Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 742

October 8, 199735 counties in Oklahoma

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Oct 8, 1997, 5:45 PM CDT for 35 counties in Oklahoma. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 8, 1997, 5:45 PM CDT (22:45 UTC)
Expired
Oct 8, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 35 counties

Caddo County, OK, Canadian County, OK, Carter County, OK, Cleveland County, OK, Comanche County, OK, Cotton County, OK, Creek County, OK, Garfield County, OK, Garvin County, OK, Grady County, OK, Grant County, OK, Hughes County, OK, Johnston County, OK, Kay County, OK, Kingfisher County, OK, Lincoln County, OK, Logan County, OK, McClain County, OK, Murray County, OK, Noble County, OK, Nowata County, OK, Okfuskee County, OK, Oklahoma County, OK, Okmulgee County, OK, Osage County, OK, Pawnee County, OK, Payne County, OK, Pontotoc County, OK, Pottawatomie County, OK, Rogers County, OK, Seminole County, OK, Stephens County, OK, Tillman County, OK, Tulsa County, OK, Washington County, OK

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 29 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 8, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian45 min
Oct 8, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNJefferson, Stephens47 min
Oct 8, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan45 min
Oct 8, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKay, Noble41 min
Oct 8, 6:50 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNLogan40 min
Oct 8, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Oklahoma66 min
Oct 8, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Logan, Payne43 min
Oct 8, 7:46 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage44 min
Oct 8, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNOklahoma45 min
Oct 8, 8:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Payne61 min
Oct 8, 8:26 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage49 min
Oct 8, 8:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek59 min
Oct 8, 8:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo37 min
Oct 8, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarvin, Grady35 min
Oct 8, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan45 min
Oct 8, 9:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln46 min
Oct 8, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek41 min
Oct 8, 10:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek52 min
Oct 8, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln51 min
Oct 8, 10:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Okmulgee, Tulsa61 min
Oct 8, 11:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNOklahoma2 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 21 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 12:00Z on 1997-10-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 424 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 12:00Z on 1997-10-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 229 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
424 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
527 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

649 
WWUS9 KMKC 082216
SEL2  
MKC WW 082216
OKZ000-090400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 742
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
516 PM CDT WED OCT 8 1997

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

   CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA                           

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 545 PM UNTIL
1100 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 1/2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FORT SILL OKLAHOMA TO 30 MILES
WEST NORTHWEST OF BARTLESVILLE OKLAHOMA.

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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 740...WW 741...

DISCUSSION...WIND PROFILES FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS AHEAD OF DRY LN
AS STORMS DEVELOP ON WESTERN EDGE OF MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS. 
STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS SHORT WAVE TROF AND ASSOCIATED
WIND MAX TRACKS NEWD ACROSS CENTRAL/NORTHERN PLAINS.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 1/2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
520.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23035.


...HALES

341,0990 365,0974 365,0951 341,0964

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.