Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 7, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 20, 1997, 8:08 PM CST for Crawford County, Arkansas. It was in force for 52 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
- Feb 20, 1997, 8:08 PM CST (02:08 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 20, 1997, 9:00 PM CST
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Crawford County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 8:10 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind | Cedarville, AR |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 6:00 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 151 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
- 267 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -14 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 593 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 221 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 270 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 1.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTUL 210209 RRA SVRTUL ARC033-210300- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 808 PM CST THU FEB 20 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ...CRAWFORD COUNTY AT 806 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR VAN BUREN TO LEVACA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL PASS NEAR ALMA AND CEDARVILLE. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. DAMAGING WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH WILL OCCUR WITH THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SEEK SHE>LTER IMMEDIATELY IN THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR BUILDING OR HOME. STAY AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME YOU SHOULD MOVE TO A MORE SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE IF ONE IS NEARBY.
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 Feb 20, 3:47 PM CST, 4 hours 21 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 3:47 PM CST, 4 hours 21 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 345 PM CST THU FEB 20 1997 ANOTHER INTERESTING FCST TODAY. PREFER THE AVN MODEL WHICH HAS BEEN MOST CONSISTENT THE PAST COUPLE DAYS WITH THIS SYSTEM. ALSO THE 24 HOUR AVN FCST VALID 12Z FRIDAY IS A VIRTUAL CARBON COPY OF THE 48 HOUR ECMWF FCST VALID AT THE SAME TIME. THE ETA WEAKENS THE UPPER SYSTEM TOO QUICKLY WHILE THE NGM APPEARS TOO SLOW. THE SFC LOW IS DEEPER THAN FCST CURRENTLY WITH STRONG PRESSURE FALLS OCCURRING AHEAD OF IT SO A STRENGTH BETWEEN THE NGM AND AVN MAY BE BEST. SATELLITE CLEARLY SHOWS THE UPPER SYSTEM HEADING NORTHEAST AND IT WILL TRACK RIGHT ACROSS THE FCST AREA TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE MOVING BACK INTO THE AREA ATTM AND PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. THUS WILL EXTEND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THE ENTIRE NIGHT. THE RAIN CHANCES SHOULD DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE SRN PART OF THE AREA BUT RAINS WILL CONTINUE ALL NIGHT NORTH OF THE SFC LOW AND VORT MAX TRACKS. SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS A THREAT TONIGHT MAINLY FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. AS THE SFC LOW MOVES EAST OF THE AREA LATE TONIGHT...STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL DRAW COLDER AIR SOUTH INTO THE AREA. THE TIMING AND EXTENT OF THE COLD AIR WILL BE CRITICAL IN DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW. ALL MODELS APPEAR WAY TOO SLOW ON COOLING SFC TEMPS LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING AS DYNAMIC COOLING SHOULD AID IN COOLING SFC TEMPS IN NE OK AND NW AR. SO THE RAIN MAY CHANGE TO SNOW TOWARDS MORNING IN THE FAR NW PART OF THE FCST AREA AND BEFORE MIDDAY ACROSS ADJACENT PORTIONS OF NE OK AND NW AR. DRY SLOT FURTHER SOUTH SHOULD LIMIT PRECIP CHANCES THERE AFTER TONIGHT. SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY NEAR THE KS AND MO BORDERS BUT WILL NOT ISSUE ANY HEADLINES ATTM SINCE SFC TEMPS WILL BE IN THE 30S AND UNSURE IF AMOUNTS EVEN ON GRASSY AREAS WILL REACH 4 INCHES. OBVIOUSLY A QUICKER THAN EXPECTED CHANGEOVER WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW. MAGIC CHART FROM THE NGM SUGGESTS 4-6 INCHES POSSIBLE IN EXTREME NE OK AND NW AR BUT AVN DOES NOT LOOK QUITE AS OMINOUS. IN ANY EVENT...IT LOOKS LIKE A DRIVER FRIENDLY SNOW AS MOST PAVEMENTS WILL REMAIN WET. ANY LINGERING SNOWFALL FRIDAY EVENING WILL END EARLY WITH SKIES CLEARING OVERNIGHT. AVN HINTS AT QUITE A BIT OF SC AROUND SATURDAY BUT THIS APPEARS OVERDONE AND WILL GO MOSTLY SUNNY FOR NOW. COULD BE INTERESTING AGAIN MAINLY IN SE OK BY LATE SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA BUT ATTM PRECIP AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE LIGHT. WENT BELOW THE GUIDANCE TEMPS TONIGHT AND FRIDAY BUT GUIDANCE TEMPS LOOK REASONABLE BEYOND THAT TIME. TUL 37/39/27/49 +830 FSM 49/52/28/50 +410 MLC 43/46/27/52 +410 BVO 34/36/25/49 +930 FYV 45/47/25/47 +740 IDB 54/57/29/53 +2-0 BYV 47/49/25/47 +740 .TUL... OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES 054>077. AR..0.FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES 001-002-010-011-019-029. PLATE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 5:15 PM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes before
OKZ054>077-ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-211200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 510 PM CST WED FEB 19 1997 ...WINTER WEATHER TO RETURN TO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM MOVING INTO NORTHERN TEXAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS OVERNIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN AS IT MOVES FROM NEAR WICHITA FALLS TEXAS INTO EXTREME SOUTHERN MISSOURI BY FRIDAY MORNING. AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO MISSOURI...STRONG NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DRAW COLDER AIR SOUTH INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW TOWARD MORNING IN NORTHWEST OSAGE COUNTY AND OVER THE REST OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY MIDDAY FRIDAY. SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY TO THE NORTH OF A TULSA TO FAYETTEVILLE LINE WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW BEING NEAR THE KANSAS AND MISSOURI BORDERS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING SO MOST OF THE SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL BE ON GRASSY AREAS AND CARS AND ROOFTOPS. UNCERTAINTIES DO EXIST CONCERNING THE TIMING OF THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AND THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE POSSIBLE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AT THIS TIME. THE BEST ESTIMATE IS THAT 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW MAY WHITEN THE GROUND NEAR THE KANSAS AND MISSOURI BORDERS BY FRIDAY EVENING. ANY LINGERING SNOW WILL END EARLY FRIDAY EVENING FOLLOWED BY DECREASING CLOUDINESS. PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA OR EXTREME NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY SHOULD CHECK THE LATEST CONDITIONS AND FORECASTS BEFORE DEPARTINhG. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 7:32 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Sebastian | 43 min |
| Feb 20, 8:16 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Washington | 44 min |
| Feb 20, 8:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Benton | 43 min |
| Feb 20, 8:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Madison, Washington | 51 min |
| Feb 20, 9:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Carroll | 54 min |
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.