Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 119, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 8, 1997Adair County, Cherokee County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 8, 1997, 2:09 AM CDT for Adair County, Cherokee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 51 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, 2:09 AM CDT (07:09 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 1997, 3:00 AM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adair County, OK, Cherokee County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 8, 2:20 AM CDTHail 0.75Tahlequah, OK
May 8, 2:42 AM CDTHail 0.75Stilwell, OKSevere thunderstorms moved across northeast Oklahoma during the evening of May 7th and early morning of May 8th. The storms spawned 2 brief tornadoes, both in Osage County, and also produced damaging winds and large hail. The tornadoes touched down at 2037CST

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 8, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 145 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1997-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1997-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 386 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
954 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
386 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
597 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

335 
WUUS1 KTUL 080710 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC001-021-080800-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
209 AM CDT THU MAY 8 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN ADAIR COUNTY...SOUTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY
 
AT 208 AM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS DEVELOPING 5 MILES WEST OF COOKSON.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. COOKSON AND BUNCH 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.
 
DURING THE STORM MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM LIGHTNING DO NOT USE THE TELEPHONE
OR HAND HELD ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES...UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.
MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR WATER ON ROADWAYS AND NEVER
DRIVE ONTO A FLOODED ROAD.

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, 5 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 8:35 PM CDT, 5 hours 34 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, 2 hours 22 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, 2 hours 11 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, 2 hours 10 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, 12:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa52 min
May 8, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner49 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.