Winds bring damage, power outages in state
Tornado warning in parts of northeastern Oklahoma
From staff reports
Published: June 5, 2008
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning effective until 12:15 a.m. in parts of four northeastern Oklahoma counties.
No tornado touchdowns had been reported as of 11:40 p.m.
The warning covers southeastern Creek County, northern Okmulgee County, western Wagoner County and Tulsa County.
Anyone in the area should take immediate tornado precautions.
Storms rolling through state
Severe storms and extremely strong and damaging south winds are moving through Oklahoma tonight, fueling a dangerous wildfire earlier in the day and continuing to cause damage and power outages.
Widespread sustained winds of 30 to 45 mph continue to be reported with gusts exceeding 50 mph, according to the weather service. Sustained winds of 60 mph were reported west of Okarche in Canadian County.
While thunderstorms continued to move quickly through the western part of the state, and rooftops were reported to have been blown off homes in Cherokee, according to the weather service.
No damage had been reported in the Oklahoma City area by about 9:45 p.m., said David Barnes, director of emergency management in Oklahoma County.
Additionally, several power poles and trees in the Custer area were snapped or bent over amid high winds, a trailer being pulled by a car on Interstate 40 in Canadian County was blown over by thunderstorm winds, tree limbs were reported down in Altus, a roof on a small structure was damaged near Dill City, and a roof was blown off a commercial building in Lone Wolf, according to the weather service.
At 7:20 p.m. state Highway 64 was closed in Grant County from state Highway 132 to state highway 36 in Alfalfa County due to power poles and lines in the highway.
Earlier in the afternoon, storm spotters reported that heavy winds clocked at 80 mph damaged power lines and downed four- to five-foot-diameter pine trees in Elk City.
But the damaging winds aren't limited to areas of the state getting hammered by severe thunderstorms, as part of the Easton Baptist Church roof was blown off in Tulsa.
As the damaging straight-line winds and large hail continue to be likely for a large portion of the state, meteorologists say tornadoes will also be possible.
The storms are developing due to an unseasonably-strong upper-level storm system moving from the southern Rockies into the central Plains.
Tornado Watch
A tornado watch is in effect for the following counties until 5 a.m.: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Craig, Delaware, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Ottawa, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah and Wagoner.
A tornado watch is in effect for the following counties until 3 a.m.: Cleveland, Cotton, Creek, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Kay, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Noble, Nowata, Oklahoma, Osage, Payne, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Stephens, Tulsa and Washington.
Winds cause fires, power outages across state
Strong winds forced tree branches to fall onto electrical lines causing pockets of outages in the Oklahoma City metro area and parts of the state.
At 10:15 p.m. today, OG&E reported 16,178 total customers without power, including 11,807 in the Oklahoma City area. Power outages were reported in more than two dozen cities, and more than 1,000 outages were reported in Bethany and Moore.
One Oklahoma City resident reported about 9:45 p.m. he had been without power for nearly seven hours.
OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said tree branches, likely weakened by December's ice storms, are breaking under the harsh winds and landing on power lines. Most of the outages are being restored immediately while others may take up to an hour, he said.
In western Oklahoma, high winds and debris knocked out power to customers of the Kiawash Electric Cooperative near Cordell, said Sid Sperry, spokesman for the Oklahoma Association of Electrical Cooperatives.
Winds between 75 to 80 mph were reported near Butler, Burns Flat and Foss Lake, Sperry said. Tree limbs, debris from barns and oil field equipment reportedly had hit the lines and power poles, causing outages, Sperry said.
In western Comanche County, firefighters battled a blaze caused by a downed power line, said Chris Killmer, public information officer for the county. Killmer said officials got the call for the fire about 2:45 p.m. and got it under control by 3:30 p.m. Killmer said nine fire departments worked to put out the blaze which burned about 25 acres aided by gusting winds. No injuries were reported and no homes were evacuated.
Burns Flat residents saw a number of houses and buildings lose their roofs, including the fire department, the airport tower and an abandoned Army barrack, which caught fire and burned to the ground.
