Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 265, NWS Norman, OK

June 16, 1997Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 16, 1997, 2:58 PM CDT for Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 47 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
Jun 16, 1997, 2:58 PM CDT (19:58 UTC)
Expired
Jun 16, 1997, 3:45 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Alfalfa County, OK

The radar

The Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:57 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
Jun 16, 3:15 PM CDTHail 0.88Burlington, 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

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 76 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 1997-06-16Temperature 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 1997-06-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -56 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1296 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 16, 10:45 AM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 10:45 AM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 16, 12:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
OKZ004>053-TXZ083>090-162030-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1230 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...AND
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS MAINLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM QUANAH TEXAS TO LAWTON
TO SEMINOLE. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE FLOODING RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...NORTH OF THE
MODERATE RISK AREA AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO GUTHRIE TO
STILLWATER. THE MAIN THREATS WITHIN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA WILL BE
FLOODING RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS.

A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO FAR
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AT NOON.  AT THE SAME TIME AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WAS
ACCELERATING IN ITS EASTWARD MOVEMENT AS IT CROSSED EAST CENTRAL NEW
MEXICO.  HIGH LEVELS OF INSTABILITY AND VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR WERE IN
PLACE ACROSS THE SLIGHT AND MODERATE RISK AREAS.

AS THE UPPER STORM APPROACHES THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING...WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.  THE FRONT
WILL PROBABLY FOCUS THE INITIAL STORM DEVELOPMENT.  THE STORMS ARE THEN
EXPECTED TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE AND WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF
THE NIGHT.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.

THIS IS A SPECIAL THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK DUE TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE
WEATHER.  ROUTINE OUTLOOKS WILL RESUME NEXT SPRING.

CMS/CB
Special weather statement, Jun 16, 12:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
OKZ004>053-TXZ083>090-162030-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1230 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...AND
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS MAINLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM QUANAH TEXAS TO LAWTON
TO SEMINOLE. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE FLOODING RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...NORTH OF THE
MODERATE RISK AREA AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO GUTHRIE TO
STILLWATER. THE MAIN THREATS WITHIN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA WILL BE
FLOODING RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS.

A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO FAR
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AT NOON.  AT THE SAME TIME AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WAS
ACCELERATING IN ITS EASTWARD MOVEMENT AS IT CROSSED EAST CENTRAL NEW
MEXICO.  HIGH LEVELS OF INSTABILITY AND VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR WERE IN
PLACE ACROSS THE SLIGHT AND MODERATE RISK AREAS.

AS THE UPPER STORM APPROACHES THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING...WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.  THE FRONT
WILL PROBABLY FOCUS THE INITIAL STORM DEVELOPMENT.  THE STORMS ARE THEN
EXPECTED TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE AND WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF
THE NIGHT.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.

THIS IS A SPECIAL THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK DUE TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE
WEATHER.  ROUTINE OUTLOOKS WILL RESUME NEXT SPRING.

CMS/CB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 15, 10:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis30 min
Jun 15, 11:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNAlfalfa, Woods34 min
Jun 16, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNAlfalfa44 min
Jun 16, 3:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarper, Woodward40 min
Jun 16, 4:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant37 min
Jun 16, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoods46 min
Jun 16, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant59 min
Jun 16, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNAlfalfa, Major, Woods56 min
Jun 16, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKay54 min
Jun 16, 6:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarfield, Noble55 min
Jun 16, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNPushmataha53 min
Jun 16, 6:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKay48 min
Jun 16, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNNoble40 min
Jun 16, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Roger Mills51 min
Jun 16, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.