I35. Several homes suffered major or nearly complete roof failure, though most exterior walls remained intact. These homes were of recent construction and were well built with brick exterior facades (some likely in excess of $200K). No means of anchoring the roofs to the exterior walls was noted. The tornado may have approached F3 at times in these neighborhoods. The most severly damaged home was located atop a small hill with garage doors on the upwind side of the home. Debris patterns suggest the garage doors failed allowing the wind to lift the roof. Without the roof in place, failure of the external garage walls occurred. The most severe damage to trees occurred in these subdivisions and areas immediately adjacent.

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.