Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Norman, OK

May 25, 2000Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2000, 11:59 PM CDT for Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 31 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 25, 2000, 11:59 PM CDT (04:59 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2000, 12:30 AM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Alfalfa County, OK

The radar

The Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:59 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 26, 12:07 AM CDTThunderstorm WindCherokee, OKA few large tree limbs were also downed on US Highway 64, 7 miles east-southeast of Cherokee, and 1/2 mile east-southeast of the end of the tornado path in Alfalfa County, but are believed to be the result of straight-line winds.

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 25, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 81 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, Lamont, OK at 00:00Z on 2000-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1965 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, Lamont, OK at 00:00Z on 2000-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 109 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1965 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
633 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
8.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

638 
WFUS54 KOUN 260502
TOROKC
OKC003-260530-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1159 PM CDT THU MAY 25 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ALFALFA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 1230 AM CDT

* AT 1159 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PORTION OF THE
  STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES EAST OF CARMEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  20 MPH. THIS IS A NEWLY DEVELOPED AREA OF ROTATION.

  ANOTHER AREA OF ROTATION IS ALONG THE COUNTY LINE EAST OF DACOMA.
  POWER LINES HAVE BEEN DOWNED NEAR DACOMA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ALINE...AMORITA...BURLINGTON...
  BYRON...CARMEN...CHEROKEE...DRIFTWOOD...HELENA...INGERSOLL...JET
  AND LAMBERT

TAKE COVER NOW. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. MOVE TO AN
INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 3697 9851 3647 9847 3653 9817 3692 9820

ANDRA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 8:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis39 min
May 25, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoodward60 min
May 25, 8:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Roger Mills50 min
May 25, 9:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNEllis, Roger Mills51 min
May 25, 9:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNEllis, Woodward3 hr
May 25, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey45 min
May 25, 10:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey51 min
May 25, 10:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNWoods3 hr
May 25, 11:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOUNDewey, Ellis, Roger Mills3 hr
May 25, 11:31 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNAlfalfa, Woods29 min
May 26, 12:30 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNAlfalfa30 min
May 26, 12:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGarfield, Grant46 min
May 26, 1:03 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNGarfield27 min
May 26, 1:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNKay, Noble51 min
May 26, 4:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCotton, Tillman46 min
May 26, 5:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNComanche22 min
May 26, 5:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNJefferson40 min
May 26, 5:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNStephens40 min
May 26, 6:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCarter, Garvin, Murray42 min
May 26, 6:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLove42 min
May 26, 6:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCaddo, Washita52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000

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.