Rare December Oklahoma Tornado Rated EF0

A small tornado that touched ground briefly near Arcadia was given a preliminary rating of EF0 by the National Weather Service in Norman on Monday.

Weather service meteorologist Marc Austin said the tornado that touched down briefly shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday caused no damage or injury and appeared to have been on the ground for 30 seconds or less near the small town in the northeastern Oklahoma City metro.

The EF0 rating is the smallest given by the weather service and indicates wind speeds of 40-72 mph.

Tornadoes in December in Oklahoma, while not common, are “not terribly unusual, it has happened before,” Austin said. “Once every five to ten years.”

The most recent December tornado in the state was Dec. 31, 2010, in Adair County.

The most significant aspect to Sunday’s storms was hail, with half-dollar- to golf-ball-sized chunks falling from Chickasha to western areas of the Oklahoma City metro, Austin said.

Austin said there were several reports of funnel clouds in the state, but none other than the one at Arcadia appear to have touched the ground, a requirement for a funnel cloud to officially be considered a tornado.