Alert archive / Oklahoma / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990
Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Norman, OK
NWS Norman, OK issued this flash flood warning at May 31, 1990, 9:10 PM CDT for Beckham County, Greer County, Harmon County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 31, 1990, 9:10 PM CDT (02:10 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 1, 1990, 12:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Norman, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Beckham County, OK, Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 184 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
- 49 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3540 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 9 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 54 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KOKC 010214 FFWOKC OKC009-055-057-010615- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 910 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING OKLAHOMA LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA ...SOUTHERN BECKHAM COUNTY...NORTHERN GREER COUNTY...HARMON COUNTY AT 910 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LARGE THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CENTERED 9 MILES SOUTH OF ERICK. THIS STORM HAS SLOWED ITS EASTWARD MOTION TO LESS THAN 10 MILES PER HOUR AND LIKELY IS PRODUCING RAINFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF 3 INCHES PER HOUR. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS CENTERED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOLLIS...MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR. THIS STORM LIKELY WILL PRODUCE LOCAL RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES AS IT MOVES SLOWLY ACROSS HARMON COUNTY. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRED IN THIS AREA TUESDAY...AND MUCH OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL THIS EVENING WILL RUN OFF. VERY RAPID RISES CAN BE EXPECTED ON SMALL STREAMS THIS EVENING...AND SOME ROADWAYS LIKELY WILL BE BLOCKED. STREAMS MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: BULL CREEK...DEER CREEK...FISH CREEK...HAYSTACK CREEK...AND THE WEST FORK OF SANDY CREEK. PERSONS WITH LIVESTOCK OR FARM EQUIPMENT IN LOW LYING AREAS IN THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING AREA SHOULD TAKE ACTION NOW TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 31, 4:36 PM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
TXZ020-019-312230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 433 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR FOARD AND HARDEMAN COUNTIES... AT 425 PM WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL TEXAS. THESE STORMS WERE OCCURRING FROM DENTON EAST TO HONEY GROVE AND THEN EXTENDS SOUTH ACROSS THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH METROPLEX...KAUFMAN...CORSICANA TO NEAR NORMANGEE. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE SOUTH OF BONHAM...JUST NORTHEAST OF DENTON AND EAST OF WAXAHACHIE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 20 MPH. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PANHANDLE TO THE SOUTH PLAINS ALONG A MDRY LINE. THE ACTIVITY WAS NORTHEAST OF AMARILLO SOUTH OF SPEARMAN AND BETWEEN AMARILLO AND LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 31, 4:56 PM CDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
OKZ023-024-312300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 450 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 ...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL MOVING INTO SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA... AT 450 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER FROM SOUTH OF DURANT TO SOUTH OF THACKERVILLE. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME SMALL HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AT 20 MPH. IN ADDITION TO HEAVY RAINFALL...THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING. BOATERS AND CAMPERS IN THE LAKE TEXOMA AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE APPROACH OF THUNDERSTORMS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHELTER.
Special weather statement, May 31, 7:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
OKZALL-010200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 730 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE ARE MOVING TOWARD OKLAHOMA... ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 356 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR PARTS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE... AT 730 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED TWO AREAS OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. THE FIRST STORM...WHICH HAS HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...WAS OVER WESTERN OCHILTREE COUNTY AND WAS MOVING EASTWARD AT 25 MILES PER HOUR. IF THIS STORM HOLDS TOGETHER...IT WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ELLIS COUNTY AROUND 930 PM CDT. ANOTHER AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER EASTERN DONLEY AND WESTERN COLLINGSWORTH COUNTIES OF THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES PER HOUR AND LIKELY WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN BECKHAM COUNTY BETWEEN 830 AND 900 PM CDT. OTHER STORMS WERE BUILDING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHERN COMANCHE COUNTY SOUTH OF CACHE. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER OKLAHOMA IS EXTREMELY UNSTABLE THIS EVENING...AND THE WIND PROFILE REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AND NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. OVER MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF OKLAHOMA...THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR TO COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 31, 8:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
OKZ014-021-010200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 800 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER HARMNON AND BECKHAM COUNTIES... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 356 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE. AT 800 PM RADAR INDICATED RAPIDLY INTESIFYING THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN BECKHAM AND HARMON COUNTIES. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ERICK SOUTHWARD TO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VINSON. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 31, 8:21 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
TXZ020-019-010300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA FALLS TX 820 PM CDT THU MAY 31 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR FOARD AND HARDEMAN COUNTIES... AT 815 PM WICHITA FALLS RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN YOUNG COUNTY AND OVER SOUTHERN BAYLOR COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORM OVER YOUNG COUNTY WAS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTH AND WILL PROBABLY BE IN THE GRAHAM AREA BY 830 PM. THE STORM OVER BAYLOR COUNTY WAS MOVING TOWARD SEYMOUR AND SHOULD SOON BE IN THE SEYMOUR AREA. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL PROBABLY OCCUR WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA AND IN THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND EXTENDED INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE STORMS IN THE PANHANDLE WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 8:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Beckham, Greer | 67 min |
| May 31, 8:41 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Greer | 49 min |
| May 31, 8:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Harmon | 61 min |
| May 31, 9:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Harmon | 54 min |
| May 31, 9:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer | 64 min |
| May 31, 9:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 63 min |
| May 31, 10:47 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | OUN | Greer, Jackson | 2 hr |
| May 31, 11:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Tillman | 63 min |
| Jun 1, 8:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Jackson, Kiowa | 65 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Oklahoma, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.