Alert archive / Oklahoma / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 13, 1996Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this flash flood warning at May 13, 1996, 7:32 AM CDT for Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 13, 1996, 7:32 AM CDT (12:32 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 1996, 10:30 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Pittsburg County, OK

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 0.5 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 1996-05-13Temperature 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 1996-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1206 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 131234
FFWTUL
OKC121-131530-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
732 AM CDT MON MAY 13 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL PITTSBURG COUNTY
 
AT 730 AM A BAND OF VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS LOCATED OVER PITTSBURG COUNTY.
HEAVY RAINS OF 2 TO 4 INCES HAVE OCCURRED IN A NARROW BAND FROM THE
SCIPIO AREA IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY TO JUST NORTH OF
MCALESTER IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OVER THIS SAME
AREA DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS LIKELY OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.  STAY ALERT AND WATCH FOR RAPIDLY RISING WATER.
REMEMBER...IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO THE
NEAREST STREAM...CREEK OR RIVER WHICH CAN BECOME A KILLER DURING
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN.
 
KEEP TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER BULLETINS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 13, 4:16 AM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 4:16 AM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
415 AM CDT MON MAY 13 1996

LATEST SFC MAP SHOWS LOW PRES OVR NM...WRMFNT OVR TX PNDL/SW OK...
BCMG MORE OF A STNRY FNT FROM FAR SRN OK TO NE TX AND WRN LA.  AT
850 MB...10 TO 12 DGR DWPTS POOLED FROM SW KS OVR OK TO NW LA IN
TIGHT TEMP GRAD OVR AREA.  SFC/850 MB WRMFNTS XPCTD TO LIFT SLOWLY
NWD...AND EXTND FROM WRN KS TO CTRL OK TO NW LA TNGT.  AT 500 MB...
NW FLOW OVR PLNS BTWN WRN STATES RDG AND ERN STATES TROF.  1 S/W IN
NW FLOW IS OVR MDWST MOVG TWRD OH VLY...2ND S/W WL MOVE THRU (AND
FLATTEN) RDG AND AFFCT PLNS LT TNGT/TMRW.  FLATTENED WRN STATES RDG
XPCTD TO SHIFT E OVR PLAINS LEADG TO STRNGR CAP AND WRMR SFC TEMPS.

WITH ABUNDANT LLVL MOISTR POOLED OVR FCST AREA...SHUD CONT TO SEE
WDPSRD CU/SC TDAY LIKE YDAY...KPG TEMPS DOWN.  88D SHOWS SCTD SHWRS
MOVG OVR NE OK IN AREA OF APRNT MOISTR FLUX CONVRGNCE HINTED ON
PROFLR NETWORK AT 850 MB...THIS MAY WEAKEN DURG MRNG LEADG TO DCRS
IN SHWRS...BUT ISENTRPC LIFT AND WEAKR CAP (COMPARED TO WRN OK) MAY
LEAD TO INCRS IN ACTVTY IN AFTN.  WL PROB GO 20 OR 30 POPS TDAY.

MDLS BRING WK S/W THRU UPR RDG AXIS LT TNGT...DECENT LLVL THETA-E
ADVCTN BULLSEYE DVLPS OVR KS/SRN NBRSKA...WELL DVLPD THETA-E RDG
FROM WRN KS TO CTRL OK TO NW LA...AND DECENT LLJ OVR HI PLNS...ALL
INGRED FOR NOCTURNAL MCC DVLPMNT.  CAP STRNGTH FCST TO INCRS TDAY
OVR HI PLAINS...WITH CAP WEAKER TO THE E.  MCC DVLPMNT CUD OCCUR
OVR SRN NBRSKA/NW OR NCTRL KS WHR CAP WEAKER AND THETA-E ADVCTN
STRONGR...BUT MDLS SUGGEST LESS INSTBY IN THESE AREAS WITH LLVL
THETA-E RDG OVR SW KS/NW OK.  AGREE WITH WSFO TOP ON UNCERTAINTY
ABOUT ACCURACY OF MDL FCSTS OF APRCHG S/W LT TNGT.  SO...MCS/MCC
DVLPMNT NOT A GIVEN.  WITH MOISTR POOLING/MOISTURE CONVRGNCE/
ISENTRPC LIFT ALNG AND N OF LLVL WRMFNTL BNDRY...SHUD SEE CNVCTN
DVLP THIS EVNG OVR WRN OR NRN KS AND PROB SRN NBRSKA.  THETA-E
ADVCTN SUGG ORGANIZATION INTO MCS IN LLJ AXIS. THCKNSS FIELD SUGG
SEWD MVMT TWRD FCST AREA.

THEN THERES THE QSTN OF WHETHER MCS/MCC WUD REACH FCST AREA.  MDLS
SUGGEST LLJ AXIS WL BE OVR WRN OK/WCTRL KS TUE MRNG...SO IF MCC
DOES DVLP...IT WUD LKLY WEAKEN BY TUE MRNG AS IT MOVES E OF LLJ
AXIS AND INTO MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT OVR ERN HALF KS/ERN OK.  IF
WEAKENING MCS DOES REACH FCST AREA...IT WUD BE WELL AFTR MDNGT
(PSBLY TWRD DAWN IF DVLPMNT OCCURS LTR THAN XPCTD).  UNCERTAINTY
KEEPS ME FROM GOING WITH HI POPS.  WL PROB GO ARND 50 POPS NRN
ZNS...ONLY 30 OR 40 POPS SRN ZNS FOR TNGT.  WL GO HIER POPS S...LWR
POPS N TMRW WITH WEAKNG LEFTOVR RW/TRW MOVG OVR SRN HALF OF FCST
AREA DURG MRNG.  SUBSIDENCE IN WAKE OF PSBL MCS CUD LEAD TO PRTLY
CLDY SKIES DURG AFTN.  THIS FCST CUD BUST IF MCC/MCS DVLPMNT DOESNT
MATERIALIZE.

AS FOR TEMPS TDAY...DEPENDS ON IF LOW CLDS BREAK UP...FOR NOW WL GO
SLGTLY BLO NGM MOS GUID AS LOW CLDNSS SHUD HANG TUF DUE TO LLVL
ISENTRPC LIFT.  FOR TNGT...NGM MOS WUD BE FINE IF NO PCPN OCCURS
(AS CLDS/WINDS KEEP TEMPS UP)...BUT PCPN CUD BRING TEMPS A FEW DGRS
BLO MOS.  AVN MOS TNGT LOOKS TOO LOW...WL GO CLOSR TO NGM MOS FOR
LOWS.  FOR HI TEMPS TMRW...AVN OKAY IF WE STAY CLDY...NGM OKAY IF
WE GET SUN...WL COMPROMISE AND HOPE SKIES BCM PTLY CLDY IN AFTN.

CUD SEE MCC/MCS DVLPMNT TUE NGT...THO WUD LKLY BE FURTHR N AND E
AND AT BEST MAY JUST CLIP NE ZNS...WL MENT SLGT CHC RW/TRW XTRM NE
CRNR OK/NW AR...JUST PTLY CLDY ELSEWHR.  WARMING TREND XPCTD THRU
MIDWEEK AS WRN STATES RDG BUILDS OVR ~SRN PLNS.

PRELIM NUMBERS...
TUL 70/61 78/68 3542   BVO 69/59 79/66 3542   FYV 67/58 76/65 3443
MLC 73/63 81/68 3451   IDB 72/61 80/66 3341   FSM 71/62 78/65 3441

PW

.TUL...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 13, 6:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>077-141200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
610 AM CDT MON MAY 13 1996

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TODAY AND AGAIN BY LATE TONIGHT.
HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE
LEVELS.

EARLY THIS MORNING A STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS LOCATED FROM
THE TEXAS PANHANDLE INTO FAR SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA...THEN INTO
NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN TEXAS.  WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN
PLACE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS
MORNING ALONG AND NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY.  A FEW OF THE STORMS
WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND MAY ALSO PRODUCE SOME
SMALL HAIL MAINLY OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS MORNING...BUT
SHOULD WEAKEN BY MID-MORNING.

BY TONIGHT...A STRONGER LOW LEVEL JET IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OFF TO
THE WEST.  THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONCE AGAIN EXPECTED TO DEVELOP WELL TO
THE WEST AND NORTHWEST...THEN MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD EASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  HOWEVER...AS THE STORMS MOVE AWAY
FROM THE LOW LEVEL JET AXIS AND TOWARD A SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE
AIRMASS...THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS THEY APPROACH
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Oklahoma, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.