Alert archive / Oklahoma / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 25, NWS Tulsa, OK

August 3, 2003Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this flash flood warning at Aug 3, 2003, 1:33 PM CDT for Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 57 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 3, 2003, 1:33 PM CDT (18:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 2003, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Pittsburg County, OK

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood 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 nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1245 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2003-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 214 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-301 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1439 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
214 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
292 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS54 KTSA 031832
FFWTUL
OKC121-031930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
133 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
  PITTSBURG COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 129 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN   
  WEST OF A LINE FROM INDIANOLA TO HARTSHORNE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT  
  30 MPH. RADAR INDICATES THAT 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY     
  FALLEN OVER THE WARNED AREA. ANOTHER INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE         
  THROUGH 230 PM CDT.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE AFFECTED BY THE HEAVY RAIN
  INCLUDE MCALESTER...KIOWA...BLANCO...SAVANNA...HARTSHORNE...
  HAYWOOD...ALDERSON...KREBS AND SCIPIO.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD TO
UNKNOWN DEPTHS. IT ONLY TAKES TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER TO CARRY AWAY
MOST SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO
REACH YOUR DESTINATION OR WAIT UNTIL THE WATER RECEDES. REMEMBER...
MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.

LAT...LON 3518 9587 3506 9610 3470 9605 3461 9585
          3464 9555 3504 9553

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS74 KTSA 031926
FFSTUL
OKC121-031935-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
225 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR PITTSBURG COUNTY WILL BE        
   ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 230 PM CDT...

AT 225 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF KIOWA...MOVING SOUTH AT 25 MPH.

RADAR INDICATES THAT 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER PORTIONS 
OF PITTSBURGH COUNTY...HOWEVER THE MAJORITY OF THE HEAVY RAIN HAS 
CURRENTLY SHIFTED SOUTH OF THE WARNED AREA.  WHILE FLOODING OF LOW 
LYING AREAS MAY CONTINUE...THE IMMEDIATE FLASH FLOOD THREAT HAS 
ENDED THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR PITTSBURGH COUNTY WILL BE 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD TO
UNKNOWN DEPTHS. IT ONLY TAKES TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER TO CARRY AWAY
MOST SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO
REACH YOUR DESTINATION OR WAIT UNTIL THE WATER RECEDES. REMEMBER...
MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.

LAT...LON 3517 9568 3510 9604 3459 9591 3468 9554

$$

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Aug 3, 11:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 11:20 AM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
1120 AM CDT SUN AUG 3 2003

BUSY MORNING WITH STORM COMPLEX...WHICH NOW FINALLY APPEARS TO BE ON
THE WANE. STILL A FEW TRAINING ECHOES FROM ABOUT BRISTOW TO
MCALESTER TO HUGO BUT WILL FURTHER DIMINISH NEXT FEW HOURS AS WAA
SHUTS OFF. MADE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO MORNING POPS BASED ON
RADAR TRENDS...ALSO COOLED MAX TEMPS IN MOST AREAS A DEGREE OR TWO.

FOR THIS AFTERNOON...OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WILL BE PRESENT WITH SOME
DESTABILIZATION FROM DAYTIME HEATING. CANNOT TOTALLY RULE OUT
REDEVELOPMENT AND WILL INCLUDE AT LEAST SLIGHT CHANCE IN ALL AREAS.

UPDATE OUT SHORTLY.

FORECAST ID= 14

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

SULLIVAN
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 6:00 AM CDT, 7 hours 33 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-041100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT SUN AUG 03 2003

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

...CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST
CENTRAL ARKANSAS THIS MORNING...
...SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT...

ANOTHER COMPLEX OF STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH ACROSS SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. LARGE HAIL
WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS
WILL DEVELOP ALONG AN EXISTING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...MAINLY WEST OF
HIGHWAY 75. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL. THE
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL DIMINISH LATER THIS MORNING AS THE LOW
LEVEL JET WEAKENS. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS
AFTERNOON ALONG ANY EXISTING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AS THE ATMOSPHERE
DESTABILIZES WITH DAYTIME HEATING.

ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS IS POSSIBLE AGAIN TONIGHT AS THE LOW LEVEL
JET STRENGTHENS AND INTERACTS WITH THE SURFACE BOUNDARIES IN PLACE.
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS.

WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE
FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN
PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT
YOUR LOCATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES INTO TUESDAY AS A NORTHWEST
FLOW ALOFT REMAINS OVER THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN BY
MIDWEEK AND BRING A RETURN TO HOT AND DRY WEATHER.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER
ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST
CENTRAL ARKANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING...AND MAY BE REQUIRED AGAIN
TONIGHT.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 7:48 AM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0748 AM CDT SUN AUG 03 2003

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

0400 AM    DEPEW                     OK   1.75 IN HAIL
08/03/03   CREEK                          REPORTED BY BRISTOW EM

RBD
Local storm report, Aug 3, 10:08 AM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1008 AM CDT SUN AUG 03 2003

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

0905 AM    7 N ASHLAND               OK   59 MPH WIND GUST
08/03/03   PITTSBURG                      REPORTED BY OKLAHOMA
                                          MESONET

CH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 3, 1:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Pawnee58 min
Aug 3, 2:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek57 min
Aug 3, 2:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee47 min
Aug 3, 2:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Tulsa50 min
Aug 3, 3:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner57 min
Aug 3, 3:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek47 min
Aug 3, 3:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek68 min
Aug 3, 3:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkmulgee62 min
Aug 3, 4:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee, Wagoner58 min
Aug 3, 4:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPawnee38 min
Aug 3, 4:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Sequoyah56 min
Aug 3, 4:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek61 min
Aug 3, 6:19 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACreek, Osage, Pawnee4 hr
Aug 3, 8:37 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAPittsburg3 hr
Aug 3, 8:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg43 min
Aug 3, 8:54 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAOkmulgee3 hr
Aug 3, 10:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw49 min
Aug 3, 11:23 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAPittsburg2 hr
Aug 3, 11:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee, Okmulgee41 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Oklahoma, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.