Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 145, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 20, 2001Creek County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2001, 6:43 PM CDT for Creek County, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 62 min. 2 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: May 20, 2001, 6:43 PM CDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2001, 7:45 PM CDT
In force: 62 min
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Creek County, OK, Tulsa County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 45 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:46 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, 7:35 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Sperry, OK
May 20, 7:50 PM CDT	Hail 1	Catoosa, OK

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
May 20, 5:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 139 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 186 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -106 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 769 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

210 
WUUS54 KTSA 202344
SVRTUL
OKC037-143-210045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
643 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN CREEK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
  TULSA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 643 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG
  A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES WEST OF SAND SPRINGS TO 11 MILES WEST
  OF MOUNDS...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...SAPULPA...
  KIEFER...MOUNDS...GLENPOOL...OWASSO...JENKS...BIXBY...SAND SPRINGS
  AND TULSA.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED 
IN THE WARNED AREA.

LAT...LON 3619 9625 3585 9619 3588 9582 3641 9579
          3618 9602

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, 5:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 5:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
540 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

UPDATED FORECAST TO INCLUDE HEADLINE FOR SEVERE TSTORM WATCH NUMBER
256. STILL WAITING ON POSSIBLE TOR WATCH FOR WESTERN AR...WILL HAVE
TO UPDATE AGAIN WHEN AND IF IT COMES OUT. INCREASED SEVERE THREAT
WORDING IN SEVERAL ZONES GROUPS. NEW STORMS GOING UP AND INCREASING
NOW...ONE IN EAST TULSA COUNTY AND THE ONE IN CREEK COUNTY. OTHER
STORMS GOING UP IN HUGHES AND PONTOTOC COUNTIES COULD ALSO BECOME
QUITE SEVERE AS IT TAPS EXTREME INSTABILITY.

FCSTID = 26

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 5:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
530 CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0450 PM    5 NW HANNA                OK    TORNADO
05/20/01   MCINTOSH                        DAMAGE REPORTED AT
                                           INDIAN NATION TURNPIKE
                                           TOLL BOOTH.

0522 PM    2 S STIDHAM               OK    TORNADO
05/20/01   MCINTOSH                        SAME
                                           TORNADO...CONTINUING ENE

Local storm report, May 20, 5:52 PM CDT, 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
552 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0548 PM    VIVIAN                    OK    1.75 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   MCINTOSH

0550 PM    2 N BROKEN ARROW          OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   TULSA

Local storm report, May 20, 6:08 PM CDT, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
608 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

K0548 PM    VIVIAN                    OK    1.75 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   MCINTOSH

0550 PM    2 N BROKEN ARROW          OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   TULSA

Local storm report, May 20, 6:11 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
611 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0556 PM    2 N FAIRFAX               OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   OSAGE                           REPORTED BY POLICE DEPT

0607 PM    SAND SPGS                 OK    1.75 INCH HAIL
05/20/01   TULSA                           AMATEUR RADIO REPORT
m

Local storm report, May 20, 6:14 PM CDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
614 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

053r5 PM    7 SW BURBANK              OK    67 MPH TSTM GUST
05/20/01   OSAGE                           MESONET MEASUREMENT

Local storm report, May 20, 6:34 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
634 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0630 PM    1 S PAWHUSKA              OK    TORNADO
05/20/01   OSAGE                           AMATEUR RADIO REPORT

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, 4:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	McIntosh	60 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, 6:56 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, 2001 Every 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.