Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 72, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 4, 1997Latimer County, LeFlore County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 4, 1997, 8:48 PM CST for Latimer County, LeFlore County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 57 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
Apr 4, 1997, 8:48 PM CST (02:48 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1997, 9:45 PM CST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Latimer County, OK, LeFlore County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 4, 9:10 PM CSTThunderstorm WindTalihina, 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, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 224 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 1997-04-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 114 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 121 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
114 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
525 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 050250 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC077-079-050345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
848 PM CST FRI APR 4 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN LATIMER COUNTY...LE FLORE COUNTY
 
AT 8 48 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED FROM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
TALIHINA TO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHITESBORO. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. TALIHINA...BIG CEDAR...AND WISTER ARE IN
THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARN
ED 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 Apr 4, 2:34 PM CST, 6 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 2:34 PM CST, 6 hours 14 minutes before
FPUS3 KTUL 042033
AFDTUL

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
234 PM CST FRI APR 4 1997

WILL HAVE A THREAT OF SVR WX AND HEAVY RAINS ACRS FA TONITE AS
POWERFUL UPR LOW MOVES INTO PLAINS. CONVECTION CURRENTLY GETTING
ORGANIZED ACRS CNTRL TX...AND CURRENT TRENDS SUGGEST THE BEST CHC FOR
SVR STORMS AND ALSO EXCESSIVE RAINS WILL BE ACRS SE OKLA INTO NW ARK
THRU EARLY TONITE. WL ALSO HAVE SVR THREAT ACRS NE OKLA AS SFC
DRYLINE...CURRENTLY SHARPENING UP ACRS ERN TX PANHANDLE...COMES
RACING ACRS THE AREA TONITE. WL MENTION CATEGORICAL POPS AND
POSSIBILITY OF SVR IN ALL ZONES...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS MENTIONED
ACRS SRN AND ERN PARTS OF FA.

ANY LEFTOVER SHOWERS SHUD QUICKLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA SAT MORN.
VERY WINDY DAY IN STORE AS STG GRADIENT WINDS COMBINE WITH GOOD
MIXING TO PRODUCE GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ACRS NE OKLA. SHUD BE MILD ON
SATURDAY AHEAD OF THE CANADIAN FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE ACRS THE AREA
SAT NITE. COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIR EXPCTD FOR SAT NITE AND SUN...BUT
STRONG APRIL SUN WILL STILL HELP TEMPS CLIMB INTO 60S MOST AREAS
SUNDAY AFTN.
                                              /9

TUL 54/72/42/60 9--0      MLC 55/76/43/64 9--0
BVO 53/72/40/59 9110      IDB 58/79/48/68 +200
FYV 56/72/42/60 +210      FSM 55/78/44/66 +2-0

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 4, 8:21 PM CST, 27 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-051200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
820 PM CST FRI APR 4 1997

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TONIGHT...

...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
TONIGHT...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WAS BEGINNING TO APPROACH THE AREA
THIS EVENING. AT THE SURFACE...A DRYLINE WAS MOVING INTO CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA AND WAS LOCATED JUST WEST OF OKLAHOMA CITY AND NORMAN AT
8 PM. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND
INTENSITY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING AND THIS TREND IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM AND DRYLINE CONTINUE
TO MOVE EAST.

A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA ARE EXPECTED TO
BECOME SEVERE BEFORE 9 PM THIS EVENING. THE STORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY
NORTH NORTHEAST AND ENTER NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER 10 PM. THE MAIN
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS ALTHOUGH LARGE HAIL WILL
ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE ALSO SUGGESTS THE
POSSIBILITY OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY IS RATHER LIMITED IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...THERE
IS STILL A POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING
AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE AND UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM. DAMAGING WINDS
WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORM IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

AS THE DRYLINE MOVES RAPIDLY EAST ACROSS THE AREA LATER TONIGHT...THE
THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL DIMINISH AFTER 2 AM IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND AFTER 4 AM IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION
TONIGHT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 9:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore, Sequoyah43 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.