Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Tulsa, OK

January 23, 2002Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 23, 2002, 4:17 PM CST for Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 43 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
Jan 23, 2002, 4:17 PM CST (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Jan 23, 2002, 5:00 PM CST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Sequoyah County, OK

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 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
Jan 23, 4:20 PM CSTHail 0.75Sallisaw, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jan 23, 2:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 176 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2002-01-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2002-01-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 279 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1076 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
279 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
296 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KTSA 232217
SVRTUL
OKC135-232300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
417 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SEQUOYAH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 500 PM CST

* AT 417 PM CST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
  SALLISAW...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...SALLISAW...
  GANS...BRUSHY AND SHORT.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THE WARNED AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY
FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS.

LAT...LON 3546 9495 3532 9481 3549 9444 3565 9448
          3564 9475

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 Jan 23, 3:45 PM CST, 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 3:45 PM CST, 32 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
345 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED AHEAD OF IT.  THE FRONT
SHOULD PUSH SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT BRINGING AN END TO
THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM THREAT.  ETA QPF SUGGESTS RAIN COULD
CONTINUE AFTER MIDNIGHT IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS.  AVN MOS POPS SUGGEST SOME THREAT FOR SHOWERS TOMORROW BUT
MOST OF THE MOISTURE BY THEN WILL BE MID LEVEL SO DO NOT EXPECT MUCH.
CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH A
SEASONABLY CHILLY NIGHT IN STORE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  RETURN FLOW
BEGINS FROM THURSDAY ON INTO THE WEAKEND.  SHOULD SEE A WARMING
TREND.  THE NEXT COOL DOWN AND THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE
TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  THE MRF SHOWS A COLD FRONT WITH
SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER AIR PASSING THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

FCSTID = 17
TUL   30  45  26  53 /  30  10   0   0
FSM   35  45  26  52 /  70  20   0   0
MLC   36  47  30  54 /  70  20   0   0
BVO   28  44  24  53 /  30  10   0   0
FYV   32  44  22  50 /  70  10   0   0
BYV   32  44  22  50 /  70  10   0   0
MIO   30  44  22  50 /  60  10   0   0
MKO   33  47  28  54 /  60  10   0   0
F10   33  47  28  54 /  60  10   0   0
HHW   38  50  32  57 /  70  10   0   0

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 23, 1:00 PM CST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-241200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE SOUTH OF A MCALESTER TO
FAYETTEVILLE LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING INTO NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL
PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS.
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE
ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS PRIOR TO COLD
FRONTAL PASSAGE.  THE FAVORED AREA FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
SOUTH OF A MCALESTER TO FAYETTEVILLE LINE.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

.DISCUSSION...
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS HIGH OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WEST
CENTRAL ARKANSAS.  THIS HAS ALLOWED FOR THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE AREA
TO BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHEASTERN
OKLAHOMA.  THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM INITIAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
STRONG WINDS AND HAIL...WITH THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES INCREASING
OVER SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA DURING THE EVENING HOURS AS AN AREA OF
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE MOVES CLOSER TO THE AREA.

THREAT TABLE
VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC THURSDAY

AREA 1...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MCALESTER TO FAYETTEVILLE
THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...80
SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...40
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...30

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
Local storm report, Jan 23, 3:42 PM CST, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
342 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

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

0325 PM    QUINTON                   OK    .88 INCH HAIL
01/23/02   PITTSBURG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 23, 2:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg49 min
Jan 23, 2:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee35 min
Jan 23, 3:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Pittsburg41 min
Jan 23, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh43 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.