Alert archive / Oklahoma / Flash Flood Warnings in 1999

Flash Flood Warning 40, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 4, 1999Latimer County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this flash flood warning at May 4, 1999, 1:22 PM CDT for Latimer County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 3 hr. 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 4, 1999, 1:22 PM CDT (18:22 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1999, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Latimer County, OK

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:22 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 199 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 12:00Z on 1999-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2175 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 1999-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 369 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
2175 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
545 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
369 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
497 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
5.3
Supercell composite
24.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 041826
FFWTUL
OKC001-021-041-061-077-079-091-097-101-115-121-135-145-042115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
122 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
  ADAIR COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  MUSKOGEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  SEQUOYAH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  DELAWARE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  MAYES COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  OTTAWA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  WAGONER COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  HASKELL COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  LATIMER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  LE FLORE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  MCINTOSH COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  PITTSBURG COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT

* AT 122 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY RAIN 5 MILES   
EAST OF FORT GIBSON..MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  UP TO TWO INCHES 
OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER A LARGE PORTION OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. 
ADDITIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA 
DURING THE AFTERNOON PROVIDING AN ANOTHER ONE TO TWO INCHES OF 
RAIN OVER THESE AREAS.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND
STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY ROADS AND
FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING
AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER MAY BE TOO DEEP TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY.
VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at May 4, 11:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 11:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1120 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

RUNNING WAY BEHIND THIS MORNING.  HAVE ISSUED UPDATED ZONES TWICE...
ONCE TO UP POPS TO CATEGORICAL NORTH AND LIKELY SOUTH AND ISSUE
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL ZONES...AND SECOND TO HEADLINE THE NEW
TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 4PM FOR THE ENTIRE AREA.  IT LOOKS LIKE THE BEST
TORNADIC THREAT WILL BE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA WHERE
ATMOSPHERE IS LESS WORKED OVER...WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING
THE BIGGEST THREAT IN THE NORTH.  SEVERE HAIL LOOKS TO BE A
POSSIBILITY JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE.

DID NOT TOUCH SECOND PERIOD AS TIMING OF DRYLINE STILL NOT CERTAIN.
MAY PROLONG SEVERE...HEAVY RAIN THREAT INTO THE EVENING ESPECIALLY
IN EASTERN ZONES WITH FUTURE UPDATES IF NEEDED.

FCSTID = 19

.TUL...
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY ALL ZONES.
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY ALL ZONES.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 9:20 AM CDT, 4 hours 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
920 AM CDT TUE MAY 04 1999

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

0740 AM    4 N HOMINY                OK    TORNADO
05/04/99   OSAGE                           SPOTTERS REPORTED A
                                           BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN.

0830 AM    1 S PANAMA                OK    .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/99   LE

0912 AM    5 W HOMINY                OK    60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/04/99   OSAGE

0916 AM    5 W HOMINY                OK    .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/99   OSAGE
Local storm report, May 4, 12:48 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1248 PM CDT TUE MAY 04 1999

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

1220 PM    4 S KEOTA                 OK    WIND DAMAGE
05/04/99   HASKELL                         BARNS DESTROYED...POWER
                                           LINES DOWN... AND
                                           NUMEROUS TREES DOWN
                                           ALONG HWY 26 BETWEEN
                                           MCCURTAIN AND KEOTA.
Special weather statement, May 4, 1:00 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-051100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMAAND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS UNTIL 4 PM...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS UNTIL 600 PM...

NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN
OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT AREA WILL SHIFT
TO FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CURRENTLY SITUATED OVER COLORADO
AND NEW MEXICO WILL DEEPEN AND LIFT NORTHEAST INTO KANSAS BY THIS
EVENING. AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WAS CURRENTLY
OVER EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. AT THE SURFACE...A DRYLINE MOVING INTO
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

.DISCUSSION...
THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK CURRENTLY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW WILL
CONTINUE TO ACT AS SOURCE OF LIFT FOR THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT
OF THE POSITIONING OF THIS FEATURE...NUMEROUS SEVERE STORMS WILL BE
EXPECTED.  VERTICAL WIND PROFILES AND THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY WILL
RESULT IN THE POSSSIBILITY OF TORNADIC SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
A FEW STRONG TORNADOES.  IN ADDITION...THE PROLONGED THREAT OF
THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...INCREASING
THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING.

THE PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AND SURFACE DRYLINE WILL SERVE AS
THE FOCUS FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL
SHIFT TO FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY THIS EVENING.
THE DRYLINE WILL BE EAST OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY MORNING THUS ENDING
THE SEVERE THREAT OVER ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER GROUPS ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
SHOULD KEEP INFORMED OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS.  SPOTTER GROUPS
NOT ALREADY ACTIVATED SHOULD PREPARE FOR ACTIVATION AT ANYTIME THIS
AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 9:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek46 min
May 3, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek61 min
May 3, 10:37 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACreek53 min
May 3, 11:08 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee37 min
May 3, 11:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa49 min
May 3, 11:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee, Okmulgee41 min
May 3, 11:32 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACreek, Tulsa43 min
May 3, 11:40 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage50 min
May 3, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Washington47 min
May 3, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage47 min
May 3, 11:52 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPawnee38 min
May 3, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Mayes, Rogers47 min
May 4, 12:10 AM CDTTornado WarningTSATulsa50 min
May 4, 12:18 AM CDTTornado WarningTSARogers57 min
May 4, 12:25 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee35 min
May 4, 1:01 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee44 min
May 4, 1:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner51 min
May 4, 1:42 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage33 min
May 4, 1:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee43 min
May 4, 1:51 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee39 min
May 4, 1:57 AM CDTTornado WarningTSACherokee33 min
May 4, 2:04 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOkfuskee41 min
May 4, 2:28 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee32 min
May 4, 2:36 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOkfuskee, Okmulgee39 min
May 4, 2:38 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAWagoner52 min
May 4, 2:46 AM CDTTornado WarningTSADelaware44 min
May 4, 3:11 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAAdair34 min
May 4, 7:26 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage34 min
May 4, 7:35 AM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer40 min
May 4, 7:54 AM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore66 min
May 4, 8:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee38 min
May 4, 9:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage56 min
May 4, 10:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata43 min
May 4, 10:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg, Pushmataha51 min
May 4, 10:56 AM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha49 min
May 4, 11:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa60 min
May 4, 11:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw, Pushmataha47 min
May 4, 11:23 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACreek, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington4 hr
May 4, 11:23 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACraig, Nowata4 hr
May 4, 11:29 AM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer46 min
May 4, 11:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers57 min
May 4, 11:48 AM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell, LeFlore42 min
May 4, 11:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa48 min
May 4, 12:21 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell, Sequoyah54 min
May 4, 12:59 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAAdair46 min
May 4, 1:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee, Muskogee51 min
May 4, 1:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAHaskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Pittsburg3 hr
May 4, 1:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee, LeFlore, Sequoyah3 hr
May 4, 1:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAMayes, Wagoner3 hr
May 4, 1:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSADelaware, Ottawa3 hr
May 4, 1:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Latimer46 min
May 4, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPushmataha40 min
May 4, 1:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw67 min
May 4, 2:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee39 min
May 4, 2:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Latimer46 min
May 4, 2:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah51 min
May 4, 2:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore51 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Oklahoma, 1999Every flash flood warning in 1999

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.