Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 1999
Tornado Warning 97, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Nov 22, 1999, 5:40 PM CST for Creek County, Osage County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 35 min. 3 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
- Nov 22, 1999, 5:40 PM CST (23:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 22, 1999, 6:15 PM CST
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
Counties Creek County, OK, Osage County, OK, Tulsa County, OK
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 5:54 PM CST | Tornado F0 | Prattville, OK | Several spotters reported a tornado near highway 97 1 mile east of Pratteville. No damage was reported. |
| Nov 22, 6:10 PM CST | Hail 0.75 | Skiatook, OK | |
| Nov 22, 6:25 PM CST | Tornado F0 | Skiatook, OK | Trained spotters reported a tornado near the intersection of highway 75 and highway 20. The tornado was on the gound for less than a mile and no damage was reported. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 2:00 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| Nov 22, 5:30 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 127 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
- 68 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -181 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 512 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 8 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 25 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS54 KTSA 222342 RRA TORTUL OKC113-143-037-230015- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 540 PM CST MON NOV 22 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEAST CREEK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA SOUTHEASTERN OSAGE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NORTHWESTERN TULSA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA * UNTIL 615 PM CST * AT 540 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAND SPRINGS. MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH...THIS DANGEROUS STORM COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME. * SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... SKIATOOK... SPERRY AND SAND SPRINGS 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 3601 9632 3596 9623 3642 9582 3649 9614
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 Nov 22, 2:35 PM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 22, 2:35 PM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 235 PM CST MON NOV 22 1999 PROBLEM(S) OF THE DAY: WILL THERE BE SEVERE CONVECTION? WILL STORMS BE SUPERCELLS OR NOT? WHAT TYPE(S) OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR? CLOUDS WARMFRONT THAT TRIGGERED MORNING CONVECTION HAS SHIFTED NORTH. FOCUS NOW SHIFTS OUT WEST WHERE CONVECTION HAS BEGUN TO FIRE ALONG DRYLINE/COLDFRONT. UPPER TROUGH OVER THE ROCKIES TAKES ON NEGATIVE TILT AS IT MOVES INTO THE PLAINS. MAIN SURFACE LOW STILL OVER TEXAS...THOUGH OTHER WEAK LOWS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AND MOVE NORTHEAST. AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE PLAINS...EXPECT MAIN SFC LOW TO MOVE NORTHEAST AND DRAG COLD FRONT IN TO NE OK BETWEEN 9 AND 12Z. MODELS AGREE THAT CONVECTION WILL ORGANIZE INTO A SQUALL LINE OVER CENTRAL OK AND RAPIDLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE JUST OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT. FRONT AND CONVECTION SHOULD EXIT THE FA BY 18Z. SEVERE POTENTIAL EXISTS GIVEN STRONG DYNAMICS...THOUGH INSTABILITY WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR. TEMPS BEHIND FRONT COOLER AS YET ANOTHER PACIFIC AIRMASS WILL SETTLE OVER THE AREA 1ST AND 2ND PD TEMPS REAL TRICKY WHERE 12Z POSITION OF FRONT WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE. NGM REAL SLOW IN MOVING FRONT THROUGH...THUS HAVE OPTED FOR THE FASTER AVN/ETA SOLUTIONS. WENT ABOVE GUIDANCE IN EARLY PERIODS BUT FOLLOWED FAIRLY CLOSE IN LATER PERIODS. KEPT EXTENDED DRY WITH NEXT SYSTEM TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE AREA. FCSTID = 23 .PRELIMINARY NUMBERS TUL 57 59 36 53 / 90 30 0 0 FSM 59 67 41 56 / 70 50 0 0 MLC 60 63 37 57 / 80 40 0 0 BVO 52 55 33 53 / 90 30 0 0 FYV 59 63 33 52 / 70 50 0 0 BYV 59 63 33 52 / 70 50 0 0 MIO 58 60 33 53 / 80 40 0 0 MKO 56 63 34 53 / 80 50 0 0 F10 57 59 36 53 / 90 30 0 0 HHW 62 67 43 60 / 70 40 0 0 .TUL... AR...NONE. OK...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 800 PM CST MONDAY FOR ZONES OKZ054...OKZ059. -------------------- EXPERIMENTAL OUTPUT: HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED NEXT 24 HOURS: CHANCE NONE NGM CONFIDENCE: 6 ON A SCALE OF 0 TO 10 ETA CONFIDENCE: 8 ON A SCALE OF 0 TO 10 AVN CONFIDENCE: 8 ON A SCALE OF 0 TO 10 FCST CONFIDENCE: 8 ON A SCALE OF 0 TO 10
