Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Norman, OK

May 24, 2004Caddo County, Washita County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at May 24, 2004, 6:22 PM CDT for Caddo County, Washita County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 38 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 24, 2004, 6:22 PM CDT (23:22 UTC)
Expired: May 24, 2004, 7:00 PM CDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Norman, OK
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Caddo County, OK, Washita County, OK

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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 tornado 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 24, 4:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Sill, OK (KFSI), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 71 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 645 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -307 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1027 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 317 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 341 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.

326 
WFUS54 KOUN 242322
TOROKC
OKC015-149-250000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
622 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CADDO COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA
  EASTERN WASHITA COUNTY IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 622 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF EAKLY...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ALBERT...BINGER...EAKLY...FORT
  COBB RESERVOIR AND LOOKEBA

TAKE COVER NOW. LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. IF POSSIBLE...MOVE
TO A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER. OTHERWISE MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR
HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND OUTSIDE
WALLS.

LAT...LON 3533 9871 3515 9869 3517 9828 3540 9831

$$
 MILLER

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 24, 2:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 2:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
202 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

.DISCUSSION...
RATHER ACTIVE PATTERN TO PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK ACROSS THE
CENTRAL US. EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS IN PLACE ALONG AND EAST OF
DRYLINE LOCATED ACROSS NW SECTIONS OF OK..AND AREA PROFILERS
INDICATE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT DEEP LAYER SHEAR FOR SUPERCELLS ALSO
EXISTS.  MAIN QUESTION AS IT HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL DAYS IS STRENGTH
OF CAP AND ABILITY TO INITIATE/SUSTAIN DEEP CONVECTION.  WV SAT
IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT A SUBTLE IMPULSE IN SUBTROPICAL STREAM IS
APPROACHING WEST TEXAS..AND SFC PRESSURE FALLS ARE DEVELOPING OVER
NW TEXAS ATTM. HOWEVER..19Z SOUNDING ALSO INDICATES THAT STRENGTH OF
CAPPING HAS INCREASED MARKEDLY /AT LEAST IN AREAS WELL EAST OF
DRYLINE/ SINCE 12Z THIS MORNING..AS WARM BUBBLE ANALYZED JUST
UPSTREAM OF OK THIS MORNING TRANSLATES EWD. THERMAL TROF EVIDENT AT
700 MB WILL BEGIN TO BRUSH THE DRYLINE AFTER 21-22Z..AND WILL KEEP
LOW POPS ALL ALONG DRYLINE FOR THIS REASON AS AT LEAST A COUPLE OF
STORMS SHUD BE ABLE TO GET GOING.  IF STORMS GO..THERE IS LITTLE
DOUBT THEY WILL BE SEVERE..WITH SUPERCELLS LIKELY. FRONT WILL SURGE
SWD TOWARD OK/NTEX TONIGHT AND TUESDAY..AND CHANCES FOR STORMS WILL
CONTINUE..WITH BEST CHANCES SEEMINGLY ACROSS THE NRN THIRD OF OK
TONIGHT..AND THEN I44 CORRIDOR AND POINTS SOUTH TUE/TUE EVENING.

BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL REDEVELOP BACK TO THE NORTH DURING THE
WEEK..AND INSTABILITY WILL BE BACK IN PLACE IN ADVANCE OF EJECTING
UPPER LOW SOMETIME AROUND FRIDAY.  MODELS HAVE BEEN QUITE CONSISTENT
IN RAPIDLY DEVELOPING A DEEP LONG WAVE TROF ON SAT/SAT NITE INTO
THE CENTRAL US.  IF THIS VERIFIES..POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT
SVR WX EPISODE SOMEWHERE ON THE PLAINS WILL BE HIGH ON
SAT..COINCIDENT WITH STRONGEST LOW LEVEL CYCLOGENESIS AND RESULTANT
STRONG WIND FIELDS AND AGEOSTROPHIC ACCELERATIONS TO LOW LEVEL
FLOW.  HARD TO SAY AT THIS TIME IF THE BEST AREA WILL BE OVER OK..OR
LOCATIONS FARTHER NORTH OR SOUTH. FOR NOW..WILL KEEP POPS GOING LATE
IN THE WEEK..WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FRI WITH EJECTING CUT OFF LOW AND
AGAIN SAT/SAT NITE FOR STRONGER DIGGING TROF.  A BIT LATE IN THE
SEASON TO GET A STRONG FROPA AS SUGGESTED BY GFS SUN/MON..BUT WILL
COOL TEMPS FOR DAY 7 /ESP NORTH/ FOR THIS INITIAL ISSUANCE.
 MILLER

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK  71  88  65  85 /  20  30  20  10
HOBART OK         69  89  64  86 /  20  30  20  10
WICHITA FALLS TX  73  95  69  91 /  20  20  30  10
GAGE OK           66  82  57  84 /  20  20  10  10
PONCA CITY OK     71  82  61  82 /  30  30  10  10
DURANT OK         71  89  69  88 /  10  30  20  10

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...NONE.
TX...NONE.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, May 24, 12:00 PM CDT, 6 hours 22 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1200 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-251200-

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF
NORTHERN...CENTRAL...AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA AS WELL AS PARTS OF
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

LOCATION...
THE SLIGHT RISK AREA IS NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM STILLWATER... TO
OKLAHOMA CITY... TO WICHITA FALLS...AND SOUTHEAST OF AN ALVA TO
CHEYENNE LINE.

TIMING...
THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM 3 PM
THROUGH 11 PM.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN THE
SLIGHT RISK AREA SHOULD PLAN FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS
FROM MID AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE EVENING.

DISCUSSION...
AT MIDDAY...A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA WAS LOCATED OVER WESTERN
KANSAS WITH A DRY LINE TRAILING FROM WESTERN KANSAS THROUGH
NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA...INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE.  EAST OF THE DRY
LINE...MOIST AIR HAD SURGED NORTHWARD ACROSS NORTH TEXAS AND MUCH OF
OKLAHOMA ON STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS.

THE DRY LINE IS EXPECTED TO PUSH A BIT FURTHER EAST AND BY MID TO
LATE AFTERNOON WILL EXTEND FROM NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO THE
SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE. THE CAP WILL LIKELY SUPPRESS THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT UNTIL MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...AND COULD SUPPRESS
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ENTIRELY. HOWEVER...THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE
THAT CONVERGENCE ALONG THE DRYLINE AND STRONG DAYTIME HEATING WILL
BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE CAP AND ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN OKLAHOMA WHERE THE CAP STRENGTH IS
EXPECTED TO BE SOMEWHAT WEAKER. STRONG INSTABILITY AND VERTICAL WIND
SHEAR WILL ALLOW ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP TO QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE.
VERY LARGE HAIL...POSSIBLY GOLFBALL TO BASEBALL SIZE...WILL BE THE
MAIN CONCERN. DAMAGING WINDS ALSO WILL BE POSSIBLE. TORNADO
POTENTIAL WILL BE LIMITED INITIALLY DUE TO EXPECTED HIGH STORM BASES
AND RELATIVELY WEAK WIND SHEAR AT LOW LEVELS...BUT COULD INCREASE
FOR A TIME DURING THE EARLY EVENING AS SURFACE WINDS EAST OF THE DRY
LINE BACK TO A MORE SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION INCREASING THE
LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR. THE STORMS SHOULD TEND TO WEAKEN LATER IN THE
EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP TONIGHT ALONG THE FRONT IN
KