Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Norman, OK

May 7, 1997Grant County, Kay County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1997, 7:36 PM CDT for Grant County, Kay County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 39 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1997, 7:36 PM CDT (00:36 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1997, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Grant County, OK, Kay County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 7:36 PM CDTHail 1Deer Creek, OKat the intersection of Highways 11 and 74
May 7, 7:52 PM CDTTornado F0Deer Creek, OKBrief touchdown reported by County Sheriff's Office
May 7, 7:53 PM CDTTornado F0Deer Creek, OKSecond brief touchdown reported by County Sheriff's Office

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 7, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 7, 6:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 170 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 1997-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1687 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 1997-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 112 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
1687 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
783 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KOKC 080041 RRA
TOROKC
OKC071-053-080115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
736 PM CDT WED MAY 07 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
     WESTERN KAY

IN NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
     EASTERN GRANT

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     BLACKWELL...BRAMAN...DEER CREEK...RENFROW...AND TONKAWA

AT 736 PM CDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER EASTERN GRANT COUNTY. THE RADAR
CIRCULATION WAS CENTERED NEAR DEER CREEK. PEOPLE IN EASTERN GRANT COUNTY
AND WESTERN KAY COUNTY ESPECIALLY ALONG HIGHWAY 11 BETWEEN MEDFORD AND
BLACKWELL SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER NOW. 

DOPPLER RADAR ALSO INDICATES THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE DESTRUCTIVE
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS...OR LARGER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

LAT...LON 3668  9716 3672  9771 3692  9769 3699  9712

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 7:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis41 min
May 7, 8:10 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNKay, Noble50 min
May 7, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant45 min
May 7, 8:24 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNGrant3 hr
May 7, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Roger Mills60 min
May 7, 8:50 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNKay, Noble40 min
May 7, 9:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNKay3 hr
May 7, 9:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham53 min
May 7, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant, Kay46 min
May 7, 9:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills45 min
May 7, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCuster, Washita43 min
May 7, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon42 min
May 7, 10:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant52 min
May 7, 10:24 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNHarmon51 min
May 7, 10:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Custer, Kiowa, Washita62 min
May 7, 10:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBlaine, Dewey62 min
May 7, 10:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGreer, Jackson39 min
May 7, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Grady50 min
May 7, 11:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKingfisher62 min
May 7, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan, Oklahoma55 min
May 7, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, McClain55 min
May 7, 11:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNNoble3 hr
May 8, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon, Jackson39 min
May 8, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNJackson, Tillman45 min
May 8, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNJackson, Tillman46 min
May 8, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCotton53 min
May 8, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNTillman47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.