May 4, 2022
The Seminole and Earlsboro Tornado Event
Tornado occurring outside of Seminole, Oklahoma May 4, 2022 - Photo courtesy of News 9 KWTV
Tornado near Seminole, Oklahoma. May 4, 2022 - Photo by Jim and Dylan LaDue
Summary
A total of 10 confirmed tornadoes occurred on May 4, 2022: 9 in our Oklahoma counties and 1 in western north Texas. Three long-track tornadoes occurred, and three significant tornadoes occurred (Seminole, Earlsboro 1, and Lockett). A summary of the confirmed tornadoes:
For the full Public Information Statement (PNS) for this event, visit: https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSOUN&e=202205061905
Meteorological Background
Below is the forecast discussion prepared by the NWS Norman meteorologist working the midnight shift, the night before the event:
The 12Z (7AM CDT) weather balloon sounding indicated strong, elevated instability (2579 J/kg) and strong wind shear. In general, an unstable atmosphere with strong vertical wind shear, among other factors, is conducive for severe thunderstorm development. However, also seen on that morning's sounding was a thermal inversion (the "cap") starting at roughly 800MB (i.e., the temperature line in red increased and would suppress any thunderstorm updrafts). One of the uncertainties on this day was when and/or if the cap would break. Simply put, if an inversion is present, then thunderstorms would struggle to become severe - if development occurs at all.
By early afternoon, water vapor satellite imagery shows the placement of the surface low pressure system ahead of the upper air trough. As the time of storm initiation grew closer, the NWS Norman office released a special balloon at 21Z (4PM CDT). This would tell us how the environment had changed since that morning's balloon launch, and if the cap was nearing its breaking point. The 21Z sounding is also shown below.
Water vapor imagery gives a glimpse of the synoptic-scale set-up: the upper-level trough (blue "L"), the surface low (red "L"), and warm front (red line).
Looking at the afternoon sounding (above), the elevated thermal inversion, indeed, did erode with MUCIN almost zero and effective shear also increased to almost 50 knots. The atmosphere was primed for severe thunderstorm development.
Clean Window IR overlaid with Visible Satellite Imagery for May 4, 2022
Indeed, thunderstorms developed south of a warm front that remained very close to Seminole. The first tornado began 4 miles west of Maud and continued for almost 22 miles and caused EF-2 damage just east of downtown Seminole. Below are doppler radar loops of 1) the initial tornado tracking from Maud towards Seminole, and 2) the tornado as it passed through Seminole. A satellite tornado was also produced just east of the main Seminole tornado, which produced EF-0 damage.
Doppler radar imagery of the Maud to Seminole tornado as it approached Seminole as viewed from KTLX radar. The reflectivity image (left) depicts the classic hook echo, and the velocity image (right) shows the area of circulation.
Pictured above is the radar imagery as the tornado tracks through Seminole as an EF-2 tornado.
Damage Survey
Below are photos captured during the damage surveys at Seminole, Earlsboro, and Lockett.
Seminole, OK
Seminole, OK
Seminole, OK
Earlsboro, OK
Lockett, TX
