Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 317, NWS Tulsa, OK

June 18, 1998Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 18, 1998, 10:33 AM CDT for Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 42 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
Jun 18, 1998, 10:33 AM CDT (15:33 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 1998, 11:15 AM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Sequoyah County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 18, 10:37 AM CDTHail 0.75Marble City, OKSummary: an elevated thunderstorm rooted above a cap of warm air in the mid-levels of the atmosphere, briefly strengthened to severe levels while moving across Sequoyah County on the morning of June 18, producing dime-sized hail.

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

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 178 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1998-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1617 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1998-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 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
1617 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-157 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1094 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
264 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 181527 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC135-181615-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1033 AM CDT THU JUN 18 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  SEQUOYAH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 1115 AM CDT

* AT 1025 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM NEAR VIAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...
  VIAN
  BRUSHY
  MARBLE CITY
  SALLISAW

  HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKLES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE
  EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA.

BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH.

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 Jun 18, 10:30 AM CDT, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 10:30 AM CDT, 3 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1030 AM CDT THU JUN 18 1998

ELEVATED CONVECTION CONTINUING OVER FAR E OK AND NW AR IN RESPONSE
TO LLJ. WAS A LITTLE UNSURE ON HOW TO HANDLE POPS..BUT WITH
ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT NOTED OVER FAR E OK...WILL LEAVE POPS ALONE.
WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON TEMPS AS LONGEVITY OF CONVECTION/CLOUDS
OVER ERN ZONES MAY HAMPER FCSTD HIGHS. OTHERWISE REST OF ZNS LOOK
GOOD WITH NO CHANGES TO LATER PDS. ETA NOT IN YET...AVAILABLE NEW
GUIDANCE SUGGESTS FRONT TO APPROACH WRN ZNS AROUND 0Z.

FCSTID = 23

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

-

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-191200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT THU JUN 18 1998

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

SCATTERED HIGH BASED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS
MORNING.  A CAPPING LAYER OF WARM AIR IN THE UPPER LEVELS WILL TEND TO
SUPPRESS ANY STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WITH THIS ACTIVITY THROUGH
MIDDAY.

MEANWHILE...A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA.  AS THIS SYSTEM PASSES TO THE NORTH...A
SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA DURING THE
AFTERNOON.  LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE NEAR THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG WITH
COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL HELP TO FURTHER DESTABILIZE THE
ATMOSPHERE...SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ROUGHLY ALONG INTERSTATE 44 BY 3 PM.

AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES...THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO BE FOR AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF TULSA...INCLUDING THE
MIAMI...MUSKOGEE...MCALESTER...FAYETTEVILLE...AND THE FORT SMITH AREAS
WHERE COLDER UPPER LEVEL TEMPERATURES SHOULD WEAKEN THE CAP JUST AS
AFTERNOON HEATING MAKES THE ATMOSPHERE THE MOST UNSTABLE.  BY MID
AFTERNOON...THE SURFACE FRONT SHOULD BE JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 44
ACTING AS A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP
ALONG THE FRONT WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS
WELL INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL
BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  HOWEVER...A FEW ISOLATED TORNADOES
WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS WHEN THE
ATMOSPHERE WILL BE THE MOST UNSTABLE.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GROUPS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND BE
READY FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER ACTIVATION LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

AN UPDATED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA AROUND 1 PM TODAY.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 6:00 AM CDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-191200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT THU JUN 18 1998

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

SCATTERED HIGH BASED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS
MORNING.  A CAPPING LAYER OF WARM AIR IN THE UPPER LEVELS WILL TEND TO
SUPPRESS ANY STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WITH THIS ACTIVITY THROUGH
MIDDAY.

MEANWHILE...A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO
MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA.  AS THIS SYSTEM PASSES TO THE NORTH...A
SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA DURING THE
AFTERNOON.  LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE NEAR THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG WITH
COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL HELP TO FURTHER DESTABILIZE THE
ATMOSPHERE...SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ROUGHLY ALONG INTERSTATE 44 BY 3 PM.

AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES...THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO BE FOR AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF TULSA...INCLUDING THE
MIAMI...MUSKOGEE...MCALESTER...FAYETTEVILLE...AND THE FORT SMITH AREAS
WHERE COLDER UPPER LEVEL TEMPERATURES SHOULD WEAKEN THE CAP JUST AS
AFTERNOON HEATING MAKES THE ATMOSPHERE THE MOST UNSTABLE.  BY MID
AFTERNOON...THE SURFACE FRONT SHOULD BE JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 44
ACTING AS A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP
ALONG THE FRONT WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS
WELL INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL
BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  HOWEVER...A FEW ISOLATED TORNADOES
WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS WHEN THE
ATMOSPHERE WILL BE THE MOST UNSTABLE.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GROUPS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND BE
READY FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER ACTIVATION LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

AN UPDATED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA AROUND 1 PM TODAY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 18, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek54 min
Jun 18, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Washington44 min
Jun 18, 5:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa55 min
Jun 18, 5:27 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACreek, Tulsa48 min
Jun 18, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Nowata45 min
Jun 18, 5:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACreek, Tulsa103 min
Jun 18, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee63 min
Jun 18, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWagoner36 min
Jun 18, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa45 min
Jun 18, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Okmulgee53 min
Jun 18, 6:38 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner37 min
Jun 18, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee, Okmulgee55 min
Jun 18, 6:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAOkfuskee2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.