Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 16, 1991Creek County, Okmulgee County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1991, 5:56 PM CDT for Creek County, Okmulgee County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 49 min. 5 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 16, 1991, 5:56 PM CDT (22:56 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 1991, 6:45 PM CDT
In force: 49 min
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties

Counties Creek County, OK, Okmulgee County, OK, Tulsa County, OK

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where
May 16, 6:09 PM CDT	Tornado F1	Okmulgee, OK
May 16, 6:18 PM CDT	Tornado F0	Tulsa, OK
May 16, 6:20 PM CDT	Tornado F1	Okmulgee, OK
May 16, 6:24 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Tulsa, OK
May 16, 6:40 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Tulsa, 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

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 140 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2191 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 681 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 270 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 314 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.3
Supercell composite: 16.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 162300
SVRTUL
OKC037-111-143-162345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
556 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...EASTERN CREEK COUNTY...NORTHERN OKMULGEE COUNTY...SOUTHERN TULSA
 COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM FOR EASTERN
CREEK...NORTHERN OKMULGEE...AND SOUTHERN TULSA COUNTIES.
 
AT 555 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTH OF
BEGGS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
 
WITH THE PRESENT MOVEMENT AND SPEED OF THIS THUNDERSTORM...IT WILL
TRACK TOWARDS MOUNDS...BIXBY...AND GLENPOOL BEFORE 645 PM.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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 16, 1:29 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
125 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

TIME(CDT)     COUNTY        REPORT

 525 AM       OSAGE         DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 3 MILES EAST OF
                            BURBANK.
 610 AM       OSAGE         DIME SIZE HAIL AT OKESA.

 630 AM       WASHINGTON    3/4 INCH HAIL ONE MILE WEST OF DEWEY.

Special weather statement, May 16, 5:15 PM CDT, 41 minutes before

OKZ029-030-031-162315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
514 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991

AT 510 PM RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN
OKMULGEE COUNTY. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THIS THUNDERSTORM TO
INTENSIFY.

PERSONS IN NORTHERN OKMULGEE COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FROM
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 5:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Osage	41 min
May 16, 6:07 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Osage, Washington	53 min
May 16, 8:43 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Wagoner	47 min
May 16, 9:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Mayes, Wagoner	44 min
May 16, 10:05 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Cherokee	40 min
May 16, 6:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Okmulgee, Tulsa	40 min
May 16, 6:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Creek	47 min
May 16, 6:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Tulsa	33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1991 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1991

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.