Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 141, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 2002, 5:18 PM CDT for Adair County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 57 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 12, 2002, 5:18 PM CDT (22:18 UTC)
- Expired
- May 12, 2002, 6:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 57 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Adair County, OK
The radar
The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:18 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 12, 5:28 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 61 E | Westville, OK | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down a large tree. |
| May 12, 5:39 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Stilwell, OK | |
| May 12, 5:40 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 51 M | Westville, 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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
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 12, 1:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 131 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
- 513 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -102 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 786 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 348 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 353 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KTSA 122218 SVRTUL OKC001-122315- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 517 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... ADAIR COUNTY IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA * UNTIL 615 PM CDT * AT 517 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PROCTOR TO 11 MILES WEST OF BUNCH...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. * SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...STILWELL... BUNCH...BARON...CHRISTIE...PROCTOR...WESTVILLE AND WATTS. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA. STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. LAT...LON 3616 9479 3566 9481 3566 9448 3618 9456
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 12, 3:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 12, 3:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 325 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002 COLD FRONT AT 20Z WAS LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF I-44. BOUNDARY WAS ROUGHLY ALONG A LINE FROM GROVE...TO THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF TULSA COUNTY...THEN SOUTHWARD ACROSS OKMULGEE AND OKFUSKEE COUNTIES. FRONT HAS REMAINED VERY SLOW MOVING THROUGH THE DAY AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CURRENTLY IN EFFECT ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. WILL WATCH TRENDS TILL ZONES TIME...THEN MAY BE ABLE TO TRIM JUST A FEW COUNTIES ON THE WESTERN FRINGE OF THE AREA FROM THE WATCH. DO SEE ADDED DEVELOPMENT BACK TO THE NORTHWEST THOUGH...SO WILL LIKELY LEAVE AS IS FOR NOW. DO EXPECT THE FRONT TO DEVELOP A STRONGER PUSH TO THE SOUTHEAST LATER TONIGHT AS SHORTWAVE NOW OVER CO/NM CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD. WILL CONFINE POPS TO THE FIRST PERIOD ONLY...WITH LIKELY POPS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND CHANCE POPS BEHIND THE FRONT. ONCE THE FRONT CLEARS THE AREA SHOULD HAVE A FEW PLEASANT DAYS THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK. NEXT MENTION OF PRECIP WILL BE THURSDAY/FRIDAY...THEN DRY ONCE AGAIN FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. FCSTID = 4 TUL 50 69 45 74 / 40 0 0 0 FSM 55 70 44 74 / 70 10 0 0 MLC 54 71 46 76 / 70 0 0 0 BVO 48 69 44 74 / 30 0 0 0 FYV 52 67 40 69 / 70 10 0 0 BYV 52 67 40 69 / 70 10 0 0 MIO 51 68 43 72 / 70 0 0 0 MKO 53 70 46 75 / 70 0 0 0 F10 53 70 46 75 / 70 0 0 0 HHW 58 73 47 78 / 70 10 0 0 .TSA... AR...NONE. OK...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 12, 1:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-131100- EASTERN OKLAHOMA / NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 115 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS... THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS CURRENTLY LOCATED FROM MIAMI TO TULSA TO BRISTOW AND WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD FRONT AND AN UPPER LEVEL STORM MOVING INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH HAIL UP TO 1.75 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 65 MILES AN HOUR. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. .DISCUSSION... THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA. THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE SURFACE COLD FRONT REMAINS MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE AS THE UPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES. LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. IF THE STORMS BECOME SURFACE BASED...DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL LIKELY END BY MIDNIGHT AS DRIER MORE STABLE AIR PUSHES SOUTH INTO THE AREA. THREAT TABLE VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC MONDAY AREA 1...MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...90 SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...70 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...20 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. .OTHER HAZARDS... LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH A FEW LOCATIONS LIKELY TO RECEIVE GREATER THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN. RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
Local storm report, May 12, 3:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
343 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0311 PM 2 NORTH PETTIT OK .88 INCH HAIL 05/12/02
CHEROKEE DIME TO NICKEL HAILLocal storm report, May 12, 3:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
350 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
...CORRECTION FOR DATE GROUP...
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0311 PM 2 NORTH PETTIT OK .88 INCH HAIL
05/12/02 CHEROKEE DIME TO NICKEL HAILLocal storm report, May 12, 4:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
407 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0400 PM 5 N CHOUTEAU OK .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02 MAYES REPORTED BY EMA
0404 PM PRYOR OK 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02 MAYES REPORTED BY EMAThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 3:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 45 min |
| May 12, 3:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Mayes | 37 min |
| May 12, 4:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig | 40 min |
| May 12, 4:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Delaware | 45 min |
| May 12, 4:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Muskogee | 39 min |
| May 12, 4:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 53 min |
| May 12, 5:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Delaware | 66 min |
| May 12, 5:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 49 min |
| May 12, 6:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 42 min |
| May 12, 6:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 51 min |
| May 12, 6:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 31 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002
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.