Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 7, 1997Osage County, Pawnee County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1997, 9:24 PM CDT for Osage County, Pawnee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 66 min. 4 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
May 7, 1997, 9:24 PM CDT (02:24 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1997, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Osage County, OK, Pawnee County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 9:37 PM CDTTornado F0Ralston, OK
May 7, 10:00 PM CDTHail 1.75Ralston, OK
May 7, 10:02 PM CDTTornado F0Fairfax, OK
May 7, 10:02 PM CDTHail 1Fairfax, 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
May 7, 6:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 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 1997-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1687 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 1997-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 112 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1687 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
783 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 080225 RRA
TORTUL
OKC113-117-080330-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
924 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHWESTERN OSAGE COUNTY...NORTHWESTERN PAWNEE COUNTY
 
AT 920 PM...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO 12 MILES WEST
OF RALSTON. THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. PEOPLE IN FAIRFAX
AND RALSTON TAKE COVER NOW. THE STORM MAY ALSO PRODUCE HAIL AS LARGE AS
BASEBALLS.
 
SPOTTERS REPORTED A TIGHTLY ROTATING WALL CLOUD ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF RALSTON. THE STORM IS TAKING A TRACK ALONG THE ARKANSAS RIVER
VALLEY...PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE COVER.
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
STAY AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET IN A GROUND DEPRESSION.
 
KEEP TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER BULLETINS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 8:36 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee54 min
May 7, 9:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAOsage5 hr
May 7, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage60 min
May 7, 10:39 PM CDTTornado WarningTSATulsa, Washington51 min
May 7, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee45 min
May 7, 10:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAPawnee4 hr
May 7, 11:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee48 min
May 7, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage68 min
May 8, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa42 min
May 8, 12:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa52 min
May 8, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner49 min
May 8, 2:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee51 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.