Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Norman, OK
NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Mar 22, 1987, 6:57 PM CST for Ellis County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 33 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
- Mar 22, 1987, 6:57 PM CST (00:57 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 22, 1987, 7:30 PM CST
- In force
- 33 min
- Issued by
- NWS Norman, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Ellis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 7:10 PM CST | Tornado F0 | Ellis, OK | |
| Mar 22, 7:30 PM CST | Tornado F1 | Ellis, 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 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 173 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
- 603 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -21 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1151 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 144 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 215 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 4.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KOKC 230057
TOROKC
OKC045-230130-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
657 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA
...NORTHERN ELLIS
AT 657 PM...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF GAGE MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES PER HOUR. PERSONS IN GAGE AND FARGO
SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLBOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.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, Mar 22, 4:33 PM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 430 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987] ...A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR POSSIBLE HEAVY SNOW IS IN EFFECT FOR THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE FOR MONDAY... THE SAME MAJOR UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM LOCATED OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED TO HEAD TOWARD OKLAHOMA AND MOVE ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. AS THE UPPER LEVEL STORM APPROACHES OKLAHOMA..A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NOW OVER NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WILL ALSO MOVE EASTWARD IN ADVANCE OF THE UPPER LEVEL STORM. THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE WINDS AROUND THE SURFACE LOW WILL PULL COLD AIR INTO THE PANHANDLE DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY AND WILL BRING ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS SCENARIO WOULD DEVELOP HEAVY SNOW IN THE PANHANDLE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF CIMARRON AND TEXAS. THE ABOVE SCE#NARIO IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE STORM LAST WEEK THAT DROPPED HEAVY SNOW IN THE PANHANDLE. PERSONS PLANNNING TRAVEL IN THAT SECTION OF THE STATE ON MONDAY ARE ADVISED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DEVELOPING WINTER STORM.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:02 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 530 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987 AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSHOWER WAS LOCATED OVER THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AND INTO KANSAS. THE LINE EXTENDED THROUGH BEAVER COUNTY IN OKLAHOMA. LINE MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR WHILE CELL MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:09 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
CORRECTED RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 450 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987 AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSHOWER WAS LOCATED OVER THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AND INTO KANSAS. THE LINE EXTENDED THROUGH BEAVER COUNTY IN OKLAHOMA. LINE MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR WHILE CELL MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:37 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 535 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987 AT 530 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSHOWERS WAS LOCATED FROM THE TEXAS INTO BEAVER COUNTY IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND EXTENDS NORTH TO DODGE CITY KANSAS. LINE MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR WHILE CELL MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 6:30 PM CST, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 630 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNTIES..ARCHER..BAYLOR..FOARD..HARDEMAN..KNOX.. WICHITA..WILBARGER AND YOUNG. ISOLATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTOMS WERE NOTED ALONG THE OKLAHOMA/TEXAS BORDER FROM WEST OF GAGE OKLAHOMA TO JUST NORTH OF CHILDRESS TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. O-THER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE BUILD INTO THE SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS EAST OF LUBBUCK.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 6:32 PM CST, 25 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 630 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987 AT 625 PM...A LINE OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE EASTER%N OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE SOUTH ALONG THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA BORDER. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 6:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Ellis | 45 min |
| Mar 22, 6:30 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Ellis | 30 min |
| Mar 22, 6:53 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Harper | 37 min |
| Mar 22, 7:38 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Roger Mills | 37 min |
| Mar 22, 7:55 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Harper, Woods | 45 min |
| Mar 22, 8:09 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Beckham, Roger Mills | 36 min |
| Mar 22, 8:43 PM CST | Tornado Warning | OUN | Roger Mills | 32 min |
| Mar 22, 8:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Dewey | 43 min |
| Mar 22, 8:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Ellis, Harper | 48 min |
| Mar 22, 9:20 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Roger Mills | 25 min |
| Mar 22, 9:42 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Roger Mills | 48 min |
| Mar 22, 10:42 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Beckham | 48 min |
| Mar 22, 10:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Dewey, Woodward | 45 min |
| Mar 22, 11:42 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 48 min |
| Mar 23, 12:29 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 46 min |
| Mar 23, 12:35 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Kiowa | 40 min |
| Mar 23, 5:02 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Payne | 28 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987
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.