Cartographical depiction of the watch. Duncan tornado location is denoted by red triangle. In addition, several other destructive tornadoes (not plotted) occurred in this watch over OK and North TX, from at least 4 supercells.
Steve Corfidi
issued Tornado Watch 318 at 2:33 pm CDT on 25 May 97, one of several
successful watches from SPC that afternoon for an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and
tornadoes from Kansas to North Texas. His forecast overview of the weather situation
can be found in the "DISCUSSION" section of the watch below:
ZCZC MKCSEL8 ALL 260200;332,1000 370,0990 370,0955 332,0965
WWUS9 KMKC 251923
MKC WW 251923
OKZ0000-TXZ000-260200-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 318
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
223 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 1997
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
NORTHWEST TEXAS
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL 900
PM CDT.
TORNADO...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTH OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS TO 30 MILES
NORTHWEST OF PONCA CITY OKLAHOMA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
DISCUSSION...SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ALONG DRYLINE/CONVERGENCE LINE OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF HOURS...WHERE SURFACE-BASED CAPE IS IN EXCESS OF 4000
J/KG AND MID LEVEL WESTERLY FLOW REMAINS AROUND 40 KTS ALONG AXIS
OF STEEP /DRY ADIABATIC/ LAPSE RATES. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM
EARLIER CONVECTION IN EASTERN OK HAS BECOME MORE DIFFUSE IN THE
PAST FEW HOURS...BUT CONTINUES AT THE MOMENT FROM W OF ENID TO W OF
OKLAHOMA CITY. THIS FEATURE MAY ALSO SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR STORM
DEVELOPMENT LATER TONIGHT.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 520.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
...CORFIDI
;332,1000 370,0900 370,0955 332,0965;
NNNN
Cartographical depiction of the watch. Duncan tornado location is denoted by red triangle. In addition, several other destructive tornadoes (not plotted) occurred in this watch over OK and North TX, from at least 4 supercells.
| DUNCAN OK TORNADO (25 MAY 97) by STEVE CORFIDI | |
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The Duncan tornado blew rail cars off their tracks and damaged mobile homes and outbuildings, rating F1.
Steve also snapped this photo of a separate funnel cloud from the same supercell north of Loco, OK, which came from the subsequent mesocyclone occlusion:
No debris was evident under the Loco funnel, nor was there any damage reported. This supercell lasted until after dark, also producing several reports of large hail and maintaining strong and deep mesocyclones; but it never spawned another confirmed tornado.
In addition to his forecasting experience and expertise at SELS, NMC (now NCEP) and then SPC, Steve has been an avid cloud and sky photographer and weather watcher since childhood -- and an occasional storm chaser for many years. The Duncan event was his first tornado.
Steve is quite humble and wouldn't have done this himself; so as his forecasting and storm chasing partner on that day, this semi-whimsical page is my way of recognizing him for the tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes effort and time he has put into the 50th Anniversary of Tornado Forecasting commemoration.