Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 53, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 27, 1997Tulsa County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 27, 1997, 7:10 PM CST for Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 50 min. 17 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 27, 1997, 7:10 PM CST (01:10 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1997, 8:00 PM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Tulsa County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:08 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 27, 7:32 PM CSTHail 1.75Jenks, OK
Mar 27, 7:43 PM CSTHail 1.75Jenks, OK
Mar 27, 7:44 PM CSTHail 1.75Jenks, OK
Mar 27, 7:45 PM CSTHail 1.75Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:46 PM CSTHail 1.75Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:52 PM CSTHail 1.75Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:52 PM CSTHail 1Catoosa, OK
Mar 27, 7:53 PM CSTHail 1Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:55 PM CSTHail 0.88Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:58 PM CSTHail 1Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 7:59 PM CSTHail 0.75Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 8:02 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 56Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 8:06 PM CSTHail 1Tulsa, OK
Mar 27, 8:07 PM CSTHail 1Catoosa, OK
Mar 27, 8:08 PM CSTHail 1.75Catoosa, OK
Mar 27, 8:09 PM CSTHail 1.75Catoosa, OK
Mar 27, 8:10 PM CSTHail 3.75Tulsa, 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 nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 1997-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 368 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 1997-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 242 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
368 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1538 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
242 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
505 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 280112 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC143-280200-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
710 PM CST THU MAR 27 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...TULSA COUNTY
 
AT 709 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO WESTERN
TULSA COUNTY ALONG INTERSTATE 44. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST
AT 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND THE STORM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ALONG
INTERSTATE 44 INTO TULSA.
 
THE STORM HAS A POTENTIAL OF STRENGTHENING.  A TORNADO WARNING MAY BE
REQUIRED FOR TULSA COUNTY IF ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS INDICATED.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 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 Mar 27, 3:25 PM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 3:25 PM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
320 PM CST THU MAR 27 1997

BAND OF SHRA HAS FORMED OVR CNTRL OK...APPARENTLY ALG RIBBON OF UPR
40S SFC DWPTS.  OTHER HIGH-BASED SHRA/TSRA ONGOING OVR FAR NW OK IN
RESPONSE TO UPR LOW SPINNING EWD THRU THE OK PANHANDLE.  MDLS
FAIRLY SIMILAR IN MVG UPR LOW INTO NW OK/SW KS BY 00Z THEN INTO SW
MO BY 06Z.  THIS IS A VIGOROUS UPR SYSTEM...BUT THE LIMITING FACTOR
FOR WIDESPREAD PCPN WILL BE AVAILABLE LLVL MSTR.  MESONET SHOWS
DWPTS MAINLY IN THE 40S ACRS THE FA...ALTHO LWR/MID 50S DWPTS HAVE
WORKED INTO NRN TX AND FAR SRN OK.  GRIDDED DATA SHOWS BEST
INCREASE IN LLVL MSTR FM 00Z-06Z...MAINLY OVR ERN ZNS.  15Z MESOETA
ALSO SHOWS CAPE VALUES FM 500 TO NEAR 1000 J/KG OVR SE OK/WCNTRL AR
BY 06Z...ALTHO QPF STAYS OVR SW KS/NE OK IN ASSOCIATION WITH UPR
LOW.  WILL WORD HIGHEST POPS OVR ERN ZNS WHERE BEST MSTR IS
EXPECTED AND TRIM BACK TO 20/30 POPS OVR WRN ZNS.  CUD SEE AN ISOLD
ISOLD SVR STORM OR TWO OVR NE OK ASSOCD WITH THE UPR LOW...AND OVR
SE OK/WCNTRL AR WITH BEST LLVL MSTR.

LEAD UPR LOW SHUD SWEEP MOST OF THE LLVL MSTR E OF THE FA LTR
TNGT...WITH NEXT UPR LOW QUICKLY DROPPING INTO SRN KS BY MORNING.
THIS DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE A PAC CD FNT THRU THE AREA EARLY FRI
MRNG.  MDLS SHOW SOME MID/LLVL MSTR WITH THIS SYSTEM...SO WILL GO
WITH PARTLY CLDY SKIES OVR NRN SECTIONS FOR FRI.  GRIDDED DATA
SHOWS SOME LLVL CCA...BUT EXPECTED SUN AND BREEZY WLY WNDS SHUD
OFFSET COOLING SOME.  FWC GUIDANCE A BIT WARMER THAN PREVIOUS
RUN...AND PLAN ON GOING JUST A FEW DEGREES BLO GUIDANCE.

SFC WNDS SHUD DECREASE LATE IN THE DAY AND OVERNGT AS SFC RDG WORKS
INTO THE AREA.  WITH MO CLR SKIES...LGT WNDS AND DRY LLVL
AIR...XPCT GD RADIATIONAL COOLING.  PLAN ON GOING A BIT BLO
GUIDANCE.

NEXT SHRTWV DROPS THRU THE ROCKIES SAT...WITH WK SFC LOW FORMING
OVR THE TX PANHANDLE.  LLVL WINDS BACK IN RESPONSE TO UPR
SYSTEM...WITH AVN SHOWING SOME INCREASE IN H85 DWPTS OVR SRN AND SE
OK.  WILL HV SLGT CHC POPS FOR FAR SE OK...BUT WILL KP POPS OUT OF
THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA.

PRELIM NUMBERS:

TUL 50/68 39/70 2001
FSM 48/72 40/71 4101
MLC 49/70 41/71 2001
BVO 46/69 37/70 3001
FYV 47/65 35/68 4101
IDB 50/72 44/72 4102
BYV 46/65 35/68 4101

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 6:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek59 min
Mar 27, 6:51 PM CSTTornado WarningTSACreek54 min
Mar 27, 7:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner44 min
Mar 27, 7:55 PM CSTTornado WarningTSATulsa35 min
Mar 27, 8:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes49 min
Mar 27, 8:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers16 min
Mar 27, 9:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware, Mayes42 min
Mar 27, 9:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware35 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.