Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 170, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 15, 1997, 4:21 PM CDT for Sebastian County, Arkansas. It was in force for 54 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
- Jun 15, 1997, 4:21 PM CDT (21:21 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 15, 1997, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Sebastian County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 4:30 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Hartford, AR | A severe thunderstorm produced strong winds which downed numerous large tree limbs in Hartford. |
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, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 194 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1005 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 26 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 135 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 133 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
145 WUUS1 KTUL 152122 RRA SVRTUL ARC131-152215- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 421 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS ...SOUTHERN SEBASTIAN COUNTY AT 420 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARTFORD MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. PERSONS IN HARTFORD AND MANSFIELD 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. KEEP TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER BULLETINS.
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 Jun 15, 3:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 15, 3:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 319 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997 WL MAINTAIN POPS THROUGH ZONE PERIODS AS UPR IMPULSES CONT TO EJECT OUT OF SWRN CLOSED LOW AND MOVE ACRS FCST AREA. DIURNAL CONVECTION WL MOVE ACRS SERN OK/NWRN AR THRU EARLY EVENING... AND EXPECT ADDITIONAL STRONG CONVECTION TO FIRE W OF AREA TONIGHT AND MOVE INTO REGION DURG SECOND PD (MONDAY). THEREFORE...PLAN TO ADVERTISE CHC POPS (30-40) TONIGHT AND GOOD CHC EVERYWHERE TOMORROW (50). GIVEN THE PATTERN OF DECENT MSTR FEED AND HARD TO TIME UPR IMPULSE ENERGY IN SWLY MID/UPR FLOW...THE FWC POPS LOOK COMPLETELY LOST ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND HAVE GONE HIR IN ALL PERIODS. TRYING TO WORD FCST TO REFLECT WHEN BEST OVERALL CHANCES OF RAIN WL BE. WITH THIS APPROACH...HAVE HUNG THE PROVERBIAL FCST HAT ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR 2 MAIN REASONS. 1...THE LOW LEVEL FOCUS (SFC FNTL BNDRY) MOVES INTO THE REGION FROM THE NW. 2...MID/UPR SUPPORT GETS BETTER AS SWRN UPR LOW BEGINS TO LIFT OUT TO THE NE. ALL MODELS SEEM TO AGREE ON THESE KEY POINTS EVEN THROUGH THE ETA SEEMS TO SUGGEST THE FOCUS WL BE A BIT FURTHER S. HOWEVER...GIVEN EACH OF THE MODEL SCENARIOS...IT DOES APPEAR THAT WE STAND A BETTER THAN EVEN SHOT OF SEEING SGFNT RAINFALL ACRS THE ENTIRE FCST AREA BY TUESDAY. BETTER DIG OUT THOSE UMBRELLAS. AS FAR AS ANY SEVERE WEATHER GOES...CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THE STRONGER ACTIVITY WL REMAIN W OF AREA TONIGHT...HOWEVER WOULDNT RULE OUT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM SLIPPING INTO NWRN ZONES BY DAYBREAK. BEST CHANCES OF STRONG ACTIVITY WL BE TOMORROW ACRS ERN OK AS INSTABILITY AND OVERALL SUPPORT GET BETTER. WL WORD IN SOME SEVERE PSBL FOR PORTIONS OF ERN OK TOMORROW. COORD WITH NWSO ICT...THANKS. /14 PRELIM NUMBERS... TUL 70/85/70/80 4577 FYV 68/85/68/80 4577 FSM 70/87/70/83 4577 IDB 71/87/70/85 4577 MLC 71/87/71/83 4577 BYV 66/84/66/80 4577 BVO 69/85/69/81 4577 .TUL... OK...NONE. AR...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 12:59 PM CDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-161200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997 A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WAS MOVING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP ACROSS EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE. THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO MISSOURI AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS THIS EVENING. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AS BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS ALLOW SOLAR HEATING TO INCREASE THE INSTABILITY. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WAS LOCATED WELL WEST OF THE AREA TODAY. A DEVELOPING DRYLINE AND A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE A CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN KANSAS BY THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY ORGANIZE INTO A COMPLEX AND MOVE EAST OR SOUTHEAST INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH A GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED AS THE STORMS MOVE EAST...THE LEADING EDGE OF THE COMPLEX MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OVER 70 MPH. LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. IF THE COMPLEX OF STORMS HOLDS TOGETHER...IT WOULD MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EARLY MONDAY MORNING. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD MONITOR THUNDERSTORM TRENDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE ACROSS ALL OF THE AREA ON MONDAY. A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD FROM KANSAS AND A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE WEST COULD LEAD TO AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 1:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-161200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997 A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WAS MOVING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP ACROSS EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE. THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO MISSOURI AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS THIS EVENING. AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AS BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS ALLOW SOLAR HEATING TO INCREASE THE INSTABILITY. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WAS LOCATED WELL WEST OF THE AREA TODAY. A DEVELOPING DRYLINE AND A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE A CLUSTER OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN KANSAS BY THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY ORGANIZE INTO A COMPLEX AND MOVE EAST OR SOUTHEAST INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH A GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED AS THE STORMS MOVE EAST...THE LEADING EDGE OF THE COMPLEX MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OVER 70 MPH. LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. IF THE COMPLEX OF STORMS HOLDS TOGETHER...IT WOULD MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EARLY MONDAY MORNING. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD MONITOR THUNDERSTORM TRENDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE ACROSS ALL OF THE AREA ON MONDAY. A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD FROM KANSAS AND A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE WEST COULD LEAD TO AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
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.