Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 137, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2001, 4:30 PM CDT for McIntosh County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 60 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 20, 2001, 4:30 PM CDT (21:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2001, 5:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County McIntosh County, OK
The radar
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:32 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 4:50 PM CDT | Tornado F1 | Hanna, OK | This tornado started in Hughes County and entered McIntosh county 7 miles northwest of Hanna. The tornado lifted 5 miles north of Hanna. As the tornado crossed the Indian Nation Turnpike near Highway 9 it did damage to a McDonalds restaurant and three Transpo |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 3:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 148 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 796 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 7 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
238 WUUS54 KTSA 202129 SVRTUL OKC091-202230- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 430 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... MCINTOSH COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA * UNTIL 530 PM CDT * AT 428 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF HANNA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. * SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...STIDHAM... VIVIAN...RAIFORD...HANNA...CHECOTAH AND EUFAULA. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA. DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED ROTATION WITH THIS STORM. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS STORMS APPROACH. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. LAT...LON 3537 9598 3517 9598 3534 9535 3557 9559
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 3:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 3:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 317 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001 TORNADO WATCH JUST ISSUED FOR A LARGE PART OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. EXPECT SCATTERED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG NORTHWARD MOVING WARM FRONT CURRENTLY ANALYZED ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. DEGREE OF INSTABILITY AND STRENGTH OF WIND FIELDS SUGGEST HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ROTATING STORMS...WITH A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY FROM ANY RIGHT-MOVING STORMS. EXPECT ACTIVITY TO EVOLVE INTO ANOTHER COMPLEX THIS EVENING AND MOVE EAST ACROSS AREA OVERNIGHT. WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS ALL ZONES...WITH FROPA LATE TONIGHT BRINGING A RAPID END TO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION. WINDY AND COOLER WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER STORY ON MONDAY...WITH A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE AS COLD AIR ALOFT SWINGS ACROSS AREA. MAY SEE FALLING OR STEADY AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES IN MANY ZONES. SKIES SHOULD CLEAR MONDAY NIGHT...WITH VERY COOL NIGHT EXPECTED. NEAR RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS...ESPECIALLY IF WINDS DIE OFF MORE THAN EXPECTED. MOSTLY CLEAR AND DRY WEATHER EXPECTED ON TUESDAY AS TEMPERATURES REBOUND INTO THE 60S AND 70S. IN EXTENDED...DRY WEATHER WITH NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR MOST OF THE WEEK AS LARGE CUTOFF DEVELOPS OVER EASTERN U.S. UPPER RIDGING DEVELOPS BY LATE IN THE WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND...WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES AND CONTINUED DRY WEATHER EXPECTED. FCSTID = 9 TUL 56 62 44 68 / 60 40 10 0 FSM 63 67 45 72 / 70 50 10 10 MLC 60 66 45 72 / 60 40 10 10 BVO 54 60 43 68 / 60 30 10 0 FYV 59 62 41 64 / 70 50 10 10 BYV 58 61 40 63 / 70 50 10 10 MIO 57 61 42 66 / 60 40 10 0 MKO 60 65 45 70 / 60 40 10 10 F10 57 63 44 69 / 60 40 10 0 HHW 67 70 48 74 / 60 30 10 0 .TSA... AR...NONE. OK...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 20, 1:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-211100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 105 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001 ...NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS... AT MIDDAY...A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH EXTENDED SOUTH FROM A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOCATED IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THIS MORNINGS THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. SOUTHERLY WINDS WERE INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WHICH WILL HELP TO MOVE THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY NORTHWARD THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CURRENTLY LOCATED IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD INTO ARKANSAS BY TONIGHT. THIS UPPER SYSTEM IN CONJUNCTION WITH FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL WINDS WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ALONG THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD THEN EVOLVE INTO A LINE AND MOVE EAST INTO ARKANSAS BY TONIGHT. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED BEFORE 4 PM ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. .DISCUSSION... OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THIS MORNINGS CONVECTIVE COMPLEX IS CURRENTLY POSITIONED ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA FROM NEAR IDABEL TO HUGO ON INTO SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. DEWPOINTS SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY ARE IN THE MID 70S WITH UPPER 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREE DEWPOINTS NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. LATEST FORECAST CAPE VALUES OF 3000 TO 4000 J/KG WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO HELP MOVE THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FURTHER NORTH THIS AFTERNOON INTO EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AROUND 4 PM. THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM INITIATION. LARGE HAIL OF GOLFBALL SIZE OR LARGER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE A THREAT MAINLY ALONG THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING BEFORE THE SYSTEM EVOLVES INTO LINE AND MOVES EAST INTO ARKANSAS. THREAT TABLE VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC MONDAY AREA 1...MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...95 SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...90 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...40 THREAT AREAS DEFINE THE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT. SIGNIFICANT SEVERE IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/TORNADO DAMAGE AND /OR GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER. RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA AN UPDATED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 1 PM TODAY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 4:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 58 min |
| May 20, 4:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee, Okmulgee | 51 min |
| May 20, 4:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 29 min |
| May 20, 4:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 49 min |
| May 20, 5:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 61 min |
| May 20, 5:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek | 52 min |
| May 20, 5:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 43 min |
| May 20, 5:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 60 min |
| May 20, 5:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 44 min |
| May 20, 5:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Rogers, Wagoner | 39 min |
| May 20, 6:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 58 min |
| May 20, 6:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Haskell, Muskogee | 64 min |
| May 20, 6:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 48 min |
| May 20, 6:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pawnee | 62 min |
| May 20, 6:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Osage | 44 min |
| May 20, 6:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig, Mayes, Rogers | 57 min |
| May 20, 6:41 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Washington | 49 min |
| May 20, 6:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Tulsa | 62 min |
| May 20, 6:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Mayes | 49 min |
| May 20, 6:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage | 46 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2001Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001
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.