Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 229, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 16, 2003Muskogee County, Oklahoma

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 16, 12:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 16, 12:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2003-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 189 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2003-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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

XXX
Special 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

SA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 2:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Osage, Pawnee98 min
May 16, 3:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSATulsa34 min
May 16, 3:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg69 min
May 16, 3:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek, Nowata, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa, Washington68 min
May 16, 4:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee, Wagoner55 min
May 16, 4:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACraig, Delaware, Mayes, Ottawa77 min
May 16, 4:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAAdair, Cherokee, Haskell, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee and 1 more91 min
May 16, 5:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWagoner30 min
May 16, 5:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw, Latimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha56 min
May 16, 5:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware32 min
May 16, 6:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McIntosh, Muskogee and 2 more62 min
May 16, 7:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw, Pushmataha44 min
May 16, 9:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore, Pushmataha73 min
May 16, 1:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOkfuskee59 min
May 16, 1:05 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOkfuskee55 min
May 16, 1:26 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOkmulgee64 min
May 16, 1:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg55 min
May 16, 1:51 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMcIntosh, Muskogee54 min
May 16, 1:54 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPittsburg66 min
May 16, 2:10 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMcIntosh65 min
May 16, 2:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALatimer, Pushmataha59 min
May 16, 2:26 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAOkmulgee34 min
May 16, 2:29 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell, Muskogee61 min
May 16, 2:35 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee55 min
May 16, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWagoner52 min
May 16, 3:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALatimer, LeFlore, Pushmataha73 min
May 16, 3:18 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMuskogee42 min
May 16, 3:21 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer39 min
May 16, 3:22 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACherokee68 min
May 16, 3:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Sequoyah64 min
May 16, 3:34 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore56 min
May 16, 3:58 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAAdair62 min
May 16, 4:04 PM CDTTornado WarningTSASequoyah56 min
May 16, 4:31 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore59 min
May 16, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACreek46 min
May 16, 5:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSATulsa4 hr
May 16, 6:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAWashington4 hr
May 16, 6:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACreek4 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.