Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 21, 1991LeFlore County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Mar 21, 1991, 7:07 PM CST for LeFlore County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 68 min. 3 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, 7:07 PM CST (01:07 UTC)
Expired
Mar 21, 1991, 8:15 PM CST
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County LeFlore County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 21, 7:25 PM CSTTornado F1Le Flore, OK
Mar 21, 7:30 PM CSTHail 0.88Le Flore, OK
Mar 21, 7:48 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Le Flore, 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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 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 1991-03-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1100 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1991-03-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 264 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
1100 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1075 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
264 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
317 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
6.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSM 220108
TORFSM
OKC079-220145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
707 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT SMITH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  745 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN LE FLORE COUNTY
 
AT 706 FT SMITH RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 15 MILES WEST OF MUSE
OKLAHOMA MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. ALSO DOPPLER RADAR
OUT OF NORMAN OKLAHOMA INDICATED ROTATION IN THIS CELL.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTEHR BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, 1:12 PM CST, 5 hours 55 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, 5 hours 26 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.
Local storm report, Mar 21, 6:04 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
552 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

210 PM   PITTSBURG   ONE INCH SIZE HAIL 1 MILE WEST OF ARPELAR
210 PM   CREEK       QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT BRISTOW
220 PM   OKFUSKEE    3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH OF WELEEKA
228 PM   CREEK       1 1/2 INCH SIZE HAIL AT KIEFER
230 PM   OKMULGEE    3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL 2 MILES EAST OF HENRYETTA
240 PM   PITTSBURG   BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AT INDIANOLA
245 PM   PITTSBURG   GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT CANADIAN
250 PM   TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL 3 MILES WEST BIXBY
255 PM   MCINTOSH    HAIL THE SIZE OF NICKLES FELL AT EUFAULA
255 PM   TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL IN SOUTH TULSA
320 PM   MUSKOGEE    GOL:FBALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES EAST OF WARNER
330 PM   ROGERS      3/4 INCH SIZE HJAIL 2 MILES NORTH OF INOLA
355 PM   CREEK       DIME SIZE HAIL 5 MILES SOUTH BRISTOW
415 PM   ADAIR       DIME SIZE HAIL 6 MILES SOUTH STILWELL
Local storm report, Mar 21, 6:10 PM CST, 57 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
604 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

430 PM   MCINTOSH    NICKLE SIZE TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL BROKE OUT
                     WINDOWS IN SEVERAL MOBLE HOMES 5 MILES NORTH
                     OF EUFAULA.
430 PM   MCINTOSH    QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT EUFAULA.
435 PM   MUSKOGEE    1 INCH SIZE HAIL 3 MILES EAST OF FORT GIBSON
455 PM   CHEROKEE    HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AT TAHLEQUAH
515 PM   eADAIR       DIME SIZE HAIL 2 MILES NORTH OF WATTS ON
                     HIGHWAY 59.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 21, 6:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Muskogee48 min
Mar 21, 7:09 PM CSTTornado WarningTSAHaskell36 min
Mar 21, 7:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore, Sequoyah57 min
Mar 21, 7:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore61 min
Mar 21, 8:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore60 min
Mar 21, 11:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg54 min
Mar 22, 12:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah55 min
Mar 22, 1:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore63 min
Mar 22, 1:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah32 min
Mar 22, 3:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg52 min
Mar 22, 7:35 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALatimer40 min
Mar 22, 7:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell48 min
Mar 22, 8:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore56 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.