Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 5, 1999Sequoyah County, Oklahoma; Crawford County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Mar 5, 1999, 3:51 PM CST for Sequoyah County, Oklahoma; Crawford County, Arkansas. It was in force for 39 min. 4 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
Mar 5, 1999, 3:51 PM CST (21:51 UTC)
Expired
Mar 5, 1999, 4:30 PM CST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Crawford County, AR, Sequoyah County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 5, 4:00 PM CSTHail 0.75Liberty, OK
Mar 5, 4:06 PM CSTHail 1Uniontown, AR
Mar 5, 4:08 PM CSTHail 1Cedarville, ARThere was a report of quarter-sized hail in Cedarville, and there was another report of quarter-sized hail 2 miles south of Cedarville.
Mar 5, 4:28 PM CSTThunderstorm WindRudy, ARA home just north of Rudy near the old 81 loop had its roof lifted off.

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 nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 165 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 12:00Z on 1999-03-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1999-03-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 456 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1088 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
456 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
408 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WFUS54 KTSA 052153 RRA
TORTUL
ARC033-OKC135-052230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
351 PM CST FRI MAR 5 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  EASTERN SEQUOYAH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  CRAWFORD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 430 PM CST

* AT 351 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 11 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF SHORT. THIS DANGEROUS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  RUDY...
  FIGURE FIVE...CEDARVILLE...ALMA AND SHORT

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 3554 9473 3540 9467 3550 9418 3569 9426

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 Mar 5, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
200 PM CST FRI MAR 5 1999

CONVECTION GETTING STARTED ONE OR TWO HOURS EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY
EXPECTED. JUST UPDATED TO ADD POPS A LITTLE FURTHER WEST THAN
PREVIOUS FORECAST. NO OTHER CHANGES UNTIL AFTN PKG IN TWO HOURS.

22

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 5, 1:00 PM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-061200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST FRI MAR 5 1999

SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND PARTS OF EXTREME EASTERN
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT WILL BE PRIMARILY EAST OF US-69...EAST AND
NORTH OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO MCALESTER TO TALIHINA. PEOPLE IN THESE
AREAS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

.SYNOPSIS...
AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE WAS LOCATED NEAR BARTLESVILLE
OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT AND DRY LINE EXTENDED
SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW PRESSURE INTO SOUTHCENTRAL OKLAHOMA. THIS LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON...REACHING
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY SUNSET. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE LOW PRESSURE AREA
LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

.DISCUSSION...
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING EAST OF US-69. A CAPPING LAYER OF RELATIVELY WARM
AIR IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE HAS PROHIBITED THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THIS CAP WILL CONTINUE TO
PERSIST...BUT IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING MAINLY NORTH OF I-40. THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT
AND DRYLINE IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH CAPE VALUES APPROACHING 1500
J/KG EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST AREAS OF LOCALIZED LIFT...
OR CONVERGENCE ...HAS BEEN AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BE LOCATED
JUST NORTHEAST OF THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA. THIS AREA WILL BE
THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR INITIAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. SUBSEQUENT THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP SOUTHWARD ALONG
THE DRY LINE.

ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND A FEW
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS EXPECTED.  GIVEN THE EXPECTED AMOUNT OF
INSTABILITY AND STORM-RELATIVE WIND PROFILE...SUPERCELL STORMS WILL
ALSO BE POSSIBLE. INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SUFFICIENTLY LOW
TO MAKE TORNADO DEVELOPMENT UNLIKELY...HOWEVER IF TEMPERATURES AND
MOISTURE INCREASE MORE THAN EXPECTED...THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL
INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. MOVEMENT OF ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE
EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH WITH POSSIBLE SUPERCELL MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST AT
AROUND 20 MPH.

.EMERGENCY AGENCY AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AFTER 4PM TODAY.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 1:00 PM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-061200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST FRI MAR 5 1999

SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND PARTS OF EXTREME EASTERN
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT WILL BE PRIMARILY EAST OF US-69...EAST AND
NORTH OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO MCALESTER TO TALIHINA. PEOPLE IN THESE
AREAS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

.SYNOPSIS...
AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE WAS LOCATED NEAR BARTLESVILLE
OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT AND DRY LINE EXTENDED
SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW PRESSURE INTO SOUTHCENTRAL OKLAHOMA. THIS LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON...REACHING
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS BY SUNSET. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE LOW PRESSURE AREA
LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

.DISCUSSION...
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND THIS EVENING EAST OF US-69. A CAPPING LAYER OF RELATIVELY WARM
AIR IN THE MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE HAS PROHIBITED THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THIS CAP WILL CONTINUE TO
PERSIST...BUT IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING MAINLY NORTH OF I-40. THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT
AND DRYLINE IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH CAPE VALUES APPROACHING 1500
J/KG EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST AREAS OF LOCALIZED LIFT...
OR CONVERGENCE ...HAS BEEN AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BE LOCATED
JUST NORTHEAST OF THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA. THIS AREA WILL BE
THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR INITIAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. SUBSEQUENT THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO DEVELOP SOUTHWARD ALONG
THE DRY LINE.

ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND A FEW
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS EXPECTED.  GIVEN THE EXPECTED AMOUNT OF
INSTABILITY AND STORM-RELATIVE WIND PROFILE...SUPERCELL STORMS WILL
ALSO BE POSSIBLE. INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SUFFICIENTLY LOW
TO MAKE TORNADO DEVELOPMENT UNLIKELY...HOWEVER IF TEMPERATURES AND
MOISTURE INCREASE MORE THAN EXPECTED...THE THREAT OF TORNADOES WILL
INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. MOVEMENT OF ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE
EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH WITH POSSIBLE SUPERCELL MOVEMENT SOUTHEAST AT
AROUND 20 MPH.

.EMERGENCY AGENCY AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EXTREME
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AFTER 4PM TODAY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 5, 3:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah52 min
Mar 5, 3:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Delaware, Ottawa68 min
Mar 5, 4:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware53 min
Mar 5, 4:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore49 min
Mar 5, 4:27 PM CSTTornado WarningTSACrawford48 min
Mar 5, 4:42 PM CSTTornado WarningTSAFranklin33 min
Mar 5, 5:10 PM CSTTornado WarningTSAFranklin50 min
Mar 5, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Sebastian29 min
Mar 5, 5:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Franklin44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 1999Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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.