Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 23, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at May 6, 1998, 8:34 PM CDT for Muskogee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 6, 1998, 8:34 PM CDT (01:34 UTC)
- Expired
- May 6, 1998, 9:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties
County Muskogee County, OK
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 6, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 188 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
- 1000 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1337 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 81 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 179 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.5
- Supercell composite
- 5.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
312 WFUS54 KTSA 070135 RRA TORTUL OKC101-070200- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 834 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... MUSKOGEE COUNTY - EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA * UNTIL 900 PM CDT * AT 830 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 2 WEST OF WAINWRIGHT. A TORNADO COULD FORM AT ANY TIME AS THIS STORM MOVES SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. * THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM... WAINWRIGHT LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY THE SAFEST PLACE IN A TORNADO IS BELOW GROUND. IF A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IS NOT AVAILABLE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY AND USE BLANKETS AND PILLOWS TO PROTECT YOUR HEAD AND BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS. AVOID WINDOWS AND LARGE ROOMS. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND AUTOMOBILES FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AS A LAST RESORT TAKE COVER IN A DITCH.
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 6, 3:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 6, 3:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 310 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998 MADE A QUICK UPDATE TO GOING AFTN ZONE PACKAGE TO REFLECT INCREASING THREAT OF SVR TSTMS ALG KS BORDER. UPR JET SWINGING IN LATE TODAY IN ADDITION TO INCRSG SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND WKNG CAP. RAISED POPS A BIT NRN AREAS FOR TONIGHT AS MODELS IN BETTER AGREEMENT IN DVLPG CONVECTION ACRS ERN KS/SWRN MO LATE TONIGHT AND CLIPPING OUR NRN ZONE GROUPS. IN AFTN PACKAGE...WL KEEP TREND OF SLIGHTLY HIR POPS IN THE NRN ZONES (CLOSER TO BETTER UPR SUPPORT AND ENERGY)...HOWEVER CIRCLN ARND SHORTWAVE SHUD SHOVE LLVL BNDRY A BIT FARTHER TO THE SE TONIGHT. CAP STRONGER DOWN SOUTH...HOWEVER BNDRY MAY FOCUS ACTIVITY IN THE OVERNIGHT HRS...SO WL INTRODUCE SOME LOW POPS SWD. SHORTWAVE SHUD PASS TO THE EAST EARLY IN THE MORNING...WITH SFC BNDRY SETTLING INTO THE SERN ZONES. BY MIDDAY...BNDRY SHUD MOVE INTO SERN TX WITH LLVL MSTR SHALLOWING OUT ACRS FCST AREA. HOWEVER...WITH MIDLVL CAP WEAKENING A BIT (IN RESPONSE TO MIDLVL COOLING BY PASSING SHORTWAVE TONIGHT) MAY MENTION ISOLD TSTMS TOMORROW AFTN AS WE WARM IN AFTN SUNSHINE. NEXT REAL SGFNT SHOT AT RAIN TO COME FRI INTO SAT. CANNOT ARGUE MUCH WITH AVN/MRF SOLNS OF EJECTING LOW FROM SWRN US ACRS FCST AREA SAT MORNING. LLVL REFLECTION WL FORM ALG STALLED SFC BNDRY ACRS NRN TX FRI AFTN...PULLING MSTR ACRS SFC BNDRY INTO ERN OK/WRN AR. SFC-850 MB FIELDS FROM MRF SUGGEST ISENTROPIC LIFT WL BE THE STRONGEST FRI NIGHT...ENDING MIDDAY SAT. BNDRY SHUD RETREAT SE OF AREA LATE SAT AFTN WITH CLEARING SKIES EXPECTED SUNDAY. UPDATED FCST ALREADY OUT. REGULAR PACKAGE TO COME BETWEEN 4 AND 430 PM. FCSTID = 14 SORRY FOLKS...DON`T HAVE TIME TO COMPUTE PRELIM NUMBERS ATTM. .TUL... OK...NONE. AR...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 6, 3:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 34 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-071100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 300 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998 A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A MCALESTER TO FORT SMITH LINE. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...ALONG AND NORTH OF A BRISTOW TO TULSA TO WAGONER TO JAY LINE. A WEAK EAST TO WEST SURFACE BOUNDARY WAS LOCATED ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON HEATING COMBINED WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S HAVE RESULTED IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN AND MAY REACH PORTIONS OF PAWNEE AND OSAGE COUNTIES AFTER 4 PM. THE STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY SPREAD THROUGH NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS EVENING...POSSIBLY MOVING INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY MID TO LATE EVENING. GIVEN THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY...LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. HOWEVER...WIND PROFILES ALSO SUGGEST SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE...SO AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. ELSEWHERE...THE CAP OF WARM AIR ALOFT CONTINUES TO SUPPRESS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THE CAP HAS BEENING WEAKENING...HOWEVER...SO ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD LISTEN FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.
Local storm report, May 6, 3:59 PM CDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
359 PM CDT WED MAY 06 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0321 AM HEAVENER OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/06/98 LE FLORE
0400 AM POTEAU OK FLOODING
05/06/98 LE FLORE HIGH WATER TEMPORARILY
COVERED DEWEY AVENUE
TOWARDS HOSPITALLocal storm report, May 6, 3:59 PM CDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
359 PM CDT WED MAY 06 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0321 AM HEAVENER OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/06/98 LE FLORE
0400 AM POTEAU OK FLOODING
05/06/98 LE FLORE HIGH WATER TEMPORARILY
COVERED DEWEY AVENUE
TOWARDS HOSPITALThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 7:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Delaware | 54 min |
| May 6, 7:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Haskell | 80 min |
| May 6, 7:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Adair, Cherokee | 58 min |
| May 6, 7:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Adair | 29 min |
| May 6, 8:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Adair | 25 min |
| May 6, 8:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Haskell | 36 min |
| May 6, 8:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Muskogee, Okmulgee | 33 min |
| May 6, 8:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Sequoyah | 45 min |
| May 6, 8:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 42 min |
| May 6, 8:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 45 min |
| May 6, 8:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 34 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.