Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 152, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 30, 1997Madison County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 30, 1997, 8:26 AM CDT for Madison County, Arkansas. It was in force for 49 min. 1 report 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 30, 1997, 8:26 AM CDT (13:26 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1997, 9:15 AM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Madison County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 30, 8:30 AM CDTHail 0.75Hindsville, ARA severe thunderstorm produced dime size hail 1 mile south of Hindsville.

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 nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 99 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 12:00Z on 1997-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 107 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1997-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 110 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
107 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
770 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 301326 RRA
SVRTUL
ARC087-301415-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
826 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY
 
AT 825 AM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING NORTHERN
MADISON COUNTY 3 MILES NORTH OF WESLEY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT
25 MPH.
 
HINDSVILLE AND FORUM ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARNED AREA.

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 30, 4:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 4:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 26 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
350 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997

LOOKING HARD TO FIND EVIDENCE TO BUY MODELS' SOLUTIONS DUE TO THEIR
LACK OF SUCCESS WITH TSRA ACTIVITY IN OK/TX LAST NIGHT.  SFC FNT
LIES ACROSS KS/OK BORDER AND THEN INTO TX PNHDL.  ALL MODELS
REASONABLY CONSISTENT IN TRYING TO BRING PRECIP INTO FA AS FRONT
SLOWLY SAGS SWRD AND S/WV DEVELOPS ALOFT NEAR OK/KS/MO CORNER.  ETA
HAS STRONGER AND FASTER S/WV THAN NGM AND IT SEEMS A BIT OVERDONE
FOR MY LIKING.  ETA-29 EVEN FASTER THAN ETA.  THEREFORE WILL TEND
TO STICK WITH NGM...BUT WILL WATCH FOR SIGNS OF SPEEDIER S/WV.

IN LAST FEW MINUTES SIGNS OF UPWARD VV STARTING TO MANIFEST ITSELF
SOUTH OF BAROCLINIC ZONE...AS PREDICTED BY MODELS.  PATCHES OF RA
DEVELOPING JUST TO S OF FRONT FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS AM.
ALSO...NWRD MOVG RA NEAR MLC HAS JUST DEVELOPED AHEAD OF SEWRD
MOVING REMNANTS OF LATE NIGHT TSRA OVER CENTRAL OK.  LOW LEVEL
WINDS AS SEEN ON PROFILERS HAVE VEERED OVER TIME IN ERN OK
SUGGESTING S/WV ALOFT IS STARTING TO KICK OUT.  THIS TOO WOULD
SUPPORT ENHANCED UPWARD VV BEGINNING TO SHOW IN ERN OK.

GUIDANCE TEMPS LOOK A BIT TOO WARM FOR TODAY...BUT REST OF PDS LOOK
REASONABLE.  WILL STAY CLOSE TO MOS POPS.  MAY NEED TO WATCH PRECIP
AMOUNTS THIS MORNING FOR POSSIBLE FFA...ALTHO MODELS ARE PRODUCING
RAINFALL AMOUNTS THAT ONLY APPROACH FFG VALUES.

PRELIM NUMBERS...

TUL 75/58 81/59 83 710
FSM 75/60 82/57 82 810
MLC 76/59 81/58 83 630
BVO 73/55 80/59 81 +10
FYV 72/55 77/51 79 830
IDB 76/61 83/58 84 740
BYV 70/52 73/50 74 840

/27

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 30, 6:10 AM CDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-311200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
610 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997

NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT.

EARLY THIS MORNING AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WAS MOVING ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS. A FRONT WAS LOCATED IN FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NEAR
THE KANSAS BORDER AND EXTENDED BACK INTO SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA.
CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD
FORMED AHEAD OF THIS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM OVERNIGHT WITH THE SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS BEING MOST NUMEROUS NEAR THE FRONT.

THE UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY THIS
EVENING AS THE FRONT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING BEFORE ENDING
FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE CLOUDS ACROSS THE
AREA WILL LIMIT HEATING AND THUS THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN ONLY
MARGINALLY UNSTABLE.

GIVEN THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY AND UNFAVORABLE WIND FIELDS
ALOFT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS.

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER
GROUPS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM
OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 100 PM.
Special weather statement, May 30, 6:12 AM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-311200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
610 AM CDT FRI MAY 30 1997

NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT.

EARLY THIS MORNING AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WAS MOVING ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS. A FRONT WAS LOCATED IN FAR NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NEAR
THE KANSAS BORDER AND EXTENDED BACK INTO SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA.
CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD
FORMED AHEAD OF THIS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM OVERNIGHT WITH THE SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS BEING MOST NUMEROUS NEAR THE FRONT.

THE UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY THIS
EVENING AS THE FRONT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING BEFORE ENDING
FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE CLOUDS ACROSS THE
AREA WILL LIMIT HEATING AND THUS THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN ONLY
MARGINALLY UNSTABLE.

GIVEN THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY AND UNFAVORABLE WIND FIELDS
ALOFT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS.

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER
GROUPS IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM
OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 100 PM.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 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.