Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 52, NWS Tulsa, OK
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 11:30 AM CDT | Tornado F1 | Panola, OK | An 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 11:00 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 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.
- 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
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 OSAGEThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 9:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek | 46 min |
| May 3, 10:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek | 61 min |
| May 3, 10:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Creek | 53 min |
| May 3, 11:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage, Pawnee | 37 min |
| May 3, 11:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 49 min |
| May 3, 11:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee, Okmulgee | 41 min |
| May 3, 11:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Creek, Tulsa | 43 min |
| May 3, 11:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 50 min |
| May 3, 11:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Nowata, Washington | 47 min |
| May 3, 11:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 47 min |
| May 3, 11:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pawnee | 38 min |
| May 3, 11:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig, Mayes, Rogers | 47 min |
| May 4, 12:10 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 50 min |
| May 4, 12:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Rogers | 57 min |
| May 4, 12:25 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage, Pawnee | 35 min |
| May 4, 1:01 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage, Pawnee | 44 min |
| May 4, 1:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Muskogee, Wagoner | 51 min |
| May 4, 1:42 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 33 min |
| May 4, 1:47 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 43 min |
| May 4, 1:51 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Muskogee | 39 min |
| May 4, 1:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 33 min |
| May 4, 2:04 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 41 min |
| May 4, 2:28 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Muskogee | 32 min |
| May 4, 2:36 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okfuskee, Okmulgee | 39 min |
| May 4, 2:38 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Wagoner | 52 min |
| May 4, 2:46 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Delaware | 44 min |
| May 4, 3:11 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Adair | 34 min |
| May 4, 7:26 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 34 min |
| May 4, 7:35 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Latimer | 40 min |
| May 4, 7:54 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 66 min |
| May 4, 8:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pawnee | 38 min |
| May 4, 9:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 56 min |
| May 4, 10:17 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Nowata | 43 min |
| May 4, 10:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pittsburg, Pushmataha | 51 min |
| May 4, 10:56 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Latimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha | 49 min |
| May 4, 11:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Tulsa | 60 min |
| May 4, 11:13 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw, Pushmataha | 47 min |
| May 4, 11:23 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Creek, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington | 4 hr |
| May 4, 11:23 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Craig, Nowata | 4 hr |
| May 4, 11:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Rogers | 57 min |
| May 4, 11:48 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Haskell, LeFlore | 42 min |
| May 4, 11:57 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Tulsa | 48 min |
| May 4, 12:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Haskell, Sequoyah | 54 min |
| May 4, 12:59 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Adair | 46 min |
| May 4, 1:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee, Muskogee | 51 min |
| May 4, 1:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Pittsburg | 3 hr |
| May 4, 1:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Adair, Cherokee, LeFlore, Sequoyah | 3 hr |
| May 4, 1:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Mayes, Wagoner | 3 hr |
| May 4, 1:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Latimer | 3 hr |
| May 4, 1:22 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Delaware, Ottawa | 3 hr |
| May 4, 1:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Haskell, Latimer | 46 min |
| May 4, 1:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pushmataha | 40 min |
| May 4, 1:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw | 67 min |
| May 4, 2:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Adair, Cherokee | 39 min |
| May 4, 2:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Haskell, Latimer | 46 min |
| May 4, 2:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Sequoyah | 51 min |
| May 4, 2:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 51 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.