Tornado Watch Issued for Oklahoma and North Texas; Intense Tornadoes, 4‑inch Hail Possible

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued Tornado Watch 144 at 3:50 p.m. CDT Saturday for parts of Oklahoma and North Texas, warning that tornadoes were likely through 11 p.m. and that some could be intense. The watch also warned of giant hail and damaging winds as storms developed across a region already rattled by destructive weather earlier this week.

The watch covered portions of southern and central Oklahoma and North Texas. In the watch statement, the Storm Prediction Center said, “A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible.” Forecasters also warned of “widespread large hail and isolated very large hail events to 4 inches in diameter likely,” along with scattered damaging winds and isolated gusts up to 80 mph. Storm development was expected through the late afternoon and early evening, especially across south-central Oklahoma and far northern Texas, with tornado potential heightened near a warm front and wind risk increasing later as storms moved east-southeastward.

During the watch period, the Storm Prediction Center’s preliminary local storm reports included a tornado report at 6:02 p.m. CDT near 8 miles north of Archer City, Texas, in Archer County. Preliminary reports also included 3-inch hail at 5:50 p.m. near 6 miles south-southwest of Lakeside City, Texas, also in Archer County, and 2.50-inch hail at 5:30 p.m. in Wister, Oklahoma, in Le Flore County. Those reports are preliminary and not final damage assessments or, in the case of the tornado report, a final tornado rating.

A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and near the watch area. Saturday’s watch was being carried by local National Weather Service offices serving parts of Oklahoma and North Texas as storms began to organize during the evening hours.

The watch carried added weight because it came two days after the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, said damage from a tornado near Enid had a preliminary EF4 rating, meaning violent tornado damage on the Enhanced Fujita scale. In that earlier event, the Norman office said, “The Enid tornado damage has a preliminary rating of EF4.” After the April 23 storms, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for Garfield and Kay counties.