Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 117, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 8, 1997Tulsa County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 8, 1997, 12:38 AM CDT for Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 52 min. 2 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
May 8, 1997, 12:38 AM CDT (05:38 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 1997, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Tulsa County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 8, 12:40 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Glenpool, OK
May 8, 1:06 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Bixby, 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 7, 6:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 7, 10:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 KTUL 080539 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC143-080630-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1238 AM CDT THU MAY 8 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...TULSA COUNTY
 
AT 1238 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN
TULSA. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. NORTH SECTIONS OF THE TULSA
METRO AREA ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARNED AREA.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 7, 8:35 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 8:35 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before
FPUS3 KTUL 080135
AFDTUL

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
835 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1997

CURRENT FCST SEEMS TO HAVE AN EXCELLENT HANDLE ON THE EVOLVING
SITUATION. TORNADIC TSTM APPROACHING THE NW PART OF THE FCST AREA ATTM
HAS TURNED SOUTHEAST. WOULD EXPECT THIS STORM TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN
DURING THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AS IT MOVES OUT OF THE INSTABILITY AXIS
AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE NEAR THE STORM IS MINIMAL. HOWEVER...COMPLEX
OF STORMS IN ERN KS IS HEADED SOUTHEAST TOWARDS NE OK AND NW AR AND
STORMS DEVELOPING IN WRN OK AND THE TX PANHANDLE SHOULD AFFECT SE OK
LATER TONIGHT. THESE TWO AREAS OF STORMS ARE ALONG THE COLD FRONT WHICH
WILL MOVE INTO NE OK LATER TONIGHT AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA
THURSDAY.

NO FCST UPDATE IS ANTICIPATED ATTM BUT MAY UPDATE ZONES AROUND MIDNIGHT
TO REMOVE TIMING REFERENCES TO PRECIP AND UPDATE FOR ONGOING TRENDS AT
THAT TIME.

.TUL...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.

PLATE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 7, 11:47 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1147 PM CDT WED MAY 07 1997

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

0937 PM    7 W RALSTON               OK   TORNADO
05/07/97   OSAGE                          TORNADO REPORTED BY A
                                          SPOTTER IN A RUAL AREA

1002 PM    1 SW FAIRFAX              OK   TORNADO
05/07/97   OSAGE                          BRIEF TORNADO REPORTED BY
                                          FAIRFAX POLICE DEPARTMENT

1002 PM    FAIRFAX                   OK   1 INCH HAIL
05/07/97   OSAGE

1023 PM    5 N HOMINY                OK   TORNADO
05/07/97   OSAGE                          BRIEF TORNADO REPORTED BY
                                          A SPOTTER IN A RUAL AREA

1053 PM    5 W SKIATOOK              OK   TORNADO
05/07/97   OSAGE                          BRIEF TORNADO REPORTED BY
                                          SKIATOOK POLICE DEPARTMENT
                                          IN A RUAL AREA

1126 PM    1 S PAWNEE                OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/97   PAWNEE
Local storm report, May 7, 11:58 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1159 PM CDT WED MAY 07 1997

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

1155 PM(    OSAGE                     OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/97   OSAGE
Local storm report, May 7, 11:59 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1159 PM CDT WED MAY 07 1997

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

1155 PM    OSAGE                     OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/97   OSAGE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 8:36 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee54 min
May 7, 9:24 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee66 min
May 7, 9:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAOsage5 hr
May 7, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage60 min
May 7, 10:39 PM CDTTornado WarningTSATulsa, Washington51 min
May 7, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee45 min
May 7, 10:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAPawnee4 hr
May 7, 11:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee48 min
May 7, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage68 min
May 8, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa42 min
May 8, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner49 min
May 8, 2:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee51 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.