Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 55, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 19, 2003Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 19, 2003, 9:45 PM CDT for Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 15 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
Apr 19, 2003, 9:45 PM CDT (02:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2003, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
15 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), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:45 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
Apr 19, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 00:00Z on 2003-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 11 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2003-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 286 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
11 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-140 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
902 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
286 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KTSA 200245
SVRTUL
OKC135-200300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
945 PM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 945 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
  ROLAND...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ROLAND AND
  MOFFETT.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARNED AREA. STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE
STORM HAS PASSED.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE NEAR ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR VERY LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.
TAKE COVER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM AND STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 3547 9457 3532 9457 3539 9444 3557 9445

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 Apr 19, 9:25 PM CDT, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 9:25 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
MESOSCALE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
925 PM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

AT 9PM THE COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NEAR SOUTH COFFEYVILLE TO
STROUD.  THE DRY LINE EXTENDS SOUTH FROM NEAR DOWNTOWN TULSA TO 25
MILES WEST OF DURANT.

ENOUGH CONVERGENCE HAS REMAINED ALONG THE DRY LINE TO FIRE NEW
STORMS WEST OF DURANT.  CAPES HAVE REMAINED AROUND 2000 J/KG NEAR
THE DRY LINE IN IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...AND DEEP SHEAR REMAINS
STRONG...SO THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR THESE NEW STORMS TO BECOME
SUPERCELLS AS THEY MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.  SURFACE WINDS
SHOULD DIMINISH WITH TIME...REDUCING THE TORNADO THREAT...BUT THIS
WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED.

THE ATMOSPHERE HAS DESTABILIZED ENOUGH IN WESTERN ARKANSAS TO
CONTINUE THE SEVERE THREAT AND THE SPC HAS EXTENDED A WATCH INTO THE
FIRST TIER OF COUNTIES.  THE CELL IN HASKELL CO. CONTINUES TO ROTATE
AND THIS WILL PERSIST AS THE CELL CROSSES THE RIVER VALLEY AND
THROUGH THE ENHANCED SR-HELICITY.

WITH THE STORMS EXPANDING ALONG A LINE FROM FAYETTEVILLE TO
MCALESTER...THE CONVERGENCE ALONG THE COLD FRONT MAY BE DISRUPTED
AND THIS MIGHT REDUCE THE BACK BUILDING OF STORMS FROM KANSAS.  WE
WILL MONITOR.

FORECAST ID= 8

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 1:30 PM CDT, 8 hours 15 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>058-060>076-201000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
130 PM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PROBABLE ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN
   OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...

...SUPERCELLS THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY
   EVENING WITH THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES...

ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP
THIS AFTERNOON IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AHEAD OF A DRY LINE AND MOVE
NORTHEAST INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTERSECT WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY LEFT OVER
FROM EARLIER CONVECTION. THIS WILL PRODUCE A THREAT FOR LARGE
DAMAGING HAIL AND TORNADOES.

RESIDENTS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR
FORECASTS THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNING PROBABILITIES 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...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY
AS A STRONG UPPER LOW MOVES INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER
ACTIVATION WILL BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON.  A TORNADO WATCH IS
ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA
THIS AFTERNOON. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD CONTINUE TO
CLOSELY MONITOR FORECASTS FOR ADDITIONAL UPDATES.

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

GW

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 19, 8:53 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
ARZ001-010-019-029-OKZ049-053-055>058-060>063-065>076-200700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
853 PM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
#135 UNTIL 200 AM CDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IN ARKANSAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 4 COUNTIES...
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS:

BENTON                CRAWFORD              WASHINGTON

IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS:

SEBASTIAN

IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 22 COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA:

CHEROKEE              MUSKOGEE              OKFUSKEE
SEQUOYAH

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

ADAIR                 CRAIG                 DELAWARE
MAYES                 NOWATA                OKMULGEE
OTTAWA                ROGERS                TULSA
WAGONER               WASHINGTON

IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

CHOCTAW               HASKELL               LATIMER
LE FLORE              MCINTOSH              PITTSBURG
PUSHMATAHA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ANTLERS...BARTLESVILLE...BENTONVILLE...
BROKEN ARROW...CEDARVILLE...CLAREMORE...CLAYTON...EUFAULA...
FAYETTEVILLE...FORT SMITH...HUGO...JAY...MCALESTER...MIAMI...
MOUNTAINBURG...MUSKOGEE...NATURAL DAM...NOWATA...OKEMAH...OKMULGEE...
POTEAU...PRYOR...ROGERS...SALLISAW...SAND SPRINGS...SILOAM SPRINGS...
SPRINGDALE...STIGLER...STILWELL...TAHLEQUAH...TULSA...VAN BUREN...
VINITA...WAGONER AND WILBURTON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 7:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPittsburg28 min
Apr 19, 7:28 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPittsburg32 min
Apr 19, 7:40 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell35 min
Apr 19, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg34 min
Apr 19, 8:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell33 min
Apr 19, 8:28 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALatimer, Pittsburg32 min
Apr 19, 8:43 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAHaskell62 min
Apr 19, 8:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah46 min
Apr 19, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg28 min
Apr 19, 9:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSAHaskell, Sequoyah3 hr
Apr 19, 9:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore57 min
Apr 19, 9:38 PM CDTTornado WarningTSALeFlore67 min
Apr 19, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPittsburg43 min
Apr 19, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore40 min
Apr 19, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore, Sequoyah47 min

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.