Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 229, NWS Tulsa, OK
NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 2003, 2:57 PM CDT for Muskogee County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 48 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
- May 16, 2003, 2:57 PM CDT (19:57 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 2003, 3:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tulsa, OK
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Muskogee County, OK
The radar
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:59 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.
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 16, 12:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| May 16, 12:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 191 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
- 189 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -176 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 777 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 178 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 168 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KTSA 161957 SVRTUL OKC101-162045- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 256 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN MUSKOGEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA * UNTIL 345 PM CDT * AT 256 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DANGEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF MUSKOGEE TO 2 MILES EAST OF OKTAHA...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. RADAR INDICATED SOME ROTATION WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE NEAR ITS PATH SHOULD MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE NOW * SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... MUSKOGEE... OKTAHA...KEEFETON...BRAGGS AND FORT GIBSON. A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN MUSKOGEE COUNTY UNTIL 330 PM. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WARNED AREA. IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM...TAKE COVER NOW A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM...YOU SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO ACT QUICKLY. LAT...LON 3581 9548 3555 9551 3556 9512 3583 9512
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 16, 2:19 PM CDT, 38 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 16, 2:19 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
MESOSCALE FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA 219 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003 KINX WSR-88D CONTINUE TO INDICATE A TVS JUST EAST OF SHULTER IN OKMULGEE COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK OFF TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTHWESTERN MCINTOSH COUNTIES AND INTO WESTERN MUSKOGEE COUNTIES. HELICITY VALUES ARE PEAKING ACROSS MUSKOGEE COUNTY AND WOULD WOULD EXPECT THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS TO PERSIST AS IT MOVES INTO MUSKOGEE COUNTY AND POSSIBLY WAGONER COUNTY. FORECAST ID= 10 .TSA... AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES ARZ001>002... ARZ010>011...ARZ019>020...ARZ029. OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES OKZ049... OKZ053>076.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 1:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-171100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 100 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... IN THE WAKE OF STRONG EARLY MORNING STORMS...CONDITIONS WILL AGAIN BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. A POTENT UPPER LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON WHILE A SURFACE LOW TRACKS EASTWARD ACROSS OKLAHOMA. CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF THE LOW WILL INITIATE THUNDERSTORMS BY EARLY AFTERNOON WHICH WILL QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE. STORMS PRODUCING TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE MOST LIKELY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS WHERE SHEAR PROFILES ARE MOST FAVORABLE. ELSEWHERE...BANDS OF SUPERCELLS OR STRONG MULTICELLS WITH BOWING SEGMENTS WILL BE MOST LIKELY. THESE WILL HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ALONG WITH LARGE HAIL. GIVEN THE RAINFALL THIS MORNING AND THE EXPECTED MAGNITUDE OF THE RAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...FLASH FLOODING MAY BECOME A PROBLEM. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WHICH HAS AND WILL PRODUCE STORMINESS WILL HEAD OFF TO THE EAST OF THE AREA SATURDAY BRINGING AN END TO THE RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR A DAY OR TWO. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING THUNDERSTORMS BACK INTO THE FORECAST LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 16, 11:12 AM CDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1112 AM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0615 AM PEA RIDGE AR WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 BENTON HUNDREDS OF TREES DOWNED
BLOCKING MANY ROADS AND
HIGHWAYS.
0600 AM CROWDER OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 PITTSBURG TREE BLOWN DOWN
0600 AM WESTVILLE OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 ADAIR BARN DESTROYED AND TREES
DOWN
0557 AM 1 E GORE OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 SEQUOYAH TREE BLOWN ONTO MOONSHINE
ROAD
0550 AM LEE CREEK AR WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 CRAWFORD MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ALONG
HIGHWAY 220
0450 AM MUSKOGEE OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 MUSKOGEE TREES BLOWN DOWN
0445 AM CHECOTAH OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 MCINTOSH SEVERAL LARGE LIMBS BLOWN
DOWN
0430 AM ONAPA OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 MCINTOSH SHINGLES BLOWN OFF AND OUT
BUILDINGS DAMAGED. POWER
LINES AND POWER POLES
DOWNED. MOBLE HOME BLOWN
OFF FOUNDATION.
