Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 78, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 1, 2003LeFlore County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 2003, 6:01 PM CDT for LeFlore County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 59 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 1, 2003, 6:01 PM CDT (23:01 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2003, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County LeFlore County, OK

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:04 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 1, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 237 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 2003-05-01Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2003-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -340 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
816 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-340 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-135 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 012301
SVRTUL
OKC079-020000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
601 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LE FLORE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 601 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG
  A LINE EXTENDING FROM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF WISTER TO 11 MILES WEST
  OF FANSHAWE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...POTEAU...BIG
  CEDAR...HEAVENER...FANSHAWE...HOWE...WISTER...CAMERON...PANAMA...
  BOKOSHE...SPIRO...POCOLA AND ARKOMA.

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.

LAT...LON 3456 9453 3480 9504 3519 9485 3535 9443

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 1, 5:40 PM CDT, 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 5:40 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
MESOSCALE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
540 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2003

SUPERCELLS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA THIS
AFTERNOON. BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDS FROM JAY TO OKMULGEE WILL MERGE
WITH THE BOUNDARY THAT IS QUASI-STATIONARY FROM STILWELL TO WAGONER
WHERE THERE IS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. AIRMASS CONTINUES TO BE
EXTREMELY UNSTABLE IN THE VICINITY OF THESE BOUNDARIES WITH SURFACE
BASED CAPE IN EXCESS OF 4000 J/KG. THE SOUTHERN STORMS WILL BE MORE
LIKELY TO BECOME TORNADIC WHERE THE STORM RELATIVE HELICITY AND
INFLOW WILL BE MORE FAVORABLE.

FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EAST-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
AS STORMS CONTINUE TO TRAIN ACROSS THAT AREA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA ALONG DRYLINE/COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM EASTERN
PITTSBURG COUNTY TO NEAR HUGO. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO HAVE
THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SUPERCELLS AS THEY MOVE INTO WEST-CENTRAL
ARKANSAS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET
WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.

10

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 1, 1:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 1 minute before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-021100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

...CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
AT MID DAY A COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA.  TO THE EAST OF THIS FRONT THE ATMOSPHERE WAS QUITE MOIST.
THIS MOISTURE WILL TRANSLATE INTO INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON AS
TEMPERATURES WARM TO THE UPPER 70S TO MID 80S.  AS TEMPERATURES WARM
THE LID ON THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPMENT IMPOSED BY A WARM LAYER OF AIR
OFF THE SURFACE MAY BE BROKEN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM.  IN
ADDITION...THE COLD FRONT COULD AID IN THIS PROCESS AS IT MOVES
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  IF A
THUNDERSTORM DOES FORM THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE IT WOULD BECOME
SEVERE.  THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS WHERE HEATING IS
EXPECTED TO BE MAXIMIZED.

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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BEGIN MOVING SLOWLY NORTH LATE FRIDAY
AND LIKELY SPAWN MORE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT AND OVER
THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...SPOTTER
ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED FOR SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS TODAY.

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 1, 4:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
ARZ001>002-010>011-019>020-029-OKZ049-053-060>063-066>076-020200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
400 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH
#202 UNTIL 900 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IN ARKANSAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 7 COUNTIES...
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS:

BENTON                CARROLL               CRAWFORD
MADISON               WASHINGTON

IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS:

FRANKLIN              SEBASTIAN

IN OKLAHOMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 17 COUNTIES...
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA:

CHEROKEE              MUSKOGEE              SEQUOYAH

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

ADAIR                 DELAWARE              MAYES
OKMULGEE              ROGERS                TULSA
WAGONER

IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA:

CHOCTAW               HASKELL               LATIMER
LE FLORE              MCINTOSH              PITTSBURG
PUSHMATAHA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ANTLERS...BENTONVILLE...BERRYVILLE...
BROKEN ARROW...CEDARVILLE...CLAREMORE...CLAYTON...EUFAULA...EUREKA
SPRINGS...FAYETTEVILLE...FORT SMITH...HUGO...HUNTSVILLE...JAY...
MCALESTER...MOUNTAINBURG...MUSKOGEE...NATURAL DAM...OKMULGEE...
OZARK...POTEAU...PRYOR...ROGERS...SALLISAW...SAND SPRINGS...SILOAM
SPRINGS...SPRINGDALE...STIGLER...STILWELL...TAHLEQUAH...TULSA...VAN
BUREN...WAGONER AND WILBURTON.
Local storm report, May 1, 4:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0446 PM CDT THU MAY 01 2003

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

0442 PM    4 W TAHLEQUAH             OK   0.88 IN HAIL
05/01/03   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGER

0437 PM    5 W TAHLEQUAH             OK   1.75 IN HAIL
05/01/03   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY SPOTTER

0430 PM    1 NE HULBERT              OK   1.25 IN HAIL
05/01/03   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR

0430 PM    4 W TAHLEQUAH             OK   1.00 IN HAIL
05/01/03   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR

BAS
Local storm report, May 1, 5:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0500 PM CDT THU MAY 01 2003

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

0448 PM    10 S CHLOETA              OK   1.75 IN HAIL
05/01/03   DELAWARE                       REPRTED BY TV STATION

BAS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 11:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage, Washington64 min
May 1, 12:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAOsage59 min
May 1, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee54 min
May 1, 4:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMayes37 min
May 1, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware45 min
May 1, 4:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWagoner37 min
May 1, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee53 min
May 1, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSADelaware50 min
May 1, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWagoner45 min
May 1, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPushmataha44 min
May 1, 5:55 PM CDTTornado WarningTSACherokee, Muskogee, Wagoner50 min
May 1, 5:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSACherokee3 hr
May 1, 6:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAPushmataha48 min
May 1, 6:29 PM CDTTornado WarningTSASequoyah46 min
May 1, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACherokee17 min
May 1, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSALeFlore64 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.