The Severe Weather Event of May 2, 2022

Summary
Fast Facts
Tornado Data
Storm Data
Precipitation
Radar
Satellite
Damage Photos

Summary

Numerous severe thunderstorms developed across portions of northern and central Oklahoma during the afternoon andevening of May 2, 2022. Storms developed along and just ahead of a fast-moving cold front. As such, storms tended to form into a line quickly after initiation. Still, a pair of semi-discrete supercells persisted across central and north central Oklahoma during the late afternoon into early evening. Given cold temperatures aloft (associated with the main upper-level system), large hail was the main severe hazard type observed with these storms during this event, though a few tornadoes and sporadic wind damage also occurred across the NWS Norman warning area.

The pair of semi-discrete supercells that traveled across central into north central Oklahoma both became weakly tornadic. The first storm tracked across northern Blaine and Kingfisher counties producing a few brief and weak tornadoes near the town of Loyal, OK. An additional supercell thunderstorm tracked along the U.S. Interstate Highway I-44 corridor from northern Comanche County to Seminole County, OK. The first tornado from this storm significantly damaged a mobile home near the town of Cyril, OK in Caddo County. An additional tornado occurred as the parent supercell began to merge with an expansive quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) along the cold front. This EF-1 tornado moved just south of Seminole, OK, where similar areas would be affected by a significant tornado two days later on May 4, 2022. Additional (weak) tornadoes occurred with the QLCS across Noble and Payne counties.

Fast Facts

Seven weak tornadoes occurred in central Oklahoma in the NWS Norman forecast area during the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 2, 2022. An eighth tornado occurred in Le Flore County in eastern Oklahoma in the NWS Tulsa forecast area.

NWS crews surveyed tornado damage paths in central Oklahoma on May 3, 2022. Based on their findings, 3 tornadoes were given a rating of EF-1 while the other 4 tornadoes were given an EF-0 rating. The NWS Tulsa office gave the tornado in Le Flore County an EF-1 rating.

These tornado ratings are preliminary and more research is being conducted on other tornadoes that may have occurred on May 2, 2022 in the NWS Norman forecast area.

Web Pages and Reports Related to the May 2, 2022 Oklahoma Tornado Events

NWS Norman Severe Weather Reports from 7 am on CDT 5/02/2022 - 7 am CDT on 5/03/2022

NWS Tulsa web page for May 2, 2022 and other 2022 severe weather events

Storm Prediction Center Storm Reports for May 2, 2022

SPC Severe Weather Event Review for May 2, 2022

WPC Daily Weather Map for May 2, 2022

Tornado Data

Tornadoes by Intensity
EFU	EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Total
0	4	4	0	0	0	0	8

Tornado Number	Date	Time (CST)	Length of Path (miles)	Width of Path (yards)	F-Scale	County	Location
1	05/02/2022	1513-1514	0.6	80	EF0	Kingfisher	2.5 W Loyal
2	05/02/2022	1522-1526	0.9	80	EF0	Kingfisher	2 WSW - 2 WNW Loyal
3	05/02/2022	1536-1538	1.6	10	EF0	Caddo	1.2 SW - 0.7 E Hydro
4	05/02/2022	1613-1614	0.5	240	EF1	Caddo	1.5 N - 1 NNE Cyril
5	05/02/2022	1618-1633	5.6	1400	EF1	Le Flore	3.6 ENE Howe - 1.9 NNE Monroe
6	05/02/2022	1657-1659	1.4	150	EFU	Noble	4 NNE - 5 NE Sumner
7	05/02/2022	1726-1733	7	500	EF1	Payne	3 WSW - 3 E Ripley
8	05/02/2022	1852-1910	6	700	EF1	Seminole	3 ESE Harjo - 2 SE Seminole