Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 278, NWS Norman, OK

June 16, 1997Beckham County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 16, 1997, 6:54 PM CDT for Beckham County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 51 min. 3 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: Jun 16, 1997, 6:54 PM CDT (23:54 UTC)
Expired: Jun 16, 1997, 7:45 PM CDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Norman, OK
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Beckham County, OK

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 16, 7:10 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Sayre, OK	Severe thunderstorm winds blew down a large Texaco sign at the Sayre exit off I-40.
Jun 16, 7:15 PM CDT	Hail 1	Elk City, OK
Jun 16, 7:15 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk City, OK	Eight to ten inch diameter trees and limbs were blown down by the strong winds.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 16, 4:15 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 183 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1911 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 65 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, 3:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 3:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
330 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

FCST CONCERNS INCLUDE DEFINING LOCATIONS OF BEST FIRST PERIOD FLASH
FLOOD AND SEVERE POTENTIAL. LATEST SFC ANALYSIS INDICATES CDFNT NEAR
A TUL...OUN...TO LBB LINE. SATL IMAGERY SHOWS UPPER LOW CENTERED OVR
ERN NM. LOCAL RADARS INDICATE CONVECTION DEVELOPING FROM SWRN KS THRU
TX PNDHL...IN REGION OF STEEPEST LAPSE RATES. ARPS DATA INDICATES
SMALL AREA OF 2000-2500 J/KG CAPE VALUES ACRS THE NORTHWEST ZNS. FEEL
THE ACTIVITY ACRS THE NORTHWEST WL WEAKEN AFTER SUNSET.

ARPS DATA ALSO INDICATES GOOD INSTABILITY ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN ZNS...AND ARPS DATA INDICATES CAPE VALUES FROM 4500-5500
J/KG EXTENDING FROM ADM...DUA...TO SEMINOLE AND HUGHES COUNTIES.
EXPECT RAPID DEVELOPMENT ACRS THIS AREA WITHIN NEXT HOUR.

WITH HIGH PW VALUES ACROSS MUCH OF CWA SOUTH OF THE FRONT..WL ISSUE
FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVERNIGHT ACRS THE SRN ZNS...AS UPPER LEVEL LOW
COMBINES WITH FORCING ALONG THE SLOW MOVING BOUNDARY TO PRODUCE
EFFICIENT...SLOW MOVING CONVECTION.

MDLS ARE SIMILAR WITH PSN OF UPPER LOW...MOVING EAST TO AR BY 00Z
WED. WL HV SLIGHT CHC/CHC MORNING POPS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SERN ZNS
FOR TUE.

MEDIUM RANGE MDLS INDICATE WARMING TREND BY END OF THE WEEK.

COORD WITH TUL.

FCSTID = 22
OKC   64  85  65  88 /  60  30   0   0
HBR   61  85  63  90 /  50  10   0   0
SPS   65  86  65  93 /  70  10   0   0
GAG   60  84  59  90 /  50  10   0   0
PNC   61  84  64  88 /  50  20   0   0
DUA   67  86  67  87 /  80  30  10   0

.OKC...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES
OKZ032...OKZ037...OKZ039...OKZ041>053.

TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES
TXZ085>090.

CB

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 16, 3:46 PM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before

OKZ004>053-TXZ083>090-162030-

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
345 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM
HENRIETTA 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
THROUGH TONIGHT OVER THE REST OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...

A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO FAR
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AT 330 PM.  AT THE SAME TIME AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM
WAS MOVING EAST INTO THE WESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE.  HIGH LEVELS OF
INSTABILITY AND VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR WERE IN PLACE ACROSS THE SLIGHT
AND MODERATE RISK AREAS.

STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND
ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF
WESTERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AS WELL AS WESTERN NORTH
TEXAS.  INSTABILITY IS EXTREME IN SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHEAST...AND
NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...AND VERY HIGH ELSEWHERE IN THE RISK AREAS.  EVEN
THOUGH THE WIND PROFILE SHOWS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SHEAR...THE RISK OF
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL EXIST DUE TO THE HIGH LEVELS OF
INSTABILITY...ESPECIALLY IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY >MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR 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

Local storm report, Jun 16, 5:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OKLAHOMA
0519 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

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

0500 PM    1 SW     MEDFORD          OK   59 MPH WIND GUST MEASURED BY
06/16/97   GRANT                          OKLAHOMA MESONETWORK

Local storm report, Jun 16, 5:22 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OKLAHOMA
0519 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

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

0500 PM    1 SW     MEDFORD          OK   59 MPH WIND GUST MEASURED BY
06/16/97   GRANT                          OKLAHOMA MESONETWORK

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:16 PM CDT, 38 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OKLAHOMA
0617 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

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

0612 PM    2 N TONKAWA               OK   1.75" HAIL COVERING GROUND
06/16/97   KAY

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:17 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OKLAHOMA
0617 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

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

0612 PM    2 N TONKAWA               OK   1.75 HAIL COVERING GROUND
06/16/97   KAY

Local storm report, Jun 16, 6:48 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OKLAHOMA
0648 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997

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

0640 PM    PONCA CITY                OK   60-70 MPH WINDS WEST SIDE
06/16/97   KAY                            OF PONCA CITY.

MCCAMMON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 15, 10:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Ellis	30 min
Jun 15, 11:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Alfalfa, Woods	34 min
Jun 16, 2:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Alfalfa	47 min
Jun 16, 3:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Alfalfa	44 min
Jun 16, 3:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Harper, Woodward	40 min
Jun 16, 4:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Grant	37 min
Jun 16, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Woods	46 min
Jun 16, 4:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Grant	59 min
Jun 16, 5:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Alfalfa, Major, Woods	56 min
Jun 16, 5:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Kay	54 min
Jun 16, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield, Noble	55 min
Jun 16, 6:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Pushmataha	53 min
Jun 16, 6:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Kay	48 min
Jun 16, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Noble	40 min
Jun 16, 6:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Ellis, Roger Mills	51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1997 Every 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.