March storms followed by tornadoes to start month of April

Those tornadoes that destroyed some homes and caused other damage in Osage County this week weren’t the only twisters Oklahoma had this spring.

The Oklahoma Mesonet reminded readers that on March 14, two tornadoes were confirmed in McIntosh and McCurtain counties. The same severe weather also produced hail the size of softballs in Ada and produced “significant property damage.”

One hail stone measured nearly 6 inches, the largest ever recorded in Pontotoc County, according to the National Weather Service.

The state, reported the Mesonet, had gone five months without a tornado. The last ones were reported on October 24 of last year in Garvin and Pottawatomie counties.

“These October tornadoes were the only ones in the state for the majority of the past nine months, aside from a solitary tornado

near Woodward on July 7, 2023. The five confirmed tornadoes from July through March are notably fewer than the 1951-2022 average of 15 tornadoes for the same nine-month span,” stated the report.

Tornadoes and hail weren’t the only sudden weather to hit the state in March. The Oklahoma Panhandle recorded three to four inches of snow on the 25th.

This week’s storms in northeastern Oklahoma destroyed homes in Barnsdall and left residents of the small town cleaning up the debris.

Pictures courtesy of FOX23’s Jennah James in Tulsa.