Clinton Sherman Fire Chief Phillip Lile, said the barracks caught fire when the roof was blown off in what appeared to be the result of an electrical problem.
"The town was hit pretty hard," Lile said. "There's quite a bit if damage. But it's nothing major ... nothing that can't be fixed. No one was hurt and it could have been a lot worse."
The Oklahoma Panhandle was under a red flag warning this afternoon. A burn ban remains in place in Texas and Cimarron counties.
Gotebo fire
In Gotebo, the town fled the path of a wildfire fueled by a fierce southern wind; and in the Panhandle, residents waited for clouds to burst and rain to fall.
Pamilea Medley clung to her straw sun hat, as she watched her son's uninsured house go up in flames from a fire that caused the evacuation of some 75 town residents from their homes and destroyed another house and a barn.
No injuries were reported.
"So far, no one has been killed," said Medley, her backside pelted by dust and dirt from a fierce southerly wind. "Thank God ... You know, life is good. We should count our blessings. I believe something good will come out of this in the end."
Nearby, James Wooten — Medley's son — watched in frustration.
Wooten had been slowly refurbishing the 100-year-old house for his pregnant wife, Rachel, and their 2-year-old daughter, Estella. In recent months, he installed new plumbing, electricity, a bathroom, and a roof. The family was only weeks away from moving into their house.
"The wind is so strong, we never had a chance," said Wooten, his face blackened by ash and smoke.
Witnesses said the fire began in a pasture just south of Wooten's home about 2 p.m., and was reported by former Gotebo Fire Chief Steven Arganbright.
"Steven called the fire in," said Connie Davis, an EMT from neighboring Mountain View. "He didn't hesitate. He said send multiple departments. He knew instantly what he was looking at with the winds and all, and began plowing a break line."
The wind proved too stout.
Within minutes, authorities were running from house to house, evacuating everyone in the fire's potential path. By 4 p.m., the fire appeared to be contained as crews from Gotebo, Rocky, Hobart, Cooperton, Lone Wolf, Saddle Mountain and Sedan filled the small Kiowa County town of 270 residents.
Still, dozens of neighbors watched nervously.
Audrey Skipwarth sprayed the lawn of her son's home east of Wooten's and prayed.
"My son (Jackie) just moved in his with wife and baby two days ago," Skipwarth said. "This is scary. I just hope the wind doesn't change directions.
"The wind is blowing so hard."
Sparse rain in Panhandle, drought conditions continue
A searing drought in the Oklahoma Panhandle was not broken by sparse rains and hail that fell on Cimarron County Thursday, said J.J. Brost, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Amarillo.
Between a tenth and a half-inch of rain fell in the county, he said, but more substantial and frequent rains will be needed to help struggling farmers.
Rainfall totals
Rainfall totals exceeding one inch from midnight to 9:15 p.m. today, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet:
• Lahoma, 4.3 inches.
• Medford, 3.39 inches.
• Blackwell, 2.45 inches.
• Fairview, 2 inches.
• Watonga, 1.95 inches.
• Putnam, 1.87 inches.
• Newkirk, 1.55 inches.
• Medicine Park, 1.3 inches
• Butler, 1.23 inches.
• Breckinridge, 1.09 inches.
Hail reports
Golf ball-sized or larger hail was reported by the Oklahoma Mesonet at the following locations:
• Near Lone Wolf, golf ball-sized, about 6:55 p.m.
• Near Hobart, golf ball-sized, about 7:05 p.m.
Oklahoma forecast
• Tonight: Lows from the upper 60s to mid-70s. Thunderstorms likely.
• Friday: Highs from the 80s to 90. Chance of rain and thunderstorms.
Oklahoma City-area forecast
• Tonight: Cloudy. Lows about 70. Southerly winds 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of thunderstorms, before increasing to 60 percent chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
• Friday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 80s. Southerly winds 15 to 20 mph. Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms, with some turning severe in the morning.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 70s. Southerly winds 20 to 25 mph.
Contributing: Staff Writers Ron Jackson, Julie Bisbee, Ann Kelley, Johnny Johnson, Brian Sargent, John David Sutter and Michael Kimball
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