Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 4, 1999Latimer County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at May 4, 1999, 11:29 AM CDT for Latimer County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 46 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
May 4, 1999, 11:29 AM CDT (16:29 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1999, 12:15 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Latimer County, OK

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:30 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
May 4, 11:30 AM CDTTornado F1Panola, OKAn F1 tornado touched down south of Panola and moved northeast to the Latimer-Haskell county line. Ths tornado continued to a point in extreme southern Haskell County about 2 miles south of Lequire. Near Panola, this tornado blew down large trees and power li

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
May 4, 11:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 198 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°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.

999 
WFUS54 KTSA 041630 RRA
TORTUL
OKC077-041715-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1129 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  LATIMER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 1215 PM CDT

* AT 1129 AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO OVER DAMON.
  THIS DANGEROUS STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  RED OAK...
  DAMON AND WILBURTON

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

MOTORISTS IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM SHOULD ABANDON VEHICLES
FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER TAKE COVER IN A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING.
AS A LAST RESORT...TAKE COVER IN A DITCH OR CULVERT. PROTECT YOUR
HEAD AND BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS

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 3488 9544 3475 9528 3500 9495 3507 9515

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 4, 11:20 AM CDT, 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 11:20 AM CDT, 9 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

Special weather statement, May 4, 6:00 AM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-051100-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
UNTIL 11 AM...

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THIS THREAT WILL SHIFT TO FAR EASTERN
OKLAHOMA 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 EARLY THIS
EVENING. AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WAS CURRENTLY
OVER NORTHERN TEXAS. AT THE SURFACE...A DRYLINE LOCATED OVER WESTERN
OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE EAST AS THE DAY PROGRESSES

.DISCUSSION...
THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK CURRENTLY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW WILL ACT AS
SOURCE OF LIFT FOR THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF
OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING. AS A RESULT OF THE POSITIONING OF THIS
FEATURE...A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE THE LIKELY THREAT BUT A FEW SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE
GIVEN CURRENT WIND SHEAR PROFILES.

THE PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AND SURFACE DRYLINE WILL SERVE AS
THE FOCUS FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN
OKLAHOMA. STORMS THAT DO FORM WILL LIKELY EVOLVE INTO A SQUALL LINE AS
THEY MOVE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. FORECASTED INSTABILITY INDICATE
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREATS. WIND PROFILES REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS AS THE DRYLINE MOVES ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT TO FAR EASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY EARLY EVENING. THE DRYLINE WILL BE
EAST OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY LATE EVENING 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.  ACTIVATION MAY
BE NEEDED THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA...AND
POSSIBLY BY THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Special weather statement, May 4, 6:00 AM CDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-051100-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
UNTIL 11 AM...

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THIS THREAT WILL SHIFT TO FAR EASTERN
OKLAHOMA 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 EARLY THIS
EVENING. AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WAS CURRENTLY
OVER NORTHERN TEXAS. AT THE SURFACE...A DRYLINE LOCATED OVER WESTERN
OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE EAST AS THE DAY PROGRESSES

.DISCUSSION...
THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK CURRENTLY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW WILL ACT AS
SOURCE OF LIFT FOR THE FORMATION OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF
OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING. AS A RESULT OF THE POSITIONING OF THIS
FEATURE...A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE THE LIKELY THREAT BUT A FEW SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE
GIVEN CURRENT WIND SHEAR PROFILES.

THE PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AND SURFACE DRYLINE WILL SERVE AS
THE FOCUS FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN
OKLAHOMA. STORMS THAT DO FORM WILL LIKELY EVOLVE INTO A SQUALL LINE AS
THEY MOVE ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. FORECASTED INSTABILITY INDICATE
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREATS. WIND PROFILES REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS AS THE DRYLINE MOVES ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT TO FAR EASTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY EARLY EVENING. THE DRYLINE WILL BE
EAST OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY LATE EVENING 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.  ACTIVATION MAY
BE NEEDED THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA...AND
POSSIBLY BY THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Local storm report, May 4, 9:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 9 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

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, 11:48 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 WarningTSALatimer3 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

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.