Tornado damage in Kay County

By ADAM CATLIN
[email protected]

The major storm that swept through the region Friday evening created two tornados in Kay County, leading to property damage but not injuries.
The National Weather Service reported an EF-0 was confirmed southwest of Ponca City that also moved through the south end of town. An EF-1 tornado was also confirmed at the Hideaway Marina on the southwest end of Kaw Lake that same evening.
They were the first tornados to hit Kay County in almost two years since two EF-1’s struck near Newkirk on April 27, 2024.
No injuries were reported with these tornados.
This brought the number of tornadoes for the year in Oklahoma to 34. The annual average is 59.
On Friday evening, Newkirk barely missed out on the tornadoes but did receive a battering from ping pong to baseball-sized hail that also struck Blackwell earlier that evening. Damage to many vehicles was reported around Newkirk. Wind also brought down some tree limbs.
North-central Oklahoma and south-central Kansas were under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Friday. Arkansas City received one-inch hail after 6 p.m. Other parts of town received pea-sized hail.
Rainfall amounts in Cowley County were under an inch Friday evening. Power was out in Cedar Vale, Maple City, and Dexter following the storm, but was restored not long after.
KAKE Meteorologist Cameron Venable had warned that if the cold front on Friday crashed and fired up a large line of storms all at once then that would reduce the overall severity of the storms. The storms ahead of the cold front, Venable said, still had a solid tornado environment, but lacked low level wind shear.
The passing of the cold front in south-central Kansas did much to keep those storms below the severe limits.
At 6:56 p.m. a confirmed EF-0 tornado was located near Ponca City moving east at 45 mph. According to the National Weather Service, this tornado developed near Ranch Road just north of Highway 60 west of Ponca City. It moved east causing sporadic tree and power pole damage across the south side of Ponca City before crossing the Arkansas River into Osage County.
There were reports from the public of wind and hail damage in Ponca City after the storm. Tree damage and fallen headstones were seen out at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Ponca City.
The second tornado, rated EF-1 by the National Weather Service, developed just northwest of Hideaway Marina, west of the Kaw Lake dam. This tornado moved across the marina causing damage to the boat shelters in the marina.
“Last night we got hit hard with a tornado and totaled our B & C docks. Please do not enter the marina at this time,” the marina owners posted. “A & D dock no damage to dock or boats. We are working on trying to figure out what the best approach is for repairing and removal. Any questions about the condition of your boat please message us. We will be rebuilding!”
The owners of Cross J Cattle Prime Steakhouse posted pictures of the damaged marina and said they saw the tornado there from just 300 yards away. The steakhouse lost power during that time but still tended to their customers during the storm.
Power was out to 172 Kay Electric Coop customers in Kay County after the storm. By Saturday morning, power outages were still reported in both Ponca City and McCord.
Friday evening, Kay County Commissioner Shane Jones posted news of a tree blocking County Line Road, east of Highway 177 Friday night, which was closed for a time after the storm until the tree was cleared.
During the storm, Ponca City Police Department reported they had temporarily lost phones and internet. People with emergencies were asked to contact the Kay County Sheriff’s Office. Phones and internet were restored before the end of the evening.
The storm began moving into Osage County just before 8 p.m.
Newkirk Fire Chief Adam Longcrier said his department was sending Rescue 58 to McCord, in Osage County, at the request of McCord Fire Department with lighting, equipment, and to survey tornado damage with its drone.
As of Monday morning, the National Weather Service was unclear if the tornado in McCord was a continuation of the Ponca City tornado or the one that damaged the marina at Kaw Lake. The National Weather Service did say the damage in McCord was consistent with an EF-1 rating.
There were reports of gas leaks and destroyed homes in McCord that evening. There were no reports of injuries.