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Powerful Storms to Impact the Western U.S. and Northern Plains

A strong, long-duration atmospheric river will bring excessive rainfall, flash flooding, and very strong winds to southwest Oregon and northwest California through Thursday. A High Risk (level 4 of 4) of Excessive Rainfall has been issued. A storm system over the northern Plains will produce locally heavy snow in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Read More >

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Tornado Track Map for Nowata County, OK
 
Nowata County, OK Tornadoes Prior to 1950
# Date Time
(CST)
Path
Length
(miles)
Path
Width
(yards)
F-Scale Killed Injured County Path
  06/20/1928 0400 3 1760   1 4 Nowata Near South Coffeyville
  05/04/1934 1530 10 880   1 12 Nowata 3 N Howden (S of South Coffeyville) into Kansas
  05/19/1938 0600 10 20   0 0 Washington/ Nowata Near Dewey - near Wann
  05/02/1942 1430 ~100 1760   3 32 Noble/ Pawnee/ Osage/ Washington/ Nowata S of Morrison - Pawhuska - near South Coffeyville
Nowata County, OK Tornadoes (1950-Present*)
# Date Time
(CST)
Path
Length
(miles)
Path
Width
(yards)
F-Scale Killed Injured County Path
1 05/23/1956 1400 0.1 10 F1 0 0 Nowata near Watovia
2 06/27/1956 1523 0.1 10 F1 0 0 Nowata 5 NW Nowata
3 05/20/1957 1900 0.1 10 F0 0 0 Nowata 7 W Nowata
4 07/11/1958 2200 0.1 10 F? 0 0 Nowata/ Craig E of Lenapah - N of Welch
5 11/17/1958 0530 0.1 10 F2 0 0 Nowata Just E of Lenapah
6 05/09/1959 1740 19 300 F2 0 0 Tulsa/ Rogers/ Nowata 5 N Collinsville - 1 E Watovia
7 05/09/1959 1800 23 50 F3 0 0 Rogers/ Nowata 4 W Talala - 3 SE Nowata
8 10/02/1959 1000 2 10 F1 0 0 Nowata 8 NW Nowata
9 03/26/1961 1700 50 10 F2 0 2 Osage/ Washington/ Nowata Wynona - Pershing - Bartlesville - Dewey - near South Coffeyville
10 04/20/1961 2335 0.1 100 F0 0 0 Nowata Near Lenapah
11 06/11/1967 0032 0.1 10 F1 0 0 Nowata 4 N Nowata
12 03/18/1979 0900 8 30 F3 0 0 Washington/ Nowata Near Copan - Near Wann
13 05/23/1981 1630 0.1 10 F0 0 0 Nowata Near Lenapah
14 05/23/1981 1730 15 100 F2 0 3 Washington/ Nowata 1 E Copan - near South Coffeyville
15 05/23/1981 1735 5 100 F2 0 3 Nowata Near South Coffeyville
16 03/15/1982 1910 12 177 F2 0 0 Nowata Near Wann
17 03/15/1982 1915 0.1 10 F2 0 0 Nowata 4 S Lenapah
18 05/14/1986 1313 1 50 F0 0 0 Nowata 1 N Wann
19 06/21/1990 1444 0.1 20 F0 0 0 Nowata 10 NW Nowata
20 06/21/1990 1452 0.2 50 F1 0 0 Nowata 6 NE Childers
21 03/28/1993 1800 0.1 30 F0 0 0 Nowata 2 S Lenapah
22 05/17/1993 2100 0.1 30 F0 0 0 Nowata 5 W South Coffeyville
23 03/06/1994 2140 0.1 30 F0 0 0 Nowata 1 WSW Lenapah
24 06/09/1995 2240 0.1 30 F0 0 0 Nowata 5 SW Nowata
25 04/21/1996 1828 0.1 25 F0 0 0 Nowata 4 NW Nowata
26 05/26/1996 1838-1930 30 880 F2 0 1 Rogers/ Nowata/ Craig 1 NW Talala- 8 N Centralia
27 10/04/1998 2105-2116 8 50 F0 0 0 Nowata 2 NE Watovia - 10 ESE Nowata
28 04/19/2003 1657-1730 20 440 F2 0 3 Osage/ Washington/ Nowata 6.5 NE Okesa - 7 WSW South Coffeyville
29 04/14/2011 1711-1714 1.6 200 EF1 0 0 Washington/ Nowata 7 ESE - 9.5 W Delaware
30 04/30/2012 1910 0.1 50 EF0 0 0 Nowata 4 W Nowata
31 04/30/2012 1912 0.2 75 EF1 0 0 Nowata 4 W Nowata
32 04/30/2012 1925 0.1 50 EF0 0 0 Nowata 4 NW Nowata
33 04/30/2012 1933 0.2 75 EF0 0 0 Nowata 3 N Nowata
34 04/30/2012 1959-2003 1.5 200 EF1 0 0 Nowata 2.5 NE - 4 NE Childers
35 04/30/2012 2342-2348 7 300 EF1 0 0 Nowata 8 WSW - 6.5 NW Nowata
36 05/31/2013 1821-1822 1.1 310 EF0 0 0 Nowata 10.5 E - 11 E South Coffeyville
37 05/31/2013 1921-1926 4 320 EF1 0 0 Rogers/ Nowata 5 NW Talala - 1.5 SW Watova
38 05/31/2013 1927-1935 5 350 EF1 0 2 Rogers/ Nowata 4.5 N Talala - 2.5 ENE Watova
39 03/30/2016 1848-1854 3 120 EF1 0 0 Nowata 4.5 ENE - 7.5 ENE Nowata
40 04/30/2019 1357-1409 7.5 900 EF1 0 0 Nowata 1.2 SE Lenapah - 5.6 SE South Coffeyville
41 01/30/2021 1343-1345 1.2 100 EF? 0 0 Nowata 3.7 S - 3.3 SSE Wann
42 01/30/2021 1346-1347 0.4 75 EF? 0 0 Nowata 3.3 SSE - 3.3 SSE Wann
43 01/30/2021 1348-1350 1.5 150 EF? 0 0 Nowata 3.2 SE - 3.8 ESE Wann
44 01/30/2021 1356-1400 2 100 EF? 0 0 Nowata 4.3 NW - 4 NNW Lenapah
 

