Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 89, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 30, 1996Okmulgee County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 30, 1996, 2:35 PM CST for Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 40 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
Mar 30, 1996, 2:35 PM CST (20:35 UTC)
Expired
Mar 30, 1996, 3:15 PM CST
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Okmulgee County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:35 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 30, 2:40 PM CSTHail 0.75Okmulgee, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 1996-03-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 303 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 12:00Z on 1996-03-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 248 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
303 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-198 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
580 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS1 KTUL 302036 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC111-302115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
235 PM CST SAT MAR 30 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...OKMULGEE COUNTY
 
AT 235 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
OKMULGEE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. OKMULGEE IS IN THE PATH OF THIS
STORM.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 30, 10:01 AM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 10:01 AM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1000 AM CST SAT MAR 30 1996

12Z UPR AIR ANALYSES SHOW STRG NRLY VERTICALLY STACKED LO NR GAG.
15Z MESONET SHOWS SFC LO BTWN GAG AND END W/DRYLINE XTNDG SWD ACRS
WRN OK. SNDGS SHOW CAP REMAINS ACRS SRN PLAINS ALTHO LAPSE RATES
ARE STEEP AND WND FIELDS STRG. SOME RW/TRW HV FORMED IN WRN OK
UNDERNEATH UPR LO WHILE OTHER RW AHEAD OF SYS HV MOVED OUT OF NRN
ZNS INTO KS/MO.

LOTS OF CLR SKIES ACRS MUCH OF WRN AND CNTRL OK WL ALLOW FOR GOOD
HEATING DURG THE DAY AND FURTHER DESTABILIZATION. 12Z ETA/NGM/RUC
IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN TRACKING UPR LO TO NR TUL BY 00Z. XPCT RW/TRW
TO FORM AHEAD OF AND BENEATH THIS SYS. HOWEVER AM NOT CONVINCED
THAT CNVCTN WL BE BASED IN BNDRY LYR. BEST CHC FOR THAT WL PROB BE
IN SRN ZNS. NEVERTHELESS SVR TRW PSBL W/LO TOPPED/LO VIL HAILERS
LOOKING MOST LIKELY.

CRNT ZNS HV SITN PRETTY WELL IN HAND AND SO ONLY MINOR ADJS ARE
XPCTD.

07

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 30, 1:00 PM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>077-311200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST SAT MAR 30 1996

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND A SMALL PART OF WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS UNTIL 7 PM.

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WAS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON.  AT THE SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE WAS CENTERED JUST
NORTHEAST OF OKLAHOMA CITY AT 1 PM. THE SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST
SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND THE UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

SUBSTANTIAL MID LEVEL COOLING WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON
AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW THE CAP
WHICH HAS BEEN IN PLACE OVER THE AREA THIS MORNING TO BREAK AND ALLOW
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO
INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS WILL FURTHER DESTABILIZE THE
ATMOSPHERE AND ALLOW SOME OF THE STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE.

THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE LARGE HAIL. THE
COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVING INTO THE AREA WILL CAUSE THE STORMS TO BE
EFFICIENT HAIL PRODUCERS. CONDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE AT THIS
TIME FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES AS THE BETTER WIND PROFILES FOR
THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT SHOULD END BY 10 PM.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ACTIVATING NOW. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE REST OF THE AREA SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 1:11 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>077-311200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST SAT MAR 30 1996

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND A SMALL PART OF WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS UNTIL 7 PM.

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WAS MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON.  AT THE SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE WAS CENTERED JUST
NORTHEAST OF OKLAHOMA CITY AT 1 PM. THE SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST
SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND THE UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

SUBSTANTIAL MID LEVEL COOLING WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON
AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW THE CAP
WHICH HAS BEEN IN PLACE OVER THE AREA THIS MORNING TO BREAK AND ALLOW
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO
INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS WILL FURTHER DESTABILIZE THE
ATMOSPHERE AND ALLOW SOME OF THE STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE.

THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE LARGE HAIL. THE
COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVING INTO THE AREA WILL CAUSE THE STORMS TO BE
EFFICIENT HAIL PRODUCERS. CONDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE AT THIS
TIME FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES AS THE BETTER WIND PROFILES FOR
THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA. THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT SHOULD END BY 10 PM.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ACTIVATING NOW. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS IN THE REST OF THE AREA SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 1:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek40 min
Mar 30, 2:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek48 min
Mar 30, 2:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner49 min
Mar 30, 4:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee39 min
Mar 30, 4:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware49 min
Mar 30, 5:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee, Muskogee51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1996Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.