EF1 Tornado — Wagoner, Oklahoma

2021-10-10 · near Coweta, Wagoner, Oklahoma

Event narrative

This tornado developed along the leading edge of a strong convective line of thunderstorms, over a neighborhood on the south side of Coweta between Highway 51B and Highway 72, and south of E156th Street. It moved north-northeast across neighborhoods and the high school before crossing Highway 51. The width of damage increased north of Highway 51, as it moved north-northeast across E146th Street and E136th Street, and then the tornado dissipated over open country south of the Muskogee Turnpike. Numerous homes were damaged by the tornado, several of the buildings at the high school were damaged, several businesses were damaged, numerous trees and power poles were blown down, and several outbuildings were destroyed. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 100 to 110 mph.

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms developed across central Oklahoma during the afternoon of the 10th, along a cold front that was moving into the area. These storms moved eastward and across eastern Oklahoma during the evening. In response to a strong upper level disturbance translating into the Southern Plains, wind fields as well as wind shear strengthened considerably during the evening across eastern Oklahoma ahead of the approaching thunderstorms. The very strong wind shear combined with moderately strong instability that existed across the area, resulted in some supercell thunderstorms, as well as the eventual evolution of a squall line. One of the supercells produced a tornado, and the squall line produced several tornadoes as it moved through eastern Oklahoma. Large hail up to two inches in diameter, and damaging wind gusts also occurred from these thunderstorms.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.9360, -95.6470)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 981996. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.