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Nov 22, 1:00 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-231200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CST MON NOV 22 1999 ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TONIGHT... .SYNOPSIS... A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM EMPORIA TO NEAR PONCA CITY TO LUBBOCK TEXAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SLOWLY NORTH AS A WARM FRONT THROUGH THIS EVENING AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES OVER WEST TEXAS. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA TONIGHT. BY MIDNIGHT...THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTER WILL BE LOCATED NEAR BARTLESVILLE WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD INTO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. .PRIMARY HAZARD... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM AND SURFACE LOW APPROACH FROM THE WEST. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TONIGHT. WIND PROFILES APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES...MAINLY ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. A SQUALL LINE MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING...MOVING INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA WITH DAMAGING WIND POTENTIAL AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DISCUSSION... THE LACK OF A FOCUSING BOUNDARY AND INSUFFICIENT DESTABILIZATION WILL PRECLUDE ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NORTH AND WEST OF TULSA AFTER 6 PM. BACKED SURFACE WINDS AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW AND NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG WITH INCREASING JET STREAM WINDS COULD LEAD TO SUPERCELL TORNADOES. GREATER INSTABILITY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA COULD ALSO AID ERCELL DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING. THE MODE OF CONVECTION OVERNIGHT WILL EVOLVE INTO BOW ECHO LINE SEGMENTS AS UPPER LEVEL FORCING INCREASES. DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THUNDERSTORMS BECOME NUMEROUS ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. SPOTTERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION OVERNIGHT. @
Special weather statement, Nov 22, 1:00 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-231200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CST MON NOV 22 1999 ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TONIGHT... .SYNOPSIS... A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM EMPORIA TO NEAR PONCA CITY TO LUBBOCK TEXAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT SLOWLY NORTH AS A WARM FRONT THROUGH THIS EVENING AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES OVER WEST TEXAS. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA TONIGHT. BY MIDNIGHT...THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTER WILL BE LOCATED NEAR BARTLESVILLE WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD INTO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. .PRIMARY HAZARD... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM AND SURFACE LOW APPROACH FROM THE WEST. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TONIGHT. WIND PROFILES APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES...MAINLY ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. A SQUALL LINE MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING...MOVING INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA WITH DAMAGING WIND POTENTIAL AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DISCUSSION... THE LACK OF A FOCUSING BOUNDARY AND INSUFFICIENT DESTABILIZATION WILL PRECLUDE ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NORTH AND WEST OF TULSA AFTER 6 PM. BACKED SURFACE WINDS AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW AND NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG WITH INCREASING JET STREAM WINDS COULD LEAD TO ERCELL TORNADOES. GREATER INSTABILITY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA COULD ALSO AID ERCELL DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING. THE MODE OF CONVECTION OVERNIGHT WILL EVOLVE INTO BOW ECHO LINE SEGMENTS AS UPPER LEVEL FORCING INCREASES. DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THUNDERSTORMS BECOME NUMEROUS ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING. SPOTTERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION OVERNIGHT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 4:52 PM CST | Tornado Warning | TSA | Choctaw, Pushmataha | 38 min |
| Nov 22, 5:16 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Okfuskee | 44 min |
| Nov 22, 5:27 PM CST | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pushmataha | 48 min |
| Nov 22, 5:34 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Osage, Tulsa | 41 min |
| Nov 22, 5:56 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Okfuskee, Okmulgee | 49 min |
| Nov 22, 5:56 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 49 min |
| Nov 22, 5:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw | 31 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.