Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 265, NWS Tulsa, OK

July 16, 1997Madison County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 1997, 3:36 PM CDT for Madison County, Arkansas. It was in force for 39 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1997, 3:36 PM CDT (20:36 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1997, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Madison County, AR

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 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 1997-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 442 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 1997-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 77 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
442 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-151 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1362 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
131 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.

163 
WUUS1 KTUL 162037 RRA
SVRTUL
ARC087-162115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
336 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
   ...SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTY
 
AT 335 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHWEST
OF ST. PAUL. THE STORM IS NEARLY STATIONARY.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS 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 Jul 16, 11:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 11:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1105 AM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGES AT 1530Z SHOWED A WELL DEFINE CONVECTIVELY
INDUCED VORT MAX OVER BARBER COUNTY KS.  THIS FEATURE EXTRAPOLATES
TO COWELY COUNTY KS AT 00Z.  CONVECTION WAS ALREADY INCREASING NEAR
AND SOUTH OF THE CENTER AND EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE IN
ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS
AFTERNOON.  MODIFIED LIT AND OUN SOUNDINGS FOR THIS AFTERNOONS
CONDITIONS SUGGEST CAPES OF 2500-3500 J/KG WITH A BREAKABLE CAP
WHEN SURFACE TEMPS REACH THE LOW AND MID 90S.  BOTH SOUNDINGS ALSO
SHOWED A VERTICLE THETA-E PROFILES SUGGESTIVE OF WET MICRO BURSTS.
WHILE VERTICLE SPEED SHEAR WILL BE WEAK...SUFFICIENT DIRECTIONAL
SHEAR EXISTS WITH THE INSTABILITY TO CREATE A FEW SEVERE STORMS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THERE IS CONCERN THAT THE CAP MAKE
STRENGTHEN SOME IN WEST SECTIONS THIS AFTERNOON...BUT LIFT FROM THE
APPROACHING VORT MAX SHOULD COMPENSATE.  LITTLE IF ANY CAP WILL
REMAIN IN EAST SECTIONS LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  STORM MOTIONS WILL BE
SLOW AND DICTATED BY STORM SCALE BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS.

DIFFICULT TO LOCATE A SURFACE FEATURE TO FOCUS ON...MAIN BAROCLINIC
ZONE HAS SHIFTED NORTHEAST TO LIE FROM EASTERN KANSAS INTO NORTHERN
ARKANSAS...THIS BOUNDARY MAY STILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO ENHANCE RAIN
CHANCES IN THE HIER TERRAIN OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  ADAP AT 15Z
ALSO SHOWED A WEAK MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AXIS NORTH-SOUTH ACROSS THE
AREA...ROUGHLY ALONG HIGHWAY 75.

WILL UPDATE ZONES SHORTLY TO INCREASE POPS IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

/8

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 16, 1:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1200 PM CST WED JUL 16 1997

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

515 PM     2 SW HITCHITA             OK   60 MPH WIND GUST
07/15/97   MCINTOSH

530 PM
07/15/97   OKEMAH                    OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
           OKFUSKEE
630 PM
07/15/97   4 W OKEMAH                OK   WIND DAMAGE...1 BLDG AND 1
           OKFUSKEE                       HOUSE DAMAGED. SEVERAL TREES
                                          AND POWER POLES DOWNED.

703 PM     3 S TULSA                 OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   TULSA

725 PM     3 W CLAREMORE             OK   .75 INCH AND .88 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   ROGERS

730 PM     CLAREMORE                 OK   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   ROGERS

800 PM     INOLA                     OK   STREET FLOODING
07/15/97   ROGERS

915 PM     HOMINY                    OK   .88 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   OSAGE

925 PM     HOMINY                    OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   OSAGE
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 1:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-171200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY
TONIGHT ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE NEAR THE KANSAS-OKLAHOMA BORDER SOUTH OF
WICHITA THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEAST THROUGH THIS
EVENING. A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY WAS LOCATED FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS
INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...AND WILL REMAIN STATIONARY THROUGH
TONIGHT.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THE UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND SPREAD EASTWARD INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA BY
LATE THIS AFTERNOON. SOME DEVELOPMENT MAY ALSO OCCUR NEAR THE
SURFACE BOUNDARY ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY 300 PM.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EASTWARD AND SOUTHWARD AFTER
INITIAL FORMATION AS THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW WINDS FOCUS NEW
DEVELOPMENT.

THE AIRMASS ACROSS ALL OF THE AREA WILL BE VERY UNSTABLE BY LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AS TEMPERATURES RISE INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S. THE
DEGREE OF INSTABILITY SUGGESTS THAT A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE
SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. WINDS ALOFT ARE
RATHER WEAK...AND SLOW MOVING STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS. THUNDERSTORM INTENSITIES WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AFTER
SUNSET.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD
MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY FOR POSSIBLE
ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT.
Local storm report, Jul 16, 2:48 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
248 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

0815 PM    TULSA                     OK   STREET FLOODING
07/15/97   TULSA                          REPORTED IN WESTERN PARTS
                                          OF CITY OF TULSA NEAR AND
                                          SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN

0807 PM    5 SW TULSA                OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   TULSA

0825 PM    6 E NEW PRUE              OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   OSAGE
Local storm report, Jul 16, 2:49 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
248 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

0815 PM    TULSA                     OK   STREET FLOODING
07/15/97   TULSA                          REPORTED IN WESTERN PARTS
                                          OF CITY OF TULSA NEAR AND
                                          SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN

0807 PM    5 SW TULSA                OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   TULSA

0825 PM    6 E NEW PRUE              OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   OSAGE
Local storm report, Jul 16, 3:09 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
310 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

0645 PM    TULSA                     OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   TULSA                          REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY 169
                                          AND 61ST STREET SOUTH
Local storm report, Jul 16, 3:10 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
310 PM CDT WED JUL 16 1997

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

0645 PM    TULSA                     OK   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/97   TULSA                          REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY 169
                                          AND 61ST STREET SOUTH

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.