May 22nd 2019 [Oklahoma]

Moderate risk of thunderstorm issued by the Storm Prediction Center

We started our day in Wichita, KS after missing a few tornadoes in northeast Kansas the previous day. After doing the morning analysis, decided on a Stillwater, OK target to start the day as a retreating cold front // advancing warm front was going to allow warm moist air into Oklahoma. The setup looked potent for tornadoes.

As we arrived in Stillwater, we continued to encounter significant overland flooding across northern Oklahoma (seen above). We waited until the tornado watch was issued and then moved south towards I-40 east of Oklahoma City, where storms were starting to develop.

Around 4pm CDT, storms quickly became supercellular and showed tornado characteristics shortly after then formed. We headed east on I-40 and after a quick "hook slice" we were observing our first tornado spinning just to our south (see below).

Tornado observed south of Interstate 40 near Cromwell, OK. Picture credit of Felix Beaudin

After outrunning the lifting tornado, we headed north for the next one. Just north of Okemah, OK we observed a long-track cone tornado (tornado #2):

After the tornado dissipated and trying to continue through local roads (and very slow local drivers), the storm regenerated and dropped another beautiful cone tornado near Okfuskee, OK where we observed this:

cone tornado lifting as we entered Okfuskee, OK. Picture credit of Felix Beaudin

In town, we observed minor tree damage:

Where the tornado crossed in Okfuskee, OK and dragged trees across the road

As the storm died, the southern merger began and the southern storm quickly took over. We hauled back on questionable washed-out roads and managed to briefly see it as it churned through trees:

Large cone tornado southeast of Okfuskee, OK