Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 24, 1997Osage County, Pawnee County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 24, 1997, 10:06 PM CST for Osage County, Pawnee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 54 min. 12 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
Mar 24, 1997, 10:06 PM CST (04:06 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 1997, 11:00 PM CST
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Osage County, OK, Pawnee County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:06 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 24, 10:25 PM CSTHail 1.75Ponca City, OK
Mar 24, 10:25 PM CSTHail 1Fairfax, OK
Mar 24, 10:25 PM CSTHail 1Pawnee, OK
Mar 24, 10:25 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 52Pawnee, OK
Mar 24, 10:55 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 58Wynona, OK
Mar 24, 11:00 PM CSTHail 1.75Pawhuska, OK
Mar 24, 11:00 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 61Cleveland, OK
Mar 24, 11:02 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 59Pawhuska, OK
Mar 24, 11:10 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 61Pawhuska, OK
Mar 24, 11:10 PM CSTHail 1.75Pawhuska, OK
Mar 24, 11:10 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 61Hominy, OK
Mar 24, 11:10 PM CSTHail 1.75Hominy, OK

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
Mar 24, 7:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 159 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1997-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1141 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, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1997-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 177 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1141 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-136 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1360 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 Mar 24, 9:44 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 9:44 PM CST, 22 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
940 PM CST MON MAR 24 1997

STG/SVR TSTMS STRETCHING ALNG FNT ACRS ERN KS INTO N-CNTL AND
NW OK THIS EVNG.  FNT CONTG TO SAG SLOWLY TO THE SE AND WL BE
ENTERING NWRN PART OF FA IN THE NXT HR OR SO.  TIMING OF FNT
IN PREV PKG STILL LOOKS GOOD...AND SHLD BE THRU MOST OF FA BY
ARND 12Z.  GUSTY SOUTH WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED A LTL THRU THE
EVNG...ESPECIALLY OVR ERN AND SRN PARTS OF FA.  WL UPDATE ZNS
AND DROP WIND ADVSY FOR NOW...BUT WL HAVE TO WATCH FOR GUSTY
NRLY WNDS BEHIND FNT AND MAY HAVE TO REISSUE FOR NWRN PART OF
FA LATER.  OTHERWISE DO NOT PLAN ON ANY OTHER BIG CHGS FOR
NOW.  WL LIKELY UPDATE ZNS AGN ARND MIDNIGHT AS FNT/SQUALL LN
BEGINS TO PROGRESS ACRS THE AREA.

DECIDED TO KEEP WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NE OK
TNGT AS MESONET SHOWING STG NRLY WNDS MOVG IN BHND FNT.
...04...
.TUL...
OK...WND ADVSY FOR TNGT ZNS 54>67.
A.R...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 24, 6:07 PM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-251200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
605 PM CST MON MAR 24 1997

NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATER THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

AT 600 PM...A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL
KANSAS WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING INTO THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS
PANHANDLES.  A DRYLINE WAS NOTED FROM CENTRAL KANSAS SOUTHWARD INTO
WEST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS BETWEEN 20 TO 35 MPH
AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT.

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE REGION HAS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE DURING
THE AFTERNOON HOURS.  STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY
ACROSS KANSAS AND MISSOURI THIS EVENING...AND ARE EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE DEVELOPING SOUTHWARD ALONG THE DRYLINE INTO OKLAHOMA.
<
STRONG STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA IN THE
LATE EVENING HOURS AS THE COLD FRONT ADVANCES FURTHER INTO THE
REGION.  THE STRONGER STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY PUSH THEIR WAY INTO
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS TUESDAY.

AS THE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP SOUTH AND EASTWARD TONIGHT...THEY
SHOULD EVENTUALLY EVOLVE INTO A SQUALL LINE.  THE MAIN SEVERE
THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM VERY STRONG STRAIGHT
LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...ALTHOUGH A FEW TORNADOES WILL BE
POSSIBLE.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD MAINTAIN A HIGH
STATE OF READINESS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS
EVENING AND TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATED FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS CONCERNING
TONIGHT'S SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 10:41 PM CSTTornado WarningTSAOsage49 min
Mar 24, 10:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee40 min
Mar 24, 11:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington40 min
Mar 24, 11:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa42 min
Mar 24, 11:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Rogers66 min
Mar 24, 11:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Mayes50 min
Mar 24, 11:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Osage, Pawnee41 min
Mar 24, 11:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa47 min
Mar 25, 12:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee58 min
Mar 25, 12:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware, Ottawa55 min
Mar 25, 12:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes35 min
Mar 25, 12:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek32 min
Mar 25, 12:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee, Tulsa36 min
Mar 25, 12:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner60 min
Mar 25, 12:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware, Mayes40 min
Mar 25, 1:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Okfuskee56 min
Mar 25, 1:52 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee68 min
Mar 25, 2:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh61 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.