Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 467, NWS Tulsa, OK

October 17, 1998Nowata County, Washington County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 17, 1998, 1:55 PM CDT for Nowata County, Washington County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 50 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Oct 17, 1998, 1:55 PM CDT (18:55 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 1998, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Nowata County, OK, Washington County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:56 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 17, 2:05 PM CDTThunderstorm WindCopan, OKLarge tree limbs were blown down in Copan.

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, 6.9 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 1998-10-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 469 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1998-10-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 307 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
469 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-68 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
307 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
342 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

941 
WUUS54 KTSA 171857 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC105-147-171945-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
155 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
     NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     NORTHERN NOWATA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 155 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES WEST OF
  COPAN...MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...SOUTH COFFEYVILLE...WANN AND   
COPAN

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

BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH.

LAT...LON 3706 9602 3680 9604 3688 9543 3720 9550

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 Oct 17, 10:48 AM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 17, 10:48 AM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1048 AM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998

NO UPDATE PLANNED THIS MORNING. RADAR INDICATING COVERAGE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING AS EXPECTED...AND CATEGORICAL POPS LOOK
GOOD FOR REST OF TODAY.

SQUALL LINE HAS DEVELOPED ALONG/JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WHICH
EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL KS INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA AT 15Z. FRONT SHOULD
CONTINUE ADVANCING EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE ACROSS MOST OF THE
FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR STRONG STORMS ALONG AND
AHEAD OF COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...BUT SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT SHOULD BE LIMITED TO ISOLATED STRONG WIND GUSTS GIVEN LOW
INSTABILITY.  MAY ALSO BE SOME HEAVY RAINS WITH IMPRESSIVE MOISTURE
PROFILES FOR OCTOBER...BUT PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF SYSTEM EXPECTED TO
LIMIT EXTENT OF ANY EXCESSIVE RAINS.

FCSTID = 9
TUL   76  50  66  44 /  80  60  10   0
FSM   74  57  68  45 /  80  70  30   5
MLC   76  55  68  46 /  80  70  20  10
BVO   75  48  64  42 /  80  60  10   0
FYV   74  53  65  42 /  80  70  10   0
IDB   78  64  71  49 /  70  70  40  10
BYV   74  53  65  42 /  80  70  10   0
MIO   75  52  64  42 /  80  70  10   0
MKO   75  50  66  44 /  80  60  10   0
F10   75  50  66  44 /  80  60  10   0
HHW   78  64  71  49 /  70  70  40  10

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 17, 12:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1205 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

920 PM     3 S CAVE SPRINGS          AR   WIND DAMAGE
10/16/98   BENTON                         TREE BLOWN DOWN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 16, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair31 min
Oct 16, 8:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair29 min
Oct 17, 12:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage38 min
Oct 17, 1:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage32 min
Oct 17, 2:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Washington49 min
Oct 17, 2:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage49 min
Oct 17, 2:57 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Tulsa, Washington33 min
Oct 17, 3:07 PM CDTTornado WarningTSANowata, Rogers53 min
Oct 17, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Rogers, Washington43 min
Oct 17, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage43 min

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.