Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 21, 1991McIntosh County, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Mar 21, 1991, 2:32 PM CST for McIntosh County, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 43 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 21, 1991, 2:32 PM CST (20:32 UTC)
Expired: Mar 21, 1991, 3:15 PM CST
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties

Counties McIntosh County, OK, Pittsburg County, OK

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 21, 2:40 PM CST	Hail 2.75	Pittsburg, OK
Mar 21, 2:55 PM CST	Hail 0.88	Mcintosh, 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, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 154 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: 279 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -194 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1274 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -29 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.0
Supercell composite: -0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 212034 COR
TORTUL
OKC091-121-212115-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
232 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ...

IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

   ...SOUTHERN MCINTOSH COUNTY

IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

   ...NORTHERN PITTSBURG COUNTY

AT 232 RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MCALESTER
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. PERSONS IN INDIHOMA ..CROWER AND
EUFAULA ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.


THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
STAY AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET IN A GROUND DEPRESSION.

KEEP TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER BULLETINS.

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

Local storm report, Mar 21, 11:34 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1131 AM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CDT   COUNTY      EVENT

1110 AM    DELAWARE    DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 3 MILES NORTH OF COLCORD.

1118 AM    ADAIR       NICKLE SIZE HAIL FELL 4 MILES NORTH OF
                       WESTVILLE.

Local storm report, Mar 21, 11:53 AM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1152 AM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CDT   COUNTY      EVENT

1145 AM    CHEROKEE    DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF
                       TAHLEQUAH.

Local storm report, Mar 21, 1:12 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
111 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

1230 PM   CHEROKEE    DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
                       PEGGS.

Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:41 PM CST, 51 minutes before

OKZ026>034-040-221200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
130 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA UNTIL 7 PM...

A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS OVER ALL OF EASTERN
OKLAHOMA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY REACHED SEVERE LEVELS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA
TODAY IN THE VERY MOIST AIR THAT COVERS MOST OF THE AREA.  THE WESTERN
EDGE OF THIS MOIST AIR IS MARKED BY A DRY LINE THAT EXTENDED FROM NEAR
PONCA CITY TO ALTUS AT 130 PM.  THIS DRY LINE WILL BE THE FOCUSING
MECHANISM FOR SEVERE STORMS THAT WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL.
WITH STRONG SURFACE WINDS FROM THE SOUTH AND STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS
ALOFT...TORNADOES ARE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS.

SPOTTER NETWORKS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES ARE URGED TO
MAINTAIN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS THROUGH THIS EVENING.  EVERYONE
IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD LISTEN TO zRADIO AND TV FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION AND BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 21, 10:55 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Delaware	35 min
Mar 21, 11:09 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Adair	36 min
Mar 21, 11:40 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Cherokee	35 min
Mar 21, 12:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Cherokee	38 min
Mar 21, 1:46 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Creek	44 min
Mar 21, 2:00 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Pittsburg	60 min
Mar 21, 2:11 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Okfuskee, Okmulgee	49 min
Mar 21, 2:44 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Tulsa	46 min
Mar 21, 3:17 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Muskogee	28 min
Mar 21, 3:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Mayes, Rogers	49 min
Mar 21, 3:34 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Sequoyah	56 min
Mar 21, 3:49 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Creek	41 min
Mar 21, 4:02 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Adair	43 min
Mar 21, 4:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	McIntosh	50 min
Mar 21, 4:33 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Cherokee, Muskogee	42 min
Mar 21, 5:05 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Adair	40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1991 Every tornado warning in 1991 Tornadoes 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.