Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at May 26, 1997, 6:34 PM CDT for Creek County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 41 min. 9 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 26, 1997, 6:34 PM CDT (23:34 UTC)
- Expired
- May 26, 1997, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Creek County, OK, Tulsa County, OK
The radar
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:36 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 6:35 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Sapulpa, OK | |
| May 26, 6:38 PM CDT | Tornado F1 | Sapulpa, OK | |
| May 26, 6:40 PM CDT | Hail 0.88 | Kiefer, OK | |
| May 26, 6:45 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Mounds, OK | |
| May 26, 6:46 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Beggs, OK | |
| May 26, 7:00 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Tulsa, OK | |
| May 26, 7:07 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Glenpool, OK | |
| May 26, 7:15 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Glenpool, OK | |
| May 26, 7:25 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Bixby, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 6:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 137 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
- 270 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -356 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1270 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 41 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 141 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
196 WFUS1 KTUL 262336 RRA TORTUL OKC037-143-270015- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 634 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA ...CREEK COUNTY...TULSA COUNTY AT 633 PM A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 2 MILES SOUTH OF SAPULPA MOVING TOWARD THE JENKS AREA. 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. WATCH FOR SIGNS OF DEVELOPING STORMS. LARGE HAILSTONES AND UNUSUALLY LOW SWIRLING CLOUDS ARE MANY TIMES SEEN NEAR DEVELOPING TORNADOES. STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES OFTEN PRODUCE A LOUD ROARING SOUND THAT CAN BE HEARD IN THE VICINITY OF STORMS. FREQUENT AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING OCCURS WITH MOST SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at May 26, 3:37 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 26, 3:37 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 330 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997 MODELS IN RSNBL AGREEMENT AT MOVG SYS SLOWLY EAST AND OUT OF THE FCST AREA. UPPER SHRTWV SWINGS THRU TNGT AND SHD PROVIDE SUF UPR SUPPORT FOR STG TSTMS. PLENTY OF MSTR IN PLACE AND AMS QUITE UNSTABLE. XPC TSTMS TO DVLP OVER CNTRL OK AHD OF SFC SYS AND MOVE EWD DURG EVEN AND NGT. TSTMS WILL BE STG TO SVR AND PRODUCE PLENTY OF RAIN. ALTHO INDIVIDUAL STMS SHD MOVE AT MODERATE RATE...SOME TRAINING IS POSSIBLE SINCE THE SFC SYS WILL BE SLOW TO MOVE EWD. FOR THAT REASON...HAVE INCLUDED ALL BUT MCCURTAIN COUNTY IN A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TNGT. THIS IS ALSO CONSISTENT WITH MANUAL HVY PCPN PROGS. SYSTEM SHD PUSH THRU THE ARE LATE TNGT BUT MAY LEAVE LINGERING RW/TRW IN EXTRM ERN ZONES IN THE EARLY MORNING. RMNDR OF UPR SYS SWINGS THRU TUE NIGHT AND WILL GIVE XTRM NERN OK AND XTRM NW AR A CHC OF SHWR ATTM. SFC AND UPR FLO NEVER REALLY BCMS ANTICYCLONIC THRU WED. SO GIVE THE SFC MSTR AND COOL TEMPS...XPC STRATOCU TO DVLP DURING THE DAYS AND PROVIDE MNLY PARTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS. NGM MOS LOOKS OKAY FOR TNGT BUT LOOKS TOO WARM LATER. ETA AND AVN BOTH SHOW MORE COOLING BHND SFC SYS. THIS SEEMS RSNBL...GIVEN CURRENT SFC TEMPS IN KS/NE ATTM. /02 TUL BB 066/079 057/075 055 511- FSM BB 068/085 060/078 056 621- MLC BB 068/085 058/078 056 511- BVO BB 063/076 054/074 050 4121 FYV BB 065/081 056/075 052 7321 IDB BB 070/087 062/082 059 421- BYV BB 065/081 056/075 052 7321 .TUL... OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TNGT ZONES 54>76. AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TNGT ZONES 1/2/10/11/19/29.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 26, 12:59 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
OKZ054>076-ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-271200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997 A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHED FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS...ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...TO A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED NEAR WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY A VERY MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE BOUNDARY WILL MOVE LITTLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND WILL ACT AS THE FOCUS FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AS TEMPERATURES WARM THROUGH THE 80S. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP...WILL QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE. COMBINED WITH THE HIGH LEVELS OF ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY...VERTICAL WIND PROFILES WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF OKLAHOMA AND INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THIS MEANS THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS A POSSIBILITY THROUGH TONIGHT...IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR STORMS TO AFFECT EASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL BE FROM THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. ANY STORMS THAT MOVE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA COULD THEN AFFECT NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FROM EARLY THIS EVENING ON INTO THE NIGHT. PERSONS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE POTENTIAL OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL RADIO SOURCES...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS...UPDATED FORECASTS...AS WELL AS ANY WATCHES OR WARNINGS WHICH MAY FOLLOW. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD ALSO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION...AND REMAIN ALERT FOR POTENTIAL ACTIVATION THROUGH TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, May 26, 1:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 34 minutes before
