Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 20, 1990LeFlore County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 12:03 AM CDT for LeFlore County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 30 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 1990, 12:03 AM CDT (05:03 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1990, 12:33 AM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County LeFlore 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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 237 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1990-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2736 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1990-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 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
2736 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
712 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
5.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSM 200503
SVRFSM
OKC079-200600-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
1203 AM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT SMITH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...LE FLORE COUNTY
 
RADAR AT 1200 AM CDT SHOWED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF POTEAU
AND 10 MILES NORTH OF TALIHINA. MOVMENT WAS SLOW TO THE EAST.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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

Local storm report, May 19, 6:27 PM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
613 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

TIME/CDT     COUNTY      EVENT

4 15 PM      OSAGE       DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR NEW PRUE.
4 38 PM      TULSA       QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN SOUTH TULSA.
4 40 PM      TULSA       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 5 MILES WEST OF SAND SPRINGS.
4 30 PM      MAYES       DIME SIZE HAIL AT LANGLEY.
4 45 PM      DELAWARE    DIME SIZE HAIL AT CHLOETA.
5 09 PM      MAYES       3/4 INCH HAIL AT LANGLEY.
5 10 PM      OSAGE       DIME SIZE HAIL 2 MILES NE OF NEW PRUE.
5 20 PM      TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL IN JENKS.
5 35 PM      MAYES       HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUST TO 70 MPH
                         AT LANGLEY.
5 50 PM      MAYES       DIME SIZE HAIL AT SPAVINAW.
5 55 PM      MAYES       75 MPH WIND JUST NORTH OF PRYOR.
6 13 PM      WAGONER     DIME SIZE HAIL AT COWETA.
Local storm report, May 19, 6:28 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
628 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

TIME/CDT     COUNTY      EVENT

4 15 PM      OSAGE       DIME SIZE HAIL NEAR NEW PRUE.
4 38 PM      TULSA       QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN SOUTH TULSA.
4 40 PM      TULSA       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 5 MILES WEST OF SAND SPRINGS.
4 30 PM      MAYES       DIME SIZE HAIL AT LANGLEY.
4 45 PM      DELAWARE    DIME SIZE HAIL AT CHLOETA.
5 09 PM      MAYES       3/4 INCH HAIL AT LANGLEY.
5 10 PM      OSAGE       DIME SIZE HAIL 2 MILES NE OF NEW PRUE.
5 20 PM      TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL IN JENKS.
5 35 PM      MAYES       HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUST TO 70 MPH
                         AT LANGLEY.
5 50 PM      MAYES       DIME SIZE HAIL AT SPAVINAW.
5 55 PM      MAYES       75 MPH WIND JUST NORTH OF PRYOR.
6 13 PM      WAGONER     DIME SIZE HAIL AT COWETA.
Local storm report, May 19, 8:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
835 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

TIME/CDT     COUNTY      EVENT

6 10 PM      DELAWARE    GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 5 MILES SOUTH CLEORA.
6 25 PM      CREEK       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH DRUMRIGHT.
6 40 PM      CREEK       GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT DRUMRIGHT.
6 40 PM      MAYES       NICKEL SIZE HAIL AT LOCUST GROVE.
6 40 PM      MUSKOGEE    DIME SIZE HAIL AT HASKELL.
7 15 PM      MUSKOGEE    HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL COVERING GROUND 4 MILES
                         SOUTHEAST OF JAMESVILLE.
7 20 PM      OKMULGEE    60-70 MPH WINDS AND GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 3 MILES
                         EAST OF BALDHILL.
7 45 PM      MUSKOGEE    DIME SIZE HAIL 3 MILES SOUTH BOYNTON.
7 55 PM      OKMULGEE    GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT MORRIS.
8 25 PM      MUSKOGEE    DIME SIZE HAIL AT MUSKOGEE.
8 38 PM      MUSKOGEE    GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT KEEFETON.
Local storm report, May 19, 10:11 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1006 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

TIME/CDT     COUNTY      EVENT

8 48 PM      MCINTOSH    GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT EUFAULA.
9 00 PM      OKMULGEE    DIME SIZE HAIL 4 MILES SOUTH OKMULGEE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Okmulgee59 min
May 19, 8:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee56 min
May 19, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah66 min
May 19, 9:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore68 min
May 19, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah60 min
May 20, 12:54 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSALeFlore3 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1990Every severe thunderstorm 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.