Tornado outbreak of May 7–10, 2016

Meteorological synopsis

The tornado outbreak developed along a cold front alongside an area of low pressure while situated north of the United States–Canada border. Near the High Plains, a dry line began to coalesce as wind shear began to climb to levels favorable for tornadoes, as well as moisture from the Gulf of Mexico being advected northwards into the country. Not long after this, tornadic supercell thunderstorms began to develop late on May 7.

Tornadic activity began with a large multiple-vortex EF2 tornado that tossed several RVs and injured two people near Wiggins, Colorado on May 7. Later that evening, a large stovepipe tornado caused high-end EF2 damage near Wray, while several other tornadoes tracked across other very rural areas of Colorado, causing no damage. Scattered tornadoes occurred on May 8, most of which were weak. However, a strong EF2 tornado caused considerable damage to outbuildings and high-voltage transmission line poles near Catharine, Kansas. On May 9, a significant tornado event unfolded across Oklahoma, as several strong to violent tornadoes touched down and caused severe damage in several parts of the state. A violent EF4 stovepipe tornado (the first EF4 of 2016 and the first violent tornado in the United States since an EF4 in Garland, Texas on December 26) near Katie, Oklahoma killed one person, leveled and swept away multiple homes, and left behind an extensive swath of ground scouring, while a large EF3 wedge tornado from the same parent supercell caused major damage near Sulphur. An EF3 tornado that tracked from near Connerville to Bromide destroyed a house and killed one person. An extremely large EF3 multiple-vortex tornado reached a maximum width of about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) as it passed near Boswell, snapping and denuding numerous trees, destroying mobile homes, heavily damaging frame homes, and toppling two large metal power line truss towers along its path. Other strong tornadoes occurred as far north as Nebraska, including an EF2 tornado that tore the roof and some exterior walls from a home near Nehawka and injured one person. An EF1 tornado also caused minor damage in residential areas of Lincoln. Significant tornado activity continued on May 10, as several tornadoes moved across areas of western Kentucky, including an EF3 tornado that injured 10 people as it moved through the north edge of Mayfield, Kentucky, destroying numerous homes, vehicles, and businesses. Another tornado caused EF2 damage near Hartford. Overall, this outbreak killed two people and produced 57 tornadoes.

Confirmed tornadoes

Katie/Wynnewood, Oklahoma

This violent stovepipe tornado touched down to the south of Katie, Oklahoma at 4:06 PM, initially snapping trees at EF1 intensity along County Road N3170. Additional trees were snapped along N3180 Road before the tornado intensified to EF3 strength east of that location, where a home was left with only interior walls standing and large trees were denuded and stripped of foliage. A home at the edge of the damage path had windows blown out. The tornado maintained EF3 strength and began to intensify further as it crossed N3210 Road, where several trees were debarked and ground scouring began to occur. A house near the south edge of the damage path had its roof torn off, and power poles were snapped as well. Shortly afterward, the tornado inflicted EF4 damage near the intersection of Indian Meridian Road and E1680 Road, where a well-built, anchor-bolted brick home was almost entirely flattened with a large portion of the foundation slab swept clean of debris. Trees in this area were debarked, extensive ground scouring occurred, and vehicles were thrown and mangled beyond recognition. A second brick house had its roof torn off, and multiple power poles were snapped. Further to the east, a poorly anchored frame home was swept cleanly away at high-end EF3 intensity. A nearby mobile home was also destroyed, with a vehicle parked nearby being rolled across the edge of a nearby pond and severely damaged. A few other homes in this area sustained less severe damage. The tornado weakened dramatically as it crossed N3250 Road, snapping and uprooting several trees before it dissipated near Interstate 35 to the southwest of Wynnewood at 4:27 PM. One person was killed by this tornado, and several others were injured.

Davis/Sulphur/Roff, Oklahoma

This large, high-end EF3 wedge tornado was spawned by the same parent supercell that produced the EF4 Katie/Wynnewood tornado. It first touched down to the north of Davis, Oklahoma at 4:34 PM, initially snapping trees at EF1 strength near Route 77. The tornado moved across a large open field and began to widen significantly before it reached EF2 strength and crossed Sunshine Road, completely destroying a poorly constructed house and tossing a pickup truck hundreds of feet into a field. Numerous trees and power poles were snapped, and a brick home lost part of its roof in this area. The tornado intensified as it crossed Meadow Road further to the east, where trees were debarked and an unanchored home was completely swept away at high-end EF3 strength. Two poorly constructed homes in this area lost their roofs and exterior walls, sustaining EF2 damage. Damage became widespread as the tornado crossed Burnside Road, where multiple homes were left with only interior walls standing, mobile homes and outbuildings were obliterated, and unanchored block foundation homes were leveled and swept away. A large metal storage garage was swept away as well, with vehicles inside thrown up to 280 yards away. Several trees sustained debarking, and numerous metal power poles were bent to the ground. At one home in this area, 18 year-old resident Daniel Parks and his cousin survived the tornado without injury by taking shelter in an interior bathroom and hanging on to a toilet. The bathroom was the only room left standing after the tornado had passed.

Trees were downed and outbuildings were destroyed along Trett Slab Road and E1690 Road before more significant damage occurred further to the east, where several frame homes and mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed along Buel Green Road and Nelson Road. One unanchored home in this area was completely swept away at high-end EF3 intensity, and outbuildings were destroyed as well. Multiple metal power poles were bent to the ground, and a couple of trees were debarked as well. RaXPol mobile radar recorded winds over 200 MPH over an open field in this area, though this small pocket of EF5 winds did not impact any substantial structures, and damage intensity in the vicinity did not exceed high-end EF3 as a result of this. The tornado then crossed W 14th St, briefly weakening to EF2 intensity as it destroyed a mobile home, shifted a frame home off of its foundation, and caused roof damage to other homes. Outbuildings were also destroyed, one of which had small trailer thrown into it. North of Sulphur, the tornado crossed U.S. Route 177 at EF3 intensity. Several frame homes sustained roof loss and collapse of exterior walls, trees sustained some debarking, a mobile home was swept away and destroyed, and a few other homes had their roofs torn off in this area. A large frame home east of the interstate that was under construction was reduced to a bare slab by the tornado as well. As the tornado continued to the east, it produced high-end EF2 damage along N3400 Road as two small homes were left with only interior walls standing, one of which was pushed 60 feet off of its foundation. The tornado then began to narrow and weaken as it crossed the Chickasaw Turnpike and County Line Road intersection, causing mainly minor tree, power line, and outbuilding damage, though one home and a large metal shed sustained low-end EF2 damage. The tornado continued to narrow as it moved further east, producing EF0 outbuilding damage before dissipating to the southwest of Roff at 5:17 PM.