Summary

Two months and 4 days after the eastern United States was devastated by the infamous Super Outbreak on April 3-4, 1974, Oklahoma and other parts of the Great Plains experienced a smaller, but still damaging, tornado outbreak. On the afternoon of June 8, 1974, 22 tornadoes, including 14 in what is now the NWS Norman county warning area (CWA), touched down in parts of central and eastern Oklahoma, killing 16 people, injuring almost 300, and causing millions of dollars in property damage. Almost half of these received a Fujita scale rating in the upper half of the scale, with 9 tornadoes deemed F3s and one tornado rated as F4. Four of the F3 tornadoes touched down in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.

The first tornado of the day touched down in southwest Oklahoma City at Will Rogers World Airport at 2:42 PM CDT (1:42 PM CST). Ironically, the building that housed the National Weather Service, which at that time was located at the airport, was the first building hit by this twister. The forecast office sustained only minor damage, although a gas leak forced the temporary evacuation of the employees. The Tulsa Weather Service Office continued the warning and forecast duties for Oklahoma City until the leak was fixed. The tornado moved to the northeast across the city, with the first major damage occurring at the corner of SW 44th Street and Independence Avenue.

Along the 9-mile path, 11 houses, 5 small businesses, and 2 mobile homes were destroyed, and almost 700 homes received minor or major damage. Fourteen people were injured. Officials rated this tornado an F3. Oklahoma County was a tornado hot spot on this afternoon as four more tornadoes touched down within two hours of the first report. The next two tornadoes dropped about a half an hour later near Spencer and Jones. Although they remained on the ground for four and nine miles, respectively, they damaged only power poles and a few small businesses. No injuries were reported. About two hours later, two more tornadoes touched down, one in southwest Oklahoma City and the other near Harrah. The Harrah tornado damaged an Oklahoma Gas and Electric plant. These tornadoes had path lengths of 2.5 and 6 miles.

The most destructive tornado of the day devastated the town of Drumright on the Payne and Creek County line on Oklahoma State Highway 33. This F4 tornado began in far southeast Payne County, about three miles southwest of Drumright, at 4:55 PM CDT. It moved to the northeast, affecting the northwest section of Drumright. As it moved through the city, it struck a nursing home and destroyed several well-built, expensive homes. In all, about 100 homes were severely damaged or destroyed and 12 people were killed in Drumright.

After leaving Drumright, the tornado continued on its northeasterly course, striking the small community of Olive. Parts of the school and several homes were destroyed, and one person was killed. This tornado also moved near Lake Keystone and Sperry in Pawnee and Osage Counties before lifting near Skiatook. This tornado remained on the ground for 55 miles, killed 14 people, and caused about 3.5 million dollars in property damage.

About an hour after the Drumright tornado touched down, 4 separate tornadoes dropped in Lincoln County near Stroud and Davenport. The worst of these began at 5:46 PM CDT southwest of Davenport. It destroyed three homes and damaged 257 others as it moved through Davenport. The tornado moved to the northeast into Stroud, where 100 homes were damaged. This F3 tornado traveled eight miles and averaged a width of 1300 yards, which was three times as wide as the Drumright tornado. Fortunately, no fatalities and very few injuries were reported with these four tornadoes.

The Tulsa metropolitan area was hit very hard by tornadoes and flash flooding at around 6:50 PM CDT. This combination produced one of the worst natural disasters in Tulsa's history. The first tornado, rated an F3, moved northeastward through the city and raked across Catoosa, Claremore, and Big Cabin along its 45-mile track. A second tornado also touched down around 6:50 PM CDT near Sapulpa. After moving into Tulsa, this tornado damaged buildings at Oral Roberts University. This tornado, also rated an F3, traveled 50 miles, and also affected the cities of Broken Arrow, Inola, and Chouteau. A total of 30 million dollars in property damage, 3 fatalities, and 122 injuries resulted from the tornadoes and flooding in the Tulsa area.

Other tornadoes were also reported near Breckenridge in Garfield County, Little in Seminole County, and McLoud in Oklahoma County during the late afternoon and evening. In addition to the tornadoes, hail, high winds, and flooding were also reported with these storms.

What factors combined on this afternoon to produce this widespread severe weather? A very warm and moist atmosphere was in place over central and eastern Oklahoma. By 2:00 PM CDT, temperatures had warmed into the low to mid 80s, and dew point temperatures had risen into the low to mid 70s. Lower level winds in the Oklahoma City area were from the southeast at 10 to 15 mph, leading to significant wind shear. A cold front extended along the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle border. By that evening, the cold front stretched along U.S. Interstate Highway 35. Many of the storms initiated along this front. The combination of the moist surface conditions, cold front, and wind shear ultimately produced the afternoon's severe weather.

The June 8, 1974, tornado outbreak is only one of many in Oklahoma's history. However, this one is unique in that both Oklahoma City and Tulsa were greatly affected by strong tornadoes during the event. In recent memory, only the May 3, 1999, outbreak compares in this regard. Hopefully, Oklahoma and north Texas will be absent of any tornado outbreaks for a long time.

Oklahoma Tornado Table