Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 156, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 12, 2002Sequoyah County, Oklahoma; Crawford County, Sebastian County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 2002, 8:26 PM CDT for Sequoyah County, Oklahoma; Crawford County, Sebastian County, Arkansas. It was in force for 64 min. 1 report 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, 8:26 PM CDT (01:26 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2002, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Crawford County, AR, Sebastian County, AR, Sequoyah County, OK

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:30 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 8:40 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61 EHartford, ARThunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew trees down.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 12, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 259 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 00:00Z on 2002-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 00:00Z on 2002-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -21 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
488 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
8.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KTSA 130126
SVRTUL
ARC033-131-OKC135-130300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
825 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SEQUOYAH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
  CRAWFORD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  SEBASTIAN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 824 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG
  A LINE EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GANS TO 5 MILES SOUTH OF
  SPIRO TO 7 MILES WEST OF HEAVENER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...GANS...
  MULDROW...ROLAND...MOFFETT...POTEAU...HEAVENER...HOWE...CAMERON...
  SPIRO...POCOLA...ARKOMA...FORT SMITH...HARTFORD...HACKETT...
  BARLING...MIDLAND...EXCELSIOR...BONANZA...JENNY LIND...VAN BUREN
  AND FIGURE FIVE.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED 
WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS.

LAT...LON 3540 9478 3519 9462 3484 9474 3494 9434
          3534 9419 3559 9440

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, 6:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 6:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
642 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

MOST CONVECTION OVER CWA IS ELEVATED...WITH AN EXCEPTION BEING
SEVERE CELL IN WASHINGTON COUNTY ARKANSAS.  USING MODIFIED RUC
SOUNDING...GETTING A LITTLE OVER 3000 J/KG FOR THIS CELL...VERSUS
ABOUT 1200 J/KG WITH ELEVATED STORMS AROUND OKFUSKEE COUNTY.

MANY OF THE ELEVATED STORMS LOOK TO BE INDUCING INFLOW ON ON THEIR
NORTHERN FLANKS.  BOTH SURFACE-BASED STORMS AND ELEVATED STORMS ONLY
GETTING 10-15 KT OF RELATIVE INFLOW.

PER VWP...COLD AIR ABOUT 3700 FEET DEEP OVER TULSA AREA.  ELEVATED
STORMS MOSTLY DEPENDENT ON UPPER LIFT THAT SHOULD SLIDE EAST OF CWA
BY AROUND MIDNIGHT.  THINK THAT STRONG ELEVATED STORMS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EVENING.

.TSA...

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

MATHEWS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 12, 3:43 PM CDT, 4 hours 43 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 HAIL
Local storm report, May 12, 3:50 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 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 HAIL
Local storm report, May 12, 4:07 PM CDT, 4 hours 19 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 EMA
Local storm report, May 12, 6:18 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
618 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

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

0417 PM    KETCHUM                   OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   CRAIG                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0509 PM    1 E GROVE                 OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   DELAWARE                       REPORTED BY EMA

0530 PM    9 NNW TAHLEQUAH           OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/12/02   CHEROKEE                       POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0511 PM    3 NE GROVE                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   DELAWARE                       REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0528 PM    1 W WESTVILLE             OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/12/02   ADAIR                          LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0539 PM    STILWELL                  OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   ADAIR                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0540 PM    5 WNW WESTVILLE           OK   59 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/12/02   ADAIR                          REPORTED BY OKLAHOMA
                                          MESONET

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee45 min
May 12, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg39 min
May 12, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa32 min
May 12, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALatimer54 min
May 12, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore60 min
May 12, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes, Rogers44 min
May 12, 8:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOttawa37 min
May 12, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore21 min
May 12, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACarroll57 min
May 12, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMadison42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 2002Severe 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.