OKZ054>076-ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-271200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997 A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT. EARLY THIS AFTERNOON A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHED FROM SOUTHEAST KANSAS...ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...TO A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED NEAR WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY A VERY MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE BOUNDARY WILL MOVE LITTLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND WILL ACT AS THE FOCUS FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AS TEMPERATURES WARM THROUGH THE 80S. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP...WILL QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE. COMBINED WITH THE HIGH LEVELS OF ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY...VERTICAL WIND PROFILES WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF OKLAHOMA AND INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THIS MEANS THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS A POSSIBILITY THROUGH TONIGHT...IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR STORMS TO AFFECT EASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL BE FROM THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. ANY STORMS THAT MOVE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA COULD THEN AFFECT NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FROM EARLY THIS EVENING ON INTO THE NIGHT. PERSONS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE POTENTIAL OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL RADIO SOURCES...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS...UPDATED FORECASTS...AS WELL AS ANY WATCHES OR WARNINGS WHICH MAY FOLLOW. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD ALSO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION...AND REMAIN ALERT FOR POTENTIAL ACTIVATION THROUGH TONIGHT.
Local storm report, May 26, 1:03 PM CDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
103 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1030 PM 1 W GRAINOLA OK WIND DAMAGE
05/25/97 OSAGE TREES AND PHONE LINES DOWN
1045 PM 1 W GRAINOLA OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/25/97 OSAGELocal storm report, May 26, 1:04 PM CDT, 5 hours 30 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
103 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1030 PM 1 W GRAINOLA OK WIND DAMAGE
05/25/97 OSAGE TREES AND PHONE LINES DOWN
1045 PM 1 W GRAINOLA OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/25/97 OSAGELocal storm report, May 26, 3:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
350 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0625 PM TULSA OK 1.25 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 TULSA REPORTED AT 81ST AND
RIVERSIDE.
0730 PM 1 SE GLENPOOL OK 2 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 TULSA
0754 PM PIERCE OK 1 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 MCINTOSH
0821 PM RAIFORD OK 1 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 MCINTOSH
0829 PM WAGONER OK 85 MPH TSTM GUST
05/26/97 WAGONER
0830 PM BOYNTON OK 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 MUSKOGEE
0835 PM PICHER OK 80 MPH TSTM GUST
05/26/97 OTTAWA
0837 PM PICHER OK 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 OTTAWA
0845 PM 3 W MUSKOGEE OK WIND DAMAGE
05/26/97 MUSKOGEE SEVERAL TREES DOWN.
0850 PM 6 W VINITA OK 65 MPH TSTM GUST
05/26/97 CRAIG
0946 PM 3 NE GROVE OK 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/26/97 DELAWARE
1020 PM 6 W MC ALESTER OK 1 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 PITTSBURG
1030 PM TALIHINA OK WIND DAMAGE
05/26/97 LE FLORE TREE BLOWN DOWN.Local storm report, May 26, 4:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
415 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0750 PM TULSA OK FLOODING
05/26/97 TULSA WATER FROM LITTLE HAIKEY
CREEK FLOWING OVER 91ST
BETWEEN MINGO AND
MEMORIAL.
0945 PM MIAMI OK FLOODING
05/26/97 OTTAWA STREET FLOODING REPORTED
BY MIAMI PD.
0945 PM FAIRLAND OK WIND DAMAGE
05/26/97 OTTAWA OUTBUILDINGS DAMAGED.
TREES AND POWER LINES
DOWN.
1000 PM WILBURTON OK WIND DAMAGE
05/26/97 LATIMER TREES DOWN JUST WEST OF
WILBURTON
1000 PM WILBURTON OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/26/97 LATIMERThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 10:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 61 min |
| May 25, 10:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 52 min |
| May 25, 10:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 35 min |
| May 25, 11:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Nowata | 31 min |
| May 26, 12:32 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig, Ottawa | 43 min |
| May 26, 5:54 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Osage, Pawnee, Tulsa | 51 min |
| May 26, 5:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Osage, Pawnee, Tulsa | 51 min |
| May 26, 6:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek | 43 min |
| May 26, 6:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okmulgee, Tulsa | 40 min |
| May 26, 6:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 51 min |
| May 26, 6:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 28 min |
| May 26, 6:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 47 min |
| May 26, 6:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okmulgee | 43 min |
| May 26, 6:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Nowata, Washington | 53 min |
| May 26, 6:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage, Tulsa | 48 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.