Tornado Warning 31, NWS Norman, OK

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1040 AM CDT SAT MAY 19 2001

UPDATED ZONE PACKAGE ALREADY SENT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA... AND ACTIVITY CONTINUES OVER
EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE.  THIS APPEARS RELATED TO AN UPPER SPEED MAX
AS SEEN ON PROFILERS AND NEW MESO-ETA... WHICH IS LIFTING NORTHEAST
OVER THE TX PANHANDLE AND PEELING OFF OF STRONGER UPPER JET STILL TO
THE SOUTHWEST. MESOETA BRINGS A ROUND OF PRECIP INTO WESTERN
OKLAHOMA INTO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WHICH TRENDS WELL WITH OBSERVED
RADAR.  MODEL THEN TENDS TO REDEVELOP CONVECTION BACK TO THE WEST
WHICH IS FORECAST TO MOVE OUT ACROSS THE CWA THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT WHEN MAIN SYSTEM EJECTS.

MAIN CHANGE TO FORECAST WAS TO BRING POPS UP TO THE LIKELY CATEGORY
ACROSS WESTERN OKLAHOMA FOR THIS AFTERNOON... AND TO SHAVE WIND
SPEEDS OFF A TAD IN THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON WHERE A WEAKER GRADIENT
IS FORECAST AND CLOUDS WILL LIMIT MIXING.

FCSTID = 33/DLF

.OUN...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT ZONES 04>21.
TX...NONE.

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-192000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
115 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 2001

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT CENTRAL AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. THE
SLIGHT RISK AREA IS GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM PONCA
CITY... TO ARDMORE... TO HENRIETTA TEXAS. THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON
HOURS... THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO BE PRIMARILY
OVER WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA... WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
SHIFTING EASTWARD OVERNIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND WILL BE
THE PRIMARY THREATS... HOWEVER ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE. THERE WILL BE AN INCREASING THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

DUE TO THE LACK OF A SIGNIFICANT CAPPING INVERSION... STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON
HOURS ACROSS SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD EAST ACROSS REMAINING PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND THE WESTERN PART OF NORTH TEXAS
THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

THE COMBINATION OF STRONG INSTABILITY AND SUFFICIENT VERTICAL WIND
SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. ALTHOUGH LOW
LEVEL WINDS SPEEDS ARE RELATIVELY WEAK... THE DIRECTIONAL SHEAR
COMBINED WITH STRONG INSTABILITIES COULD RESULT IN AN ISOLATED
TORNADO. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO EVOLVE INTO A LARGE COMPLEX DURING THE
LATE EVENING THAT WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS MUCH OF OKLAHOMA
OVERNIGHT. SUSTAINED INFLOW OF MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE
COMPLEX OF STORMS SHOULD INCREASE THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL.
ANY FURTHER RAINFALL OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN DURING THE PAST TWO
DAYS MAY RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT.

CJS