Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 26, 1991Craig County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 1991, 10:49 PM CDT for Craig County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 56 min. 1 report 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 26, 1991, 10:49 PM CDT (03:49 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1991, 11:45 PM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Craig County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 26, 10:54 PM 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

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 252 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1991-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1991-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 409 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
79 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
409 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
485 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
17.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 270345
TORTUL
OKC035-270445-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1049 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1145 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...CRAIG COUNTY
 
AT 1047 PM THE TULSA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF
WHITE OAK 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 THE 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, 5:42 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
OKZ026-030-262345-

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

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

AT 530 PM...A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS PARTS OF
NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  SOME OF THESE STORMS HAVE BECOME SEVERE.
HOWEVER CONSIDERING ITS CURRENT MOVEMENT...IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST
STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD INTO KANSAS.  HOWEVER...OTHER STORMS
MAY DEVELOP FARTHER SOUTH ALONG THE BAND LATER THIS EVENING...AND MAY
AFFECT THE COUNTIES IN THE WATCH AREA (OSAGE...PAWNEE...AND CREEK).

PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALERT AND TO MONITOR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 6:35 PM CDT, 4 hours 14 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, 2 hours 39 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, 1 hour 53 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, 47 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

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, 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
Apr 27, 12:25 AM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig, Mayes35 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.