0400 AM 2 W OKEMAH OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 OKFUSKEE TREES DOWN AND OUT
BUILDINGS DAMAGED
0400 AM WELTY OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 OKFUSKEE OUT BUILDINGS DESTROYED
AND TREES DOWNED
0355 AM 5 E BIXBY OK 60 MPH TSTORM WIND
05/16/03 TULSA
0300 AM RALSTON OK 60 MPH TSTORM WIND
05/16/03 PAWNEE
XXXSpecial weather statement, May 16, 12:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
OKZ054>072-162300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1225 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH #392 UNTIL 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 19 COUNTIES... IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA: CHEROKEE MUSKOGEE OKFUSKEE SEQUOYAH IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA: ADAIR CRAIG CREEK DELAWARE MAYES NOWATA OKMULGEE OSAGE OTTAWA PAWNEE ROGERS TULSA WAGONER WASHINGTON IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA: MCINTOSH THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BARTLESVILLE...BRISTOW...BROKEN ARROW... CLAREMORE...EUFAULA...JAY...MIAMI...MUSKOGEE...NOWATA...OKEMAH... OKMULGEE...PAWHUSKA...PAWNEE...PRYOR...SALLISAW...SAND SPRINGS... STILWELL...TAHLEQUAH...TULSA...VINITA AND WAGONER.
Special weather statement, May 16, 12:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
ARZ019>020-029-OKZ049-053-073>076-162300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1243 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH #393 UNTIL 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS: IN ARKANSAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES... IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS: CRAWFORD IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS: FRANKLIN SEBASTIAN IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES... IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA: CHOCTAW HASKELL LATIMER LE FLORE PITTSBURG PUSHMATAHA THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ANTLERS...CEDARVILLE...CLAYTON...FORT SMITH...HUGO...MCALESTER...MOUNTAINBURG...NATURAL DAM...OZARK... POTEAU...STIGLER...VAN BUREN AND WILBURTON.
Local storm report, May 16, 12:48 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1248 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0455 AM 4 E OKAY OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 WAGONER
0455 AM BIG CABIN OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 CRAIG TREE DAMAGE
0418 AM OOLOGAH OK WIND DAMAGE
05/16/03 ROGERS SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN
SAThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Osage, Pawnee | 98 min |
| May 16, 3:26 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 34 min |
| May 16, 3:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | McIntosh, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg | 69 min |
| May 16, 3:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek, Nowata, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington | 68 min |
| May 16, 4:20 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Muskogee, Wagoner | 55 min |
| May 16, 4:28 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa | 77 min |
| May 16, 4:44 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee and 1 more | 91 min |
| May 16, 5:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Wagoner | 30 min |
| May 16, 5:19 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw, Latimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha | 56 min |
| May 16, 5:43 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Delaware | 32 min |
| May 16, 6:13 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee and 2 more | 62 min |
| May 16, 7:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Choctaw, Pushmataha | 44 min |
| May 16, 9:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | LeFlore, Pushmataha | 73 min |
| May 16, 1:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 59 min |
| May 16, 1:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okfuskee | 55 min |
| May 16, 1:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okmulgee | 64 min |
| May 16, 1:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 55 min |
| May 16, 1:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | McIntosh, Muskogee | 54 min |
| May 16, 1:54 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 66 min |
| May 16, 2:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 65 min |
| May 16, 2:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Latimer, Pushmataha | 59 min |
| May 16, 2:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Okmulgee | 34 min |
| May 16, 2:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Haskell, Muskogee | 61 min |
| May 16, 2:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Muskogee | 55 min |
| May 16, 2:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Wagoner | 52 min |
| May 16, 3:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Latimer, LeFlore, Pushmataha | 73 min |
| May 16, 3:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Muskogee | 42 min |
| May 16, 3:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Latimer | 39 min |
| May 16, 3:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Cherokee | 68 min |
| May 16, 3:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Haskell, Sequoyah | 64 min |
| May 16, 3:34 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 56 min |
| May 16, 3:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Adair | 62 min |
| May 16, 4:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Sequoyah | 56 min |
| May 16, 4:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 59 min |
| May 16, 4:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Creek | 46 min |
| May 16, 5:41 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Tulsa | 4 hr |
| May 16, 6:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Washington | 4 hr |
| May 16, 6:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TSA | Creek | 4 hr |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2003Every severe thunderstorm 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.