Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Norman, OK

April 3, 1986McClain County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1986, 11:44 AM CST for McClain County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 36 min. 2 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
Apr 3, 1986, 11:44 AM CST (17:44 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1986, 12:20 PM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties

County McClain 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
Apr 3, 12:02 PM CSTHail 1.75Mcclain, OK
Apr 3, 12:02 PM CSTHail 1.75Mcclain, 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

Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK (KOKC), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 46 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, Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1300 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Ok Cty/Will Rgrs, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 195 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1300 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
576 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
195 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KOKC 031744
SVROKC
OKC027-087-109-031820-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
1144 AM CST THU APR 3 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1220 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...NORTHERN CLEVELAND...NORTHERN MCCLAIN AND 
 SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

AT 1143 AM, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES EAST OF
BLANCHARD. THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN
HOUR. PERSONS IN NORMAN AND MOORE ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.

IF YOU OBSERVE HAIL PENNY SIZE OR LARGER OR ANY WIND DAMAGE..NOTIFYC
YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN OKLAHOMA CITY.

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, Apr 3, 7:34 AM CST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
735 AM CST THU APR 3 1986

AT 730 AM THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY 30 MILES
EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM WICHITA FALLS TO JUST WEST OF ABILENE.

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THIS AREA WAS LOCATED BETWEEN
MUNDAY AND LAKE KEMP. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAIN...<GUSTY WINDS...AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING.

MOVEMENT OF ALL PRECIPITATION TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 8:03 AM CST, 3 hours 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX
800 AM CST THU APR 3 1986

AT 800 AM SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
WERE LOCATED IN AN AREA 15 MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM SNYDER
OKLAHOMA TO ABILENE TEXAS.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THIS AREA WAS LOCATED OVER GOREE
TO THE EAST OF MUNDAY. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHWTING AND STRONG WINDS.

MOVEMENT OF THIS PRECIPITATION TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 10:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady, Stephens39 min
Apr 3, 11:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady, McClain45 min
Apr 3, 11:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan, Oklahoma38 min
Apr 3, 11:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Oklahoma36 min
Apr 3, 11:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCotton, Stephens35 min
Apr 3, 11:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady35 min
Apr 3, 12:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNNoble, Payne41 min
Apr 3, 12:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrady, McClain36 min
Apr 3, 1:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Oklahoma45 min
Apr 3, 1:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, Logan, Oklahoma45 min
Apr 3, 1:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNMcClain45 min
Apr 3, 2:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarvin, Stephens45 min
Apr 3, 2:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Pottawatomie43 min
Apr 3, 2:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, McClain37 min
Apr 3, 2:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNStephens42 min
Apr 3, 2:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Payne56 min
Apr 3, 3:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarvin, McClain50 min
Apr 3, 3:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNStephens50 min
Apr 3, 4:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNPottawatomie, Seminole40 min
Apr 3, 4:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCarter, Love45 min
Apr 3, 5:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLove37 min
Apr 3, 5:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNMarshall32 min
Apr 3, 5:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBryan47 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.