Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 27, 1991Craig County, Mayes County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 27, 1991, 12:25 AM CDT for Craig County, Mayes County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 35 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
Apr 27, 1991, 12:25 AM CDT (05:25 UTC)
Expired
Apr 27, 1991, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Craig County, OK, Mayes County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 27, 12:35 AM CDTHail 0.88Mayes, OK
Apr 27, 12:40 AM CDTHail 0.88Craig, 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 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 245 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1991-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4072 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1991-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 201 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
4072 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
954 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
201 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
377 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
7.9
Supercell composite
34.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 270524
TORTUL
OKC035-097-270600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1225 AM CDT SAT APR 27 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN CRAIG COUNTY...NORTHERN MAYES COUNTY
 
AT 12 25 AM THE TULSA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO JUST EAST OF
FOYIL MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
 
WATCH FOR SIGNS OF DEVELOPING STORMS.  LARGE HAILSTONES AND UNUSUALLY
LOW SWIRLING CLOUDS ARE MANY TIMES SEEN NEAR DEVELOPING TORNADOES.
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES OFTEN PRODUCE A LOUD ROARING
SOUND THAT CAN BE HEARD IN JTHE VICINITY OF STORMS. FREQUENT AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING OCCURS WITH MOST SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
 
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

Special weather statement, Apr 26, 6:35 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before
OKZ026-030-270030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
635 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR OSAGE...PAWNEE...AND CREEK
COUNTIES UNTIL 900 PM..

AT 630 PM...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS CONTINUE BETWEEN ENID AND
PONCA CITY.  HOWEVER...A NEW AREA OF STORMS HAS DEVELOPED TO THE EAST
OVER OSAGE AND PAWNEE COUNTIES.  ALTHOUGH THESE STORMS ARE NOT AS
STRONG AS THE ONES TO THE WEST...THEY COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY.

PEOPLE IN OSAGE AND PAWNEE COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND CONTINUE
TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER SOURCES FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS
AND FURTHER STATEMENTS.R
Local storm report, Apr 26, 8:10 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
810 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

TIME(CDT)         COUNTY        REPORT

 728 PM           OSAGE         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL NEAR BURBANK
                                EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE EAST OF BURBANK

 731 PM           OSAGE         WINDS ESTIMATED 80 MPH EAST OF BURBANK
                                BASEBALL SIZE HAIL EAST OF BURBANK

 734 PM           OSAGE         TORNADO 5 MILES EAST OF BURBANK

 755 PM           PAWNEE        HALF-DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AT SOUTH JENNINGS

 800 PM           PAWNEE        BASEBALL SIZE HAIL NEAR HALLETT
Local storm report, Apr 26, 8:56 PM CDT, 3 hours 29 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
848 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

ADDITIONAL STORM REPORTS RECEIVED BY NWS TUL SINCE 800 PM...

TIME(CDT)         COUNTY        REPORT

 815 PM           PAWNEE        QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT CLEVELAND

 815 PM           PAWNEE        FUNNEL CLOUD 3 ENE OF TERLTON.  HAD
                                BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN.

 830 PM           PAWNEE        TORNADO ON THE CIMMARON TURNPIKE AT
                                JCT OF HIGHWAY 48.  VEHICLES TURNED
                                OVER ON TURNPIKE.
Local storm report, Apr 26, 10:02 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1000 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

ADDITIONAL STORM REPORTS RECEIVED BY NWS TUL SINCE 845 PM...

TIME(CDT)         COUNTY        REPORT

 930 PM           TULSA         60 MPH WINDS INTERSCTN HWY 75 AND 20.

 935 PM           TULSA         70 MPH WINDS INTERSCTN HWY 75 AND 20.

 935 PM           TULSA         TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN INTERSCTN HWY 75
                                AND 126TH ST N -- EAST OF SKIATOOK

 948 PM           TULSA         TORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR OOLOGAH
Local storm report, Apr 26, 11:33 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1133 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

ADDITIONAL STORM REPORTS SINCE 830 PM WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN SENT BEFORE...

TIME(CDT)     COUNTY        REPORT

 835 PM       PAWNEE        HWY 48 AND 64.  HOUSES DAMAGED IN WESTPORT.

 839 PM       TULSA         SPERRY.  POWER LINES DOWN NEAR HWY 48.

 840 PM       PAWNEE        WEST OF KEYSTONE DAM.  HAM RADIO OPERATOR
                            REPORTED TORNADO OVER HOUSE.

 851 PM       PAWNEE        HWY 48 AND CIMMARON TURNPIKE.  EXTENSIVE
                            DAMAGE.   CARS OFF THE ROAD.

 857 PM       TULSA         SKIATOOK.  DIME SIZE HAIL.

 917 PM       TULSA         NEAR SKIATOOK.  TORNADO.

 920 PM       WASHINGTON    COPAN.  AT LEAST 2 BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
                            ROADS BLOCKED.  POSSIBLE TORNADO REPORTED.

 925 PM       OSAGE         WEST OF SKIATOOK.  PROPANE COMPANY DAMAGE.
                            DELAYED REPORT.

 935 PM       TULSA         COLLINSVILLE.  DEBRIS AND POWER LINES DOWN.

 945 PM       ROGERS        OOLAGAH.  POWER LINES DOWN.

 951 PM       WASHINGTON    COPAN.  HOUSES DESTROYED.  PSBL FATALITY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 7:14 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage61 min
Apr 26, 7:46 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPawnee59 min
Apr 26, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage60 min
Apr 26, 8:32 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage58 min
Apr 26, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington44 min
Apr 26, 9:15 PM CDTTornado WarningTSATulsa, Washington60 min
Apr 26, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Rogers66 min
Apr 26, 9:44 PM CDTTornado WarningTSARogers46 min
Apr 26, 10:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee59 min
Apr 26, 10:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig69 min
Apr 26, 10:49 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig56 min
Apr 26, 11:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALatimer57 min
Apr 26, 11:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore69 min
Apr 26, 11:09 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOttawa51 min
Apr 26, 11:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Osage, Tulsa, Washington57 min
Apr 26, 11:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata57 min
Apr 26, 11:38 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore67 min
Apr 26, 11:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee41 min
Apr 26, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers47 min

Nearby

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