See it: Oklahoma couple jumps into shelter seconds before tornado hits
At least 2 tornadoes caused damage in Oklahoma on April 17, including this EF0 tornado in Ponca City where a couple and their dog took shelter.
An Oklahoma couple and their pets ran to the cellar just seconds before a tornado hit their home in Ponca City on April 17.
As the sky darkened and winds picked up, a couple in Ponca City, Oklahoma, raced to their tornado shelter moments before a twister tore through their property.
On April 17, severe thunderstorms swept across the Plains, prompting warnings for hail, damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes. Before 7 p.m., a storm cell triggered a Tornado Warning for parts of Kay County, including Ponca City.
In the video above, Shari Short and her husband grab their dog and head underground about one minute before strong winds began overturning property and hurling debris across their yard.
Survey teams with the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, found damage consistent with an EF0 tornado in Ponca City where the video was recorded.
The Short family get into their cellar before an EF0 tornado in Ponca City, Oklahoma, on April 17, 2026. (Image credit: Shari Short via ViralHog)
The tornado had estimated peak winds between 80 and 85 mph and carved a path about 4 miles long through Kay County.
NWS teams reported sporadic tree and power pole damage on the south side of Ponca City before the tornado crossed the Arkansas River into Osage County. Additional surveys from the NWS office in Tulsa found damage near McCord consistent with an EF1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
The Ponca City tornado was the first of two confirmed in the region on April 17. Another EF1 tornado damaged boat shelters at Hideaway Marina in Kaw City.
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