Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 267

May 7, 1997Newton County, Missouri; 36 counties in Oklahoma; 4 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 7, 1997, 10:00 PM CDT for Newton County, Missouri; 36 counties in Oklahoma; 4 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1997, 10:00 PM CDT (03:00 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 1997, 4:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 41 counties

Newton County, MO, Beckham County, OK, Blaine County, OK, Caddo County, OK, Canadian County, OK, Cleveland County, OK, Comanche County, OK, Craig County, OK, Creek County, OK, Custer County, OK, Dewey County, OK, Garfield County, OK, Grady County, OK, Grant County, OK, Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK, Jackson County, OK, Kay County, OK, Kingfisher County, OK, Kiowa County, OK, Lincoln County, OK, Logan County, OK, Major County, OK, Mayes County, OK, McClain County, OK, Noble County, OK, Nowata County, OK, Oklahoma County, OK, Osage County, OK, Ottawa County, OK, Pawnee County, OK, Payne County, OK, Pottawatomie County, OK, Rogers County, OK, Tulsa County, OK, Washington County, OK, Washita County, OK, Briscoe County, TX, Childress County, TX, Collingsworth County, TX, Hall County, TX

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:01 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.

Warnings issued inside it

20 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon42 min
May 7, 10:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant52 min
May 7, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage60 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, 10:39 PM CDTTornado WarningTSATulsa, Washington51 min
May 7, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee45 min
May 7, 10:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGreer, Jackson39 min
May 7, 10:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAPawnee4 hr
May 7, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Grady50 min
May 7, 11:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKingfisher62 min
May 7, 11:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee48 min
May 7, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan, Oklahoma55 min
May 7, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCleveland, McClain55 min
May 7, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage68 min
May 7, 11:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNNoble3 hr
May 8, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa42 min
May 8, 12:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa52 min
May 8, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner49 min

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 114 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.

127 
WWUS9 KMKC 080232
SEL7  
MKC WW 080232
OKZ000-TXZ000-080900-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 267
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
932 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF

   WESTERN...CENTRAL AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA                        
   NORTHWESTERN TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1000 PM
UNTIL 400 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST OF CHILDRESS TEXAS TO 15 MILES NORTH
NORTHEAST OF BARTLESVILLE OKLAHOMA.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 262...WW 264...WW
265...WW 266...

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...CLUSTERS OF TORNADIC AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE
ACROSS REGION AHEAD OF SURFACE BOUNDARIES AND UPPER VORT AXIS. WIND
PROFILES SUPPORT SUPERCELLS AS CAPES FROM 2000 TO 3000 J/KG.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035.


...ROGASH

342,1013 365,0974 365,0940 342,0980

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Cherokee, Coal, Delaware, Haskell, Latimer and 7 more5 hr
May 8, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCaddo, Carter, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton and 18 more7 hr
May 7, 9:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAndrews, Baylor, Borden, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens and 16 more6 hr
May 8, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAndrews, Bailey, Borden, Briscoe, Castro, Childress and 28 more4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 1997Tornado Watches in Texas, 1997Tornado Watches in Missouri, 1997Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.