Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 34, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at May 10, 1996, 6:40 PM CDT for Crawford County, Arkansas. It was in force for 35 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
- May 10, 1996, 6:40 PM CDT (23:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 10, 1996, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Crawford County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 6:55 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Lee Creek, AR |
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
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 151 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 959 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -119 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 632 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 49 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 228 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTUL 102341 TORTUL ARC033-110015- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 640 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ...NORTHERN CRAWFORD COUNTY AT 637 PM...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ON THE CRAWFORD AND WASHINGTON COUNTY LINE ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF DEVILS DEN STATE PARK. THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH. 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 DEPRESSION. 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 May 10, 3:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 10, 3:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 345 PM CDT THU MAY 9 1996 ATMOSPHERE MAY BE PREMIERING ITS OWN VERSION OF "TWISTER" TONIGHT. WDLY SCT STRONG/SVR TRWS CONTINUE OVER NE OK ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. APPEARS AS IF THE CAP IS HOLDING OVER SE OK WHERE BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS HAVE ALLOWED TEMPS TO RISE INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S. STILL LOOKING FOR THE CAP TO BREAK OVER SE OK HOWEVER GOOD LIFTING MAY BE CONFINED TO THE COLD FRONT WHICH STILL REMAINS JUST NORTH OF TUL (AS OPPOSED TO 12Z ETA FCST PSN ON THE RED RIVER AT 00Z). WIND PROFILE STILL NOT OPTIMAL FOR TORNADIC DEVLOPMENT...HOWEVER MID LEVEL WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO 40+ KTS WHICH MAY INDICATE BETER ENVIRONMENT FOR RFD FORMATION. ANALYSIS OF SFC/VAD/PROFILER WINDS SHOWS HELICITY VALUES AOB 100 ACROSS THE WARM SECTOR. EXPECT RW-/TRW TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT...ESP OVER SE OK AND NW AR EVEN BEHIND THE FRONT. BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS IN DEVELOPMENT OF TRW AND ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE/MOISTURE ADVECTION...WILL ISSUE FFW FOR AREAS SOUTH OF A GROVE TO HENRYETTA LINE. BACK EDGE OF PRECIP SHOULD BE ALONG H7 TROUGH AXIS WHICH IS FCST TO MOVE THROUGH AROUND SUNRISE. AS HINTED EARLIER...ETA MODEL IS MUCH TOO FAST WITH THE FRONT SO NGM/AVN USED FOR THIS FCST. AVN TEMPS LOOK A LITTLE TOO COOL TOMORROW WITH SUNSHINE TOMORROW SO WENT WITH WARMER NGM TEMPS. NO PCGRIDDS DATA TO LOOK AT TODAY. AFOS GRAPHICS FROM NGM AND AVN SHOW DIFFERENCE IN WHERE STALLED FRONT IN TEXAS ENDS UP SAT NIGHT AND SUN. NGM GUIDANCE HAS ZERO POPS FOR SAT NIGHT/SUN WHILE AVN HAS 30-40 WITH A WARM FRONT DEVELOPING. FOR NOW WILL LEAVE OUT POPS ASSUMING FRONT AND MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE SWD INTO THE GULF COAST IN STRONG NWLY FLOW. CONVECTION ALONG FRONT SHOULD ALSO HELP ACCELERATE ITS SWD MOMENTUM. IN THE EXTENDED...LOOKS LIKE A MUCH CALMER WEEKEND WITH CLEARING SKIES...COOL NIGHTS AND WARM DAYS. 26 TUL 054/076 053/082 057 4000 FSM 059/078 050/083 054 8-00 MLC 057/080 054/086 057 7-11 BVO 051/075 052/082 057 3000 FYV 056/074 046/080 050 7-00 IDB 060/080 051/084 052 8311 BYV 056/073 045/079 048 7100 .TUL... OK...NONE. AR...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 10, 3:14 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>077-111200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 300 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996 NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. A FRONT WAS NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR ALTUS TO BRISTOW TO MIAMI. A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS LOCATED JUST SOUTHWEST OF TULSA. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA WILL BRING COOLER AIR ALOFT WHICH WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THE SURFACE LOW AND FRONT WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO FAR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA BY MIDNIGHT. THE AIRMASS IS VERY UNSTABLE SOUTH OF I-40 AND MODERATLY UNSTABLE NORTH OF I-40. SOME WIND SHEAR IS ALSO AVAILABLE WHICH COULD ALLOW THE STRONGEST STORMS TO PRODUCE A FEW SHORT LIVED TORNADOES. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM FOR ALL OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA BUT OSAGE...WASHINGTON...PAWNEE AND NOWATA COUNTIES. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOST NUMEROUS NORTH OF I-40 UNTIL 6PM THEN MOST NUMEROURS SOUTH OF I-40 FROM 6PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT. STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Local storm report, May 10, 3:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
346 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1539 PM BROKEN ARROW OK 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/10/96 TULSALocal storm report, May 10, 3:48 PM CDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
348 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1450 PM PEGGS OK 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/10/96 CHEROKEESpecial weather statement, May 10, 4:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
OKZ062-102200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 449 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996 ...FOR MAYES COUNTY... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR MAYES COUNTY. AT 447 PM...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD WEAKENED...AND WERE MOVING EAST OUT OF THE COUNTY. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 10, 4:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ056>058-060>076-110200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 450 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 HAS BEEN CANCELED IN THE FOLLOWING OKLAHOMA COUNTIES... NOWATA...ROGERS...TULSA AND CREEK. TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... IN OKLAHOMA... CRAIG...OTTAWA...MAYES...DELAWARE...WAGONER...CHEROKEE...ADAIR... OKFUSKEE...OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE...MCINTOSH...PITTSBURG...HASKELL... LATIMER...SEQUOYAH AND LE FLORE. IN ARKANSAS... BENTON...WASHINGTON...CRAWFORD...SEBASTIAN...CARROLL AND MADISON. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS NOWATA... ROGERS...TULSA AND CREEK COUNTIES AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTHEASTWARD. HOWEVER...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND WILL AFFECT MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH THE EVENING. SEE SHORT TERM FORECASTS ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE FOR DETAILS ON THE THUNDERSTORMS.
Local storm report, May 10, 5:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
534 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 1996
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1730 PM 1S CROWDER OK 1.00 INCH HAIL
05/10/96 PITTSBURGThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 6:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Washington | 40 min |
| May 10, 6:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Washington | 37 min |
| May 10, 6:16 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Washington | 3 hr |
| May 10, 6:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Washington | 28 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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.