May 10, 2008 Tornado Outbreak

Severe thunderstorms erupted across Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas during the late afternoon and evening hours of May 10, 2008 as a cold front/dry line moved into the extremely moist and unstable airmass that was in place across the region. There were at least 11 tornadoes across the area with numerous hail and high wind reports. The most significant tornado occurred in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. This EF-4 Tornado caused extensive damage in the town of Picher, Oklahoma and resulted in 6 fatalities.

Below is a list of tornadoes confirmed by National Weather Service survey teams. Additional reports are still being investigated, and therefore, additional tornado paths may be confirmed. This website will continue to be updated with more information about each of the tornadoes listed below. At this time, details can be found in the 'Latest Information' link below. Click on maps for a larger view.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED NAMES OF TOWNS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
530 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-161800-
BENTON-CARROLL-WASHINGTON AR-MADISON-CRAWFORD-FRANKLIN-SEBASTIAN-
PUSHMATAHA-CHOCTAW-OSAGE-WASHINGTON OK-NOWATA-CRAIG-OTTAWA-PAWNEE-
TULSA-ROGERS-MAYES-DELAWARE-CREEK-OKFUSKEE-OKMULGEE-WAGONER-
CHEROKEE-ADAIR-MUSKOGEE-MCINTOSH-SEQUOYAH-PITTSBURG-HASKELL-
LATIMER-LE FLORE-
530 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

...ADDITIONAL TORNADO TRACKS CONFIRMED FROM MAY 10TH...

1. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TORNADO THAT OCCURRED ON MAY 10TH IN
THE TULSA COUNTY WARNING AREA TOUCHED DOWN 2.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CHETOPA KANSAS NEAR THE OKLAHOMA...KANSAS BORDER. THE TORNADO
CONTINUED EASTWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE TOWN OF PICHER
WHERE EXTENSIVE AND WIDESPREAD DAMAGE OCCURRED TO NUMEROUS
RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES. AT LEAST 6 FATALITIES OCCURRED IN PICHER
AND BASED ON THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN THIS AREA THE TORNADO IS RATED
AN EF4 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED AT 165 TO
175 MPH. THE TORNADO CONTINUED SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN EDGE OF
THE CITY OF QUAPAW...THEN CROSSED INTERSTATE 44 NEAR MILE MARKER
325. THE TORNADO THEN MOVED INTO SOUTHWEST MISSOURI...3 MILES
NORTHEAST OF PEORIA. THE TORNADO TRACK LENGTH IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WAS APPROXIMATELY 29 MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF ONE MILE.

2. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 4.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN
BENTONVILLE AT APPROXIMATELY 6:35 PM SATURDAY AND LIFTED 3.8 MILES
SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN BENTONVILLE. PATH LENGTH WAS 1.50
MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS. WIND SPEEDS ARE ESTIMATED
AT 100 MPH...GIVING THIS A RATING OF EF1. PRIMARY DAMAGE WAS TO A
SCHOOL WHERE PART OF THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF.

3. A TORNADO WAS OBSERVED AT 5:17 PM SATURDAY...APPROXIMATELY 3
MILES SOUTH OF CROWDER IN PITTSBURG COUNTY. THIS TORNADO BRIEFLY
TOUCHED DOWN ON LAKE EUFAULA. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT PATH AND NO
DAMAGE. THIS TORNADO WILL BE RATED EF0.

4. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARTSHORNE IN
PITTSBURG COUNTY...AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 PM SATURDAY. THE TORNADO
WAS RATED EF2 WITH MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS OF 125 TO 135 MPH. THE PATH
LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 22 MILES WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF ONE THIRD
MILE. THIS TORNADO STRUCK YANUSH AND THEN LIFTED 1.3 MILES
EAST-NORTHEAST OF YANUSH.

5. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 4 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF HAYWOOD IN
PITTSBURG COUNTY AND LIFTED 6 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF HAYWOOD. THE
TORNADO WAS RATED AN EF2 WITH WINDS BETWEEN 120 TO 130 MPH. THE
TORNADO TRACK WAS 10 MILES LONG AND 200 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST
POINT.

6. A TORNADO WAS OBSERVED BRIEFLY TOUCHING DOWN NEAR WATALULA IN
FRANKLIN COUNTY ARKANSAS AROUND 8:00 PM SATURDAY. NO DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED AND THIS TORNADO WAS RATED EF0.

7. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 2 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF SNOW AND
LIFTED .8 MILES NORTH OF SNOW. PATH LENGTH WAS 1.5 MILES WITH A
MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 200 YARDS. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF1 BASED ON TREE
DAMAGE.

8. A TORNADO OCCURRED IN ATOKA COUNTY 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF DAISY
AND LIFTED 2.75 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF ADEL IN PUSHMATAHA COUNTY.
THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF2 AND HAD A 3.5 MILE LONG TRACK WITH A
MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 100 YARDS.

9. A TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN IN AN OPEN AREA OF MAYES COUNTY
...4 MILES NORTHEAST OF PRYOR. NO DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED SO THE
TORNADO IS RATED EF-0. THE PATH IS ESTIMATED AT .1 MILE WITH A
WIDTH OF 50 YARDS.

10. A BRIEF TORNADO OCCURRED IN PARALLEL WITH THE PICHER TORNADO
IN OTTAWA COUNTY. THE TORNADO DEVELOPED 4.75 MILES EAST OF
QUAPAW AND MERGED WITH THE THEN WEAKENING PICHER TORNADO 2.1 NORTH
OF PEORIA. THE RESULTANT TORNADIC CIRCULATION RAPIDLY EXPANDED IN
WIDTH TO NEAR ONE MILE AS IT MOVED INTO MISSOURI. SEE DETAILS
FOR TORNADO NUMBER ONE ABOVE. THIS TORNADO HAD A PATH LENGTH OF
TWO MILES...WAS 200 YARDS WIDE AND WAS RATED EF-1.

11. A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTHWEST OF WILBURTON OK IN LATIMER
COUNTY. A VIDEO OF THE TORNADO HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY THIS OFFICE.
HOWEVER LIMITED ACCESS TO THE LOCATION HAS PRECLUDED A FULL
ASSESSMENT TO THIS POINT.

WE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE OTHER REPORTS RECEIVED FROM
MAY 10TH...SO ADDITIONAL TORNADO PATHS MAY BE CONFIRMED.