Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 34

February 17, 200026 counties in Oklahoma; 11 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 17, 2000, 4:00 PM CST for 26 counties in Oklahoma; 11 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 17, 2000, 4:00 PM CST (22:00 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 2000, 10:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 37 counties

Atoka County, OK, Beckham County, OK, Bryan County, OK, Caddo County, OK, Carter County, OK, Cleveland County, OK, Coal County, OK, Comanche County, OK, Cotton County, OK, Garvin County, OK, Grady County, OK, Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK, Hughes County, OK, Jackson County, OK, Jefferson County, OK, Johnston County, OK, Kiowa County, OK, Love County, OK, Marshall County, OK, McClain County, OK, Murray County, OK, Pontotoc County, OK, Stephens County, OK, Tillman County, OK, Washita County, OK, Archer County, TX, Baylor County, TX, Clay County, TX, Cooke County, TX, Fannin County, TX, Foard County, TX, Grayson County, TX, Hardeman County, TX, Montague County, TX, Wichita County, TX, Wilbarger County, TX

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 107 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 2000-02-17Temperature 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 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 2000-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 360 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
756 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
360 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
401 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

494 
WWUS9 KMKC 172130
SEL4  
MKC WW 172130
OKZ000-TXZ000-180400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 34
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
330 PM CST THU FEB 17 2000

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   OKLAHOMA                           
   NORTH TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST OF ALTUS OKLAHOMA TO 35 MILES
EAST NORTHEAST OF DURANT OKLAHOMA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.


DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE RED RIVER WILL
LIKELY BECOME SEVERE GIVEN STEEP LAPSE RATES AND STRONG DEEP LAYER
SHEAR. TORNADO THREAT WILL BE GREATEST INVOF WARM FRONT WITH LARGE
HAIL LIKELY IN THE COLD SECTOR.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...VESCIO

353,0995 350,0954 331,0954 334,0995

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 7:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Atoka, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Cleveland and 31 more5 hr
Feb 17, 4:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlfalfa, Beaver, Blaine, Canadian, Custer, Dewey and 7 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2000Tornado Watches in Texas, 2000Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.