Significant Tornadoes in Nowata County

  Date Time
(CST)
Path
Length
(miles)
Path
Width
(yards)
F-Scale Killed Injured County Path
  03/26/1961 1700 50 10 F2 0 2 Osage/ Washington/ Nowata Wynona - Pershing - Bartlesville - Dewey - near South Coffeyville

This tornado touched down in Wynona in Osage County and moved northeastward through Pershing before striking the Bartlesville and Dewey areas in Washington County and then dissipating near South Coffeyville in Nowata County. Houses and business buildings were heavily damaged in Wynona and Pershing, and two children were injured by flying glass in Wynona.

In Washington County, both the Bartlesville and Dewey airports were heavily damaged while roofs, outbuildings, utility poles, trees, etc. were damaged extensively along the tornado's path. The last evidence of the damage path was near South Coffeyville where farmstead was damaged. Hail up to 1.5 inches fell along the path of the storm as it moved northeastward. No condensation funnel was spotted, but one witness described the storm as a low hanging square with three tails.

  05/23/1981 1730 15 100 F2 0 3 Washington/ Nowata 1 E Copan - near South Coffeyville

A tornado touched down one mile east of Copan and then moved east-northeast to near Wann and South Coffeyville. Three people were injured by this tornado.

  05/23/1981 1735 5 100 F2 0 3 Nowata Near South Coffeyville

A tornado touched down within a mile of the track of the previous tornado that occurred near South Coffeyville in Nowata County on May 23, 1981. Three people were injured by this tornado.

  05/26/1996 1838-1930 30 880 F2 0 1 Rogers/ Nowata/ Craig 1 NW Talala- 8 N Centralia

Severe thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the evening of May 26th and very early morning of May 27th. The storms spawned 1 tornado in northeast Oklahoma, and also produced damaging winds and large hail. The tornado touched down at 6:38 pm CST 1 mile northwest of Talala and moved northeast into Nowata County 1 mile south of Watova at 7:45 pm CST. The tornado continued northeast and entered Craig County 7 miles northeast of Childers at 7:15 pm CST. The tornado moved northeast across the northwest part of Craig County before lifting at 7:30 pm CST 8 miles north of Centralia.

The tornado destroyed a mobile home and injured 1 person 1 mile northwest of Talala. This was the only structural damage done by the tornado in Rogers County. In Nowata County, 30 boxcars were knocked off railroad tracks just south of Watova. Ten homes were damaged, 2 barns were destroyed, and 2 major power distribution systems were knocked out in Nowata County. In Craig County, 1 home was destroyed, 2 homes were damaged, and 1 barn was destroyed. Numerous trees and power lines were downed along the entire track of the tornado. The tornado was on the ground for a total of 30 miles and reached a maximum width of 100 yards in Rogers County and 0.5 miles in both Nowata and Craig Counties. The maximum intensity of the tornado was rated as F1 in Rogers County and F2 in both Nowata and Craig Counties.

Damaging straight-line winds also occurred with the storms. A large shed was blown down 1 mile south of Wann, and large trees were blown down in Pawhuska and in Hulbert. Strong thunderstorm winds downed power lines in Fairfax and in Haskell, and large tree limbs were blown down in Collinsville, in Bartlesville, in Porter, in Warner, and in Gore. Numerous large tree limbs were downed by 65 mile an hour winds in Jennings, and thunderstorm winds also gusted to 65 miles an hour 5 miles northeast of Skiatook and 1 mile south of Vinita. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 miles an hour at numerous other locations in northeast Oklahoma.

Large hail also accompanied the storms. Quarter size hail fell 5 miles south of Miami and 4 miles east of Miami, and dime to nickel size hail fell at numerous other locations in northeast Oklahoma. Lightning also set a gas well on fire 2 miles southeast of Nowata.

  04/19/2003 1657-1730 20 440 F2 0 3 Osage/ Washington/ Nowata 6.5 NE Okesa - 7 WSW South Coffeyville

A tornado touched down 8 miles west southwest of Dewey or 6.5 miles northeast of Okesa and traveled 5 miles east-northeast before entering Washington County 5 miles northwest of Dewey or 7.2 miles southeast of Bowring. The tornado produced a 200-yard-wide damage swath along its path. The damage was to trees and power lines.

The tornado entered Washington County 5 miles northwest of Dewey and passed between Dewey and Copan before entering Nowata County 1 mile north of Wann or 6.8 miles east northeast of Copan. The tornado produced F2 damage and a half-mile-wide damage path at its peak. A total of 41 homes, 2 businesses and 40 barns and sheds were damaged. Sixteen of the homes were severely damaged including two mobile homes which were completely destroyed. Three people were treated at an emergency room of a hospital in Bartlesville due to injuries received during the tornado. Two of those people were inhabitants of one of the mobile homes that was destroyed.

The tornado entered Nowata County from Washington County one mile north of Wann. The tornado traveled east-northeast for 3 miles producing damage to barns, sheds, and power poles and power lines before lifting 7 miles west-southwest of South Coffeyville. The electrical service was interrupted for up to 8 hours in the northwest part of Nowata County and adjacent parts of Washington County.

  05/31/2013 1927-1935 5 350 EF1 0 2 Rogers/ Nowata 4.5 N Talala - 2.5 ENE Watova

Severe thunderstorms developed over central Oklahoma and southern Kansas along a slow-moving cold front during the afternoon hours of May 31st. Very unstable air ahead of the cold front, combined with strong wind shear, resulted in storms quickly evolving into supercells. These storms produced several tornadoes, large hail to golfball size, and damaging wind across eastern Oklahoma during the evening hours of May 31st into the overnight hours of June 1st.

In Rogers County, this tornado began 4.5milrs north of Talala and snapped or uprooted trees. Maximum estimated wind in the tornado based on this damage was 100 to 110 mph. Several storm chasers photographed this tornado. It continued into Nowata County.

In Nowata County, this tornado destroyed a mobile home, injuring two occupants. It also damaged other permanent homes, destroyed a barn, and snapped or uprooted numerous trees. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 100 to 110 mph. Several storm chasers photographed this tornado. This tornado moved east-northeast until it crossed E 28 Road then turned sharply to the north, paralleling the N 4150 Road until it dissipated.

 

Records taken from the Storm Prediction Center archive data, "Storm Data", and data from the National Weather Service office in Norman. Data modified as described in NOAA Tech Memo NWS SR-209 (Speheger, D., 2001: "Corrections to the Historic Tornado Database").

Historic data, especially before 1950, are likely incomplete.