Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 21, 1999Pawnee County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 21, 1999, 10:11 PM CDT for Pawnee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 64 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
Apr 21, 1999, 10:11 PM CDT (03:11 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1999, 11:15 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Pawnee County, OK

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:11 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
Apr 21, 10:45 PM CDTHail 0.88Pawnee, OKThere were two reports of nickel-sized hail near Pawnee...one report from in Pawnee and the other report from 5 miles north of Pawnee. An unknown source indicated golfball-sized hail just north of Pawnee. Additionally, 50 mph winds accompanied this storm.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 21, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 00:00Z on 1999-04-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1907 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 00:00Z on 1999-04-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 233 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
1907 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-135 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1058 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
233 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
210 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WUUS54 KTSA 220313 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC117-220415-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1011 PM CDT WED APR 21 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  PAWNEE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 1115 PM CDT

* AT 1010 PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES WEST OF
  PAWNEE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  SKEDEE...
  PAWNEE...MARAMEC...HALLETT AND BLACKBURN

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

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY
FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS.

LAT...LON 3641 9721 3623 9720 3619 9637 3642 9661

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 Apr 21, 9:33 PM CDT, 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 9:33 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
933 PM CDT WED APR 21 1999

STORMS STILL DEVELOPING ON SW FLANK OF LINE ALONG SURFACE
BOUNDARY FROM NEAR EMPORIA KS TO PONCA CITY BACK TO NEAR
CLINTON. CAP IS WEAKENING STORMS AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD HOWEVER...
AND THERE IS SOME QUESTION ABOUT HOW FAR EAST THEY
WILL MAKE IT. SEVERE WX AND HEAVY RAINFALL A DEFINITE
POSSIBILITY WITH TRAINING STORMS. FOR NOW WILL UP POPS
TO LIKELY IN ZONES W/NW OF TULSA AND INCREASE POPS ELSEWHERE
OVER NE OKLAHOMA. WILL MONITOR RADAR TRENDS AND MAY DECIDE TO
ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH IF HEAVY RAIN LOOKS AS THOUGH IT WILL
MAKE IT INTO WESTERN ZONES.

00Z RUC DEEPENS SURFACE LOW OVER WC OKLAHOMA WITH BOUNDARY EXPECTED
TO REMAIN STATIONARY. CAP IS EXPECTED TO LIMIT CONVECTION IN E/S PART
OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT...SO WILL LEAVE 10-20% POPS THERE. IF ONGOING
PRECIP PERSISTS OUTFLOW BOUNDARY WILL PUSH FURTHER SE THAN RUC SHOWS
SURFACE FEATURES AND COULD BECOME FOCUS FOR DEVELOPMENT LATER TONIGHT
AND THURSDAY. WONT TINKER WITH LATER PERIODS THIS UPDATE BUT MAY
TAKE A LOOK AT OTHER 0Z MODELS AND CHOOSE TO UPDATE AGAIN PRIOR TO
MIDNIGHT. /13

AR...NONE.
OK...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ZONES
OKZ054>055...OKZ059...OKZ064>065.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 10:44 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPawnee31 min
Apr 21, 10:54 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOsage36 min
Apr 21, 11:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee46 min
Apr 21, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek44 min
Apr 22, 12:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Tulsa53 min
Apr 22, 12:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Rogers, Washington45 min
Apr 22, 1:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Mayes42 min
Apr 22, 1:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware, Ottawa38 min
Apr 22, 3:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Washington38 min
Apr 22, 3:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Washington36 min
Apr 22, 3:55 PM CDTTornado WarningTSANowata, Washington35 min
Apr 22, 4:25 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig35 min
Apr 22, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata38 min
Apr 22, 5:01 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig29 min
Apr 22, 5:14 PM CDTTornado WarningTSADelaware, Ottawa46 min
Apr 22, 5:27 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACraig33 min
Apr 22, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Tulsa47 min
Apr 22, 5:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers53 min
Apr 22, 5:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes, Rogers, Wagoner50 min
Apr 22, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Delaware45 min
Apr 22, 6:33 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMayes, Rogers, Wagoner42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1999Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.