Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 12, NWS Norman, OK
NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 8, 1986, 8:35 PM CDT for Canadian County, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 40 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
- May 8, 1986, 8:35 PM CDT (01:35 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 1986, 9:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Norman, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Canadian County, OK, Oklahoma 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 8:48 PM CDT | Hail 1.25 | Oklahoma, OK | |
| May 8, 9:11 PM CDT | Hail 1.25 | Oklahoma, 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 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 18 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2795 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 995 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 117 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 148 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.4
- Supercell composite
- 7.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KOKC 090138 TOROKC OKC109-017-090215- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 835 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA UNTIL 915 PM CDT... ...SOUTHEAST CANADIAN AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR YUKON AND IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. CIRCULATION HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THIS STORM AS WELL AS BEING INDICATED ON DOPPLER RADAR. LARGE HAIL AND FUNNEL CLOUDS OR TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. PERSONS IN YUKON..BETHANY..WARR ACRES AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF OKLAHOMA CITY SHOULD TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AS THIS DANGEtROUS STORM APPROACHES.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 8, 3:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 315PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNTIES...ARCHER..BAYLOR..CLAY JACK..MONTAGUE.. WICHITA..WILBARGER AND YOUNG. SHORTLY AFTER 3PM CDT THE WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED A SMALL AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST OF SEYMOUR TO JUST WEST OF ELECTRA. ELSEWHERE..THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA WERE BUILDING ACROSS THE RED RIVER INTO THE QUANAH VICINITY OF HARDEMAN COUNTY. MOVEMENT OF ALL THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. RESIDENTS IN AND NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS WHICH INCLUDE GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAIN..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.
Special weather statement, May 8, 4:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 500 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHCENTRAL TEXAS UNTIL 10 PM INCLUDING WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES... AT 450 PM A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED IN EXTREME SOUTH WESTERN YOUNG COUNTY...12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NEWCASTLE. VERY HEAVY RAINS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. RESIDENTS IN SOUTHWESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF YOUNG COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS THUNDERSTORM. ELSEWHERE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED OVER THE RED RIVER IN EXTREME NORTHWESTERN WICHITA COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTY DURING THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED BETWEEN JACKSBORO AND SEYMOUR. IN WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOME SEVERE STRETCHED FROM CAMARGO SOUTH TO THE RED RIVER NEAR ELDORADO. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THIS LINE WAS LOCATED JUST WEST OF ALTUS. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS THUNDER STORM. ALL PRECIPITATION MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 8, 4:05 PM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ...CORRECTION... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 400 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHCENTRAL TEXAS UNTIL 10 PM INCLUDING WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES... AT 350 PM A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED IN EXTREME SOUTH WESTERN YOUNG COUNTY...12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NEWCASTLE. VERY HEAVY RAINS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. RESIDENTS IN SOUTHWESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF YOUNG COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS THUNDERSTORM. ELSEWHERE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED OVER THE RED RIVER IN EXTREME NORTHWESTERN WICHITA COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTY DURING THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED BETWEEN JACKSBORO AND SEYMOUR. IN WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOME SEVERE STRETCHED FROM CAMARGO SOUTH TO THE RED RIVER NEAR ELDORADO. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THIS LINE WAS LOCATED JUST WEST OF ALTUS. GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS THUNDER STORM. ALL PRECIPITATION MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 8, 5:59 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 600 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WICHITA AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 555 PM RADAR INDICATED ONLY A FEW LIGHT RAINSHOWERS OCCURRING OVER THIS PORTION OF NORTHCENTRAL TEXAS. THIS ACTIVITY WAS FALLING OVER NORTHERN WICHITA AND NORTHERN CLAY COUNTIES AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN JACK AND SOUTHERN MONTAGUE COUNTIES. HOWEVER VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA TO THE NORTH OF WICHITA FALLS. THE STRONGEST WAS LOCATED BETWEEN HOLLISTER AND DEVOL. THIS THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED A TORNADO TO THE WEST OF GRANDFIELD EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITHIN THIS AREA WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DEVOL. MOVEMENT OF ALL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
Local storm report, May 8, 6:06 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 610 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 TIME EVENT 350 PM CDT PEA SIZE HAIL SOUTHWESTERN YOUNG COUNTY. 422 PM CDT MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT ARCHER CITY. 453 PM CDT DIME SIZE HAIL AND 50 MPH WIND 6 SOUTH OF WICHITA FALLS. 522 PM CDT 70 MPH WIND GUST AT BURKBURNETT.
Special weather statement, May 8, 8:22 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 830 PM CDT THU MAY 8 1986 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 139 IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA HARPER WOODSm ELLIS MAJOR DEWEY ROGER MILLS CUSTER WOODWARD IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA BECKHAM WASHITA GREER KIOWA HARMON JACKSON
The office that day
Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Logan | 45 min |
| May 8, 9:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Logan, Oklahoma | 45 min |
| May 9, 4:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Cotton, Tillman | 35 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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.