Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 21, 1996McIntosh County, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 21, 1996, 8:57 PM CDT for McIntosh County, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 48 min. 5 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 21, 1996, 8:57 PM CDT (01:57 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1996, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties McIntosh County, OK, Pittsburg County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:57 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
Apr 21, 9:00 PM CDTThunderstorm WindEufaula, OK
Apr 21, 9:15 PM CDTTornado F0Mc Alester, OK
Apr 21, 9:30 PM CDTTornado F1Mc Alester, OK
Apr 21, 9:43 PM CDTHail 0.75Checotah, OK
Apr 21, 9:53 PM CDTThunderstorm WindQuinton, 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 00:00Z, 2.0 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 00:00Z on 1996-04-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 392 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 1996-04-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 295 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
392 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1442 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
295 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
484 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 220158
TORTUL
OKC091-121-220245-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
857 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN MCINTOSH COUNTY
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...NORTHERN PITTSBURG COUNTY
 
AT 856 PM SPOTTERS AND RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO ON THE INDIAN NATION
TURNPIKE...7 MILES WEST OF INDIANOLA. THE STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MPH...HANNA...INDIANOLA AND EUFAULA ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
STAY AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET IN A GROUND DEBPRESSION.
 
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.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 21, 3:26 PM CDT, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 3:26 PM CDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
320 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

MID 60S DWPTS SURGED ALL THE WAY INTO NE OK THIS AFTERNOON WITH SCT
SVR STORMS NOW EXTNDING FROM N OF TUL BACK TO THE SW INTO NW TX
ALONG H85 MOIST AXIS. SVR WX AND TOR THREAT WILL CONT WELL INTO
TONIGHT WITH SFC LOW STILL OUT IN TX PH AND FNT JUST INTO NW ARK.
THREAT FOR VRY HVY RAINS WILL EXIST AS TRW CONTS TO TRAIN NE ALONG
H85 MOIST AXIS. CUD SEE SOME 4-6 INCH AMTS...BUT DIFFICULT TO
PINPOINT WHERE HEAVIEST RAINS WILL FALL AT THIS TIME. WILL ISSUE
FFA FOR ALL BUT ZN77 FOR TONIGHT WITH 90-100% POPS AND MENTION SVR
IN ALL ZNS.

ETA SLOWEST IN DRYING AREA OUT MONDAY WITH H5 TROF AND VORT MAX
ROUNDING BASE OF TROF YET TO MOVE THRU SRN PLAINS MONDAY. FNT SHUD
PUSH INTO NE OK LATE TONIGHT AND ON INTO SE OK/NW ARK BY LATE MON
MORN. WILL KEEP RW/TRW LIKELY IN SE ZNS AND WORD AS SCT RW IN NRN
ZNS. CLDS WILL DECREASE LATE MONDAY FROM THE NW.

THINGS WILL DRY OUT AS SFC HI BUILDS INTO FA MONDAY NIGHT/TUE WITH
TMPS IN 60S TO MID 70S.

TUL  053/062 043/068 048 +500
FSM  060/068 046/072 042 8810
MLC  058/066 047/073 048 87-0
BVO  049/062 040/070 049 9400
FYV  058/064 042/068 039 +910
IDB  061/072 050/074 045 8820
BYV  058/063 040/067 038 +910

.TUL...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ZNS 54>76 TONIGHT.
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ZNS 1/2/10/11/19/29 TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:14 PM CDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
412 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0334 PM    6 NW PRYOR                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   MAYES

0408 PM    6 S VINITA                OK  1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   CRAIG
Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:21 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
419 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0334 PM    6 NW PRYOR                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   MAYES

0408 PM    6 S VINITA                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   CRAIG

0418 PM    VINITA                    OK   .75 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   CRAIG
Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:27 PM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
426 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0424 PM    BIG CABIN                 OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   CRAIG
Local storm report, Apr 21, 5:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
458 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0446 PM    10 N PAWHUSKA      X       OK   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   OSAGE

0448 PM    FAIRLAND                  OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   OTTAWA
Local storm report, Apr 21, 7:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
730 PM CDT SUN APR 21 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0728 PM    7 W WELCH          (       OK   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/21/96   CRAIG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 7:05 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig, Nowata40 min
Apr 21, 7:09 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAWashington36 min
Apr 21, 7:22 PM CDTTornado WarningTSANowata53 min
Apr 21, 7:32 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig, Ottawa43 min
Apr 21, 7:43 PM CDTTornado WarningTSANowata32 min
Apr 21, 7:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig21 min
Apr 21, 8:08 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOttawa37 min
Apr 21, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh, Pittsburg55 min
Apr 21, 9:30 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell45 min
Apr 21, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee41 min
Apr 21, 9:39 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPittsburg21 min
Apr 21, 10:05 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell40 min
Apr 21, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee45 min
Apr 21, 10:22 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore, Sequoyah53 min
Apr 21, 10:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh50 min
Apr 21, 10:37 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACherokee3 hr
Apr 21, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee43 min
Apr 21, 11:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Tulsa, Wagoner47 min
Apr 21, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh, Okmulgee50 min
Apr 21, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee46 min
Apr 22, 12:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh, Muskogee, Okmulgee50 min
Apr 22, 12:36 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAMcIntosh39 min
Apr 22, 12:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee, Wagoner49 min
Apr 22, 12:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg44 min
Apr 22, 12:55 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee35 min
Apr 22, 12:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah46 min
Apr 22, 1:19 AM CDTTornado WarningTSASequoyah41 min
Apr 22, 1:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee51 min
Apr 22, 1:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg32 min
Apr 22, 1:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Latimer54 min
Apr 22, 1:45 AM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg45 min
Apr 22, 1:50 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAAdair40 min
Apr 22, 2:18 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg3 hr
Apr 22, 2:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, LeFlore53 min
Apr 22, 2:34 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAHaskell3 hr
Apr 22, 7:16 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg119 min
Apr 22, 7:16 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSALeFlore119 min
Apr 22, 8:37 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAHaskell2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes 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.