Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 109, NWS Tulsa, OK

December 3, 1999Craig County, Mayes County, Rogers County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Dec 3, 1999, 11:26 PM CST for Craig County, Mayes County, Rogers County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 34 min. 2 reports 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
Dec 3, 1999, 11:26 PM CST (05:26 UTC)
Expired
Dec 4, 1999, 12:00 AM CST
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Craig County, OK, Mayes County, OK, Rogers County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 3, 11:30 PM CSTHail 0.75Adair, OK
Dec 3, 11:50 PM CSTHail 1.25Vinita, OKQarter to half dollar size hail fell in Vinita.

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
Dec 3, 8:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 00:00Z on 1999-12-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 00:00Z on 1999-12-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 132 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1329 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
245 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

811 
WFUS54 KTSA 040527 RRA
TORTUL
OKC035-097-131-040600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1126 PM CST FRI DEC 3 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  SOUTHERN CRAIG COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  NORTHWESTERN MAYES COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  NORTHEASTERN ROGERS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST

* AT 1126 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG
  ROTATION 5 MILES SOUTH OF CHELSEA. MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH...
  THIS DANGEROUS STORM COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  WHITE OAK...
  BIG CABIN...VINITA...CHELSEA...AND ALONG INTERSTATE 44 IN 
NORTHWEST MAYES COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM...TAKE COVER NOW IF NO
UNDERGROUND SHELTER IS AVAILABLE MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR. MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR MORE
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AVOID WINDOWS

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF A TORNADO...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. GO TO A SAFE
PLACE NOW

LAT...LON 3648 9555 3635 9539 3666 9500 3684 9524

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 Dec 3, 8:55 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 8:55 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
855 PM CST FRI DEC 3 1999

UPDATED ZONES TO INCLUDE THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. SEVERE
STORMS DEVELOPED QUaICKLY OVER FAR NORTHEAST OK AND HAVE PRODUCED
DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

GENERAL FORECAST LOOKS OKAY AND WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES AT THIS
TIME.

FCSTID = 02

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

ABBAS

E

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 3, 8:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes45 min
Dec 3, 8:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware28 min
Dec 3, 8:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOttawa40 min
Dec 3, 8:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware49 min
Dec 3, 8:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Rogers50 min
Dec 3, 8:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes61 min
Dec 3, 8:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOttawa61 min
Dec 3, 8:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa40 min
Dec 3, 9:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig52 min
Dec 3, 9:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOttawa43 min
Dec 3, 9:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig51 min
Dec 3, 10:04 PM CSTTornado WarningTSADelaware, Ottawa41 min
Dec 3, 10:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee50 min
Dec 3, 10:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Tulsa46 min
Dec 3, 10:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee62 min
Dec 3, 10:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Tulsa49 min
Dec 3, 11:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig55 min
Dec 3, 11:29 PM CSTTornado WarningTSATulsa, Wagoner31 min
Dec 3, 11:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek51 min
Dec 3, 11:51 PM CSTTornado WarningTSACraig39 min
Dec 3, 11:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers48 min
Dec 4, 12:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOttawa49 min
Dec 4, 12:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee46 min
Dec 4, 8:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware49 min
Dec 4, 10:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah42 min
Dec 4, 10:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee43 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes 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.