Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 249, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1997, 6:23 AM CDT for Cherokee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 37 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
- Jul 15, 1997, 6:23 AM CDT (11:23 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 15, 1997, 7:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 37 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cherokee County, OK
The radar
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:24 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 6:30 AM CDT | Hail 1 | Park Hill, OK | |
| Jul 15, 6:35 AM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Tahlequah, OK | A severe thunderstorm produced quarter size hail at Park Hill and dime size hail 3 miles south of Tahlequah. |
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 00:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 154 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
- 3730 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1063 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 4 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 19 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTUL 151124 RRA SVRTUL OKC021-151200- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 623 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA ...SOUTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY AT 622 AM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTHEAST OF TAHLEQUAH. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. 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 Jul 15, 4:39 AM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 4:39 AM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 435 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1997 SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS ARE OCCURRING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA IN THE DEEP MOISTURE LEFT OVER FROM LAST EVENINGS CONVECTIVE DEBRIS. THESE SHOWERS SHOULD DISSIPATE THIS MORNING AS DEEP MIXING BEGINS. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTH THROUGH EAST SECTIONS OF OUR AREA...BRINGING LOWER THETA-E AIR INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA TODAY. THIS BOUNDARY WILL BE INCREASINGLY DIFFUSE WEST OF THE ARKANSAS LINE AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF AN AIRMASS CHANGE IS LIKELY FOR WEST SECTIONS OF OUR AREA. DURING THE AFTERNOON THE CAP IS EXPECTED TO BE WEAK SO SCATTERED STORMS ARE EXPECTED IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA WHERE LIFT ALONG THE BOUNDARY WILL BE AIDED BY THE HIGHER TERRAIN. ALSO CAN NOT RULE OUT A STORM ANYWHERE WHERE SURFACE DEWPOINTS DO NOT FALL AS THE CAP WILL BE WEAK AND A WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCE NOW AIDING NEWLY DEVELOPED STORMS IN SW KS AND NW OK MOVES INTO THE AREA. WILL HOLD POPS OUT OF FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA TODAY BE CAUSE OF THE WEAK LOW-LEVEL DRY ADVECTION THERE. WILL SHAVE A LITTLE OFF THE NGM MOS TEMPS FOR TODAY DUE TO SOME INCREASE IN CLOUDS AS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. ANY SHOWERS OR STORMS IN THE AREA THIS EVENING SHOULD DIE OFF AFTER SUNSET...HOWEVER ACTIVITY MAY PERSIST SOME TO THE WEST AS A WK SHRTWV APPROACHES AND WILL LEAVE SOME LOW POPS IN WEST SECTIONS FOR THAT REASON. OPTED TO GO ABOVE GUIDANCE FOR POPS ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE MODELS SHOWING A MID-LEVEL SHORT WAVE CONTINUING TO APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST...THE NEGATIVE FOR POPS WILL BE SOME INCREASE IN CAP STRENGTH SO KEPT POPS IN CHANCE CATEGORY. TUL 093/073 094/076 095 3131 FSM 094/071 096/072 097 3131 MLC 097/073 096/072 098 3131 BVO 092/071 093/073 095 3131 FYV 090/067 091/068 093 1-31 IDB 098/072 095/071 096 4231 BYV 089/066 090/B067 092 --21 /8 .TUL... OK...NONE. AR...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:00 AM CDT, 23 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-161100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 600 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1997 ...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE...AND SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH THE MORNING. OTHER STORMS WERE OVER NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS MORNING...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN TO THE WEST. MEANWHILE...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS CONTINUING TO WEAKEN OVER THE AREA. BY THIS AFTERNOON THE REMNANTS OF THE BOUNDARY ARE EXPECTED TO STRETCH FROM WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE VERY UNSTABLE THROUGH THE DAY AS TEMPERATURES BY THIS AFTERNOON ONCE AGAIN CLIMB WELL INTO THE 90S. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...MAINLY OVER WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...AND ALL BUT THE EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. GIVEN THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY PRESENT...A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BRIEFLY BECOME SEVERE WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND STRONG STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS. ANY STORMS THAT FORM WILL LIKELY DISSIPATE NEAR OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET AS THE LOSS OF HEATING FROM THE SUN WILL HELP TO STABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1 PM.
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:05 AM CDT, 18 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-161100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 600 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1997 ...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING OVER WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE...AND SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH THE MORNING. OTHER STORMS WERE OVER NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS MORNING...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN TO THE WEST. MEANWHILE...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS CONTINUING TO WEAKEN OVER THE AREA. BY THIS AFTERNOON THE REMNANTS OF THE BOUNDARY ARE EXPECTED TO STRETCH FROM WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE VERY UNSTABLE THROUGH THE DAY AS TEMPERATURES BY THIS AFTERNOON ONCE AGAIN CLIMB WELL INTO THE 90S. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...MAINLY OVER WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...AND ALL BUT THE EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. GIVEN THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY PRESENT...A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BRIEFLY BECOME SEVERE WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND STRONG STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS. ANY STORMS THAT FORM WILL LIKELY DISSIPATE NEAR OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET AS THE LOSS OF HEATING FROM THE SUN WILL HELP TO STABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EV>ENING. AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1 PM.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Haskell | 36 min |
| Jul 15, 3:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 43 min |
| Jul 15, 4:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 46 min |
| Jul 15, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 25 min |
| Jul 15, 5:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 36 min |
| Jul 15, 5:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okmulgee | 31 min |
| Jul 15, 6:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 37 min |
| Jul 15, 6:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Rogers, Wagoner | 41 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.