What is a derecho? Meteorologists warn severe winds could create weather event in Oklahoma

Yahoo

09-06-2025

Weather experts are warning that Oklahoma could see one of nature's most powerful and widespread wind storms, a derecho, during the state's latest round of severe storms.
Storm chaser Reed Timmer warned on social media Sunday that supercells capable of massive hail and tornadoes congealed into a derecho capable of wind gusts over 100 mph.
Sometimes referred to as an inland hurricane, derechos are among weather's most destructive phenomena. But what exactly are they?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines a derecho (duh-RAY'-choh) as "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms."
Derechos can pack lethal gusts in excess of 100 mph – hurricane strength – across a front stretching for many miles, and last for hours. Storms that have sustained winds of at least 58 mph and leave a path of damage at least 250 miles long qualify as derechos, according to the National Weather Service.
Many classic derechos have winds that can top 100 mph, causing extensive damage, leading to massive power outages and toppling tons of trees.
Derechos are a relatively rare event, as they only tend to occur from once a year to once every four years across portions of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
'People should take these storms seriously,' Weather Service meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch told USA Today in 2022. 'These winds are incredibly strong.'
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Most derechos, 70%, occur during the months of May through August, the weather service said.
By definition, a derecho should have winds that persist for at least six hours; however, they can last much longer. For example, a 2020 Midwest derecho lasted for 14 hours.
In Oklahoma, "The 'People Chaser' Derecho" blasted across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas on May 27-28, 2001. Wind speeds were recorded at 100 mph in Garden City, Kansas, and 94 mph near Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, and in many areas, severe gusts lasted 10 to 20 minutes before subsiding, according to the weather service.
As it was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, many storm chasers and researchers were able to gather that afternoon to observe the expected development in Kansas and follow the storm through Texas.
The derecho became known as the "people chaser" because it overtook many of the storm chasers before they could outrun it.
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Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to the strength of tornadoes, the damage typically moves in one direction along a relatively straight swath, the weather service said. As a result, the term "straight-line wind damage" sometimes is used to describe derecho damage.
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The term derecho (duh-RAY'-choh) was coined in 1888 by University of Iowa physics professor Gustavus Hinrichs, according to NOAA. The word is Spanish for "direct" or "straight."
The term was used for a short time during the late 19th century, but it disappeared from English use for nearly 100 years, until meteorologists starting using the term again in the mid-1980s.
The Storm Prediction Center determines whether a storm is officially classified as a derecho.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Derecho possible in Oklahoma: What to know about severe wind event