Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 271, NWS Norman, OK

May 16, 1986Ellis County, Woodward County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1986, 6:12 PM CDT for Ellis County, Woodward County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 63 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1986, 6:12 PM CDT (23:12 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1986, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ellis County, OK, Woodward County, OK

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 16, 6:15 PM CDTHail 1.75Ellis, OK
May 16, 6:15 PM CDTHail 1.75Ellis, OK
May 16, 6:20 PM CDTHail 1Woodward, OK
May 16, 6:20 PM CDTHail 1Woodward, OK

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 165 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1986-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1986-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 211 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
211 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
192 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 16, 3:12 PM CDT, 3 hours before
OKLAHOMA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
300 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT OVER MOST OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.. EAST OF A LINE
FROM BUFFALO TO SHATTUCK AND WEST OF A LINE FROM PONCA CITY TO ARDMORE.
A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXISTS TONIGHT OVER THE REST
OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. IN ADDITION.. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF EXCESSIVE
RAINFALL THAT MAY CREATE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS TONIGHT OVER
MOST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

GUSTY SOUTH WINDS CONTINUE TO DRAW WARM MOIST AIR INTO THE STATE AT LOW
LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A SLOW-MOVING COLD FRONT. THIS AFTERNOON
THE FRONT EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL KANSAS ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA INTO
THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. A DRY LINE INTERSECTS THE FRONT OVER THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE AND EXTENDS SOUTHWARD ACROSS WEST TEXAS. THE WIND FIELD ALOFT
IS FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT, AS OKLAHOMA LIES BETWEEN TWO
JET STREAMS - ONE FROM COLORADO NORTHEASTWARD AND THE OTHER RUNNING
WEST TO EAST ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE LIES NEAR
THE ARIZONA-NEW MEXICO BORDER AND WILL APPROACH OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT AND DRY
LINE THIS AFTERNOON IN RESPONSE TO DESTABILIZATION FROM AFTERNOON
HEATING. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON, REMAINING STRONG AS THE APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM
PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE SLOWLY
EASTWARD TONIGHT, WITH THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BY
EARLY TONIGHT AND ON INTO FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT.

WITH THE UPPER SYSTEM STILL FAR TO THE WEST OF THE STATE, SEVERE
WEATHER MAY GET A LATE START TODAY. HOWEVER WITH THE UPPER SUPPORT
CROSSING THE STATE DURING THE NIGHT, THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER
MAY CONTINUE WELL INTO THE NIGHT AS THE ACTIVITY SPREADS INTO EASTERN
OKLAHOMA. ALSO, THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF BOTH THE SURFACE FRONT AND THE
UPPER SYSTEM, COMBINED WITH VERY ABUNDANT MOISTURE, WILL SET THE STAGE
FOR A POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAIN EVENT TONIGHT OVER CENTRAL AND
EASTERN OKLAHOMA. RAINFALL TOTALS OF OVER 5 INCHES COULD OCCUR IN SOME
AREAS RESULTING IN FLOODING, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE AREAS THAT RECEIVED
HEAVY RAIN ON WEDNESDAY. APPROPRIATE AGENCIES ARE URGED TO BE ON THE
THE ALERT ACCORDINGLY.

SPOTTERS IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA WILL LIKELY BE THE FIRST TO SEE ACT=ION,
BUT ACTIVATION OF SPOTTER NETWORKS WILL PROBABLY NOT BE REQUIRED UNTIL
LATE AFTERNOON AT THE EARLIEST.
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
435 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR FOARD...HARDEMAN..AND KNOX COUNTIES
UNTIL 1100 PM CDT...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND SURROUDING COUNTIES
FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 435 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER NORTHWEST
OKLAHOMA AND THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND SOUTH PLAINS.

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORSM HAD DEVELOPED 15 MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST OF
CHILDRESS. MOVEMENT...NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED THROUGHOUT THE EVENING.
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:02 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
505 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR FOARD...HARDEMAN..AND KNOX COUNTIES
UNTIL 1100 PM CDT...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND SURROUDING
COUNTIES FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 505 PM CDT VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING TO THE WEST
OF FOARD...HARDEMAN..AND KNOX COUNTIES FROM CHILDRESS SOUTHWEST TO
DICKENS. THESE STORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

ELSEWHERE RAINSHOWERS WERE DEVELOPING TO THE SOUTH OF WICHITA FALLS
OVER PORTIONS OF YOUNG AND JACK COUNTIES. MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS
TO THE NORTH AT 15 MPH.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED THROUGHOUT THE  EVENING.
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:32 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
530 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR FOARD...HARDEMAN...AND KNOX
COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM CDT...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING
COUNTIES FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 525 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO THE WEST OF FOARD...
HARDEMAN AND KNOX COUNTIES BETWEEN CHILDRESS AND DICKENS. MOVEMENT
OF THESE STORMS NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING TO THE SOUTH OF WICHITA
FALLS OVER YOUNG...JACK...ARCHER AND CLAY COUNTIES. THESE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH.

IN OKLAHOMA...SHOWERS AND THUNDER>STORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHWEST
CORNER OF THE STATE TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF HOBART.
Special weather statement, May 16, 6:00 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
555 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR FOARD...HARDEMAN...AND KNOX
COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM CDT...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING
COUNTIES FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...

AT 550 PM CDT A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING ACROSS THE FOARD
COUNTY LINE 17 MILES WEST OF CROWELL. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE ALONG
WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL. THIS
STORM WAS INCREASING IN INTENSITY. MOVEMENT...NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

ELSEWHERE ANOTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTH
WEST OF JACKSBORO OVER THE YOUNG...JACK COUNTY LINE. THIS STORM IS
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. THIS
STORM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS AND SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL TEXAS FOR TONIGHT AND RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO STAY TUNEDZ TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LASTEST ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER
SITUATION.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Woodward46 min
May 16, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills25 min
May 16, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Woodward44 min
May 16, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills44 min
May 16, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills35 min
May 16, 5:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis25 min
May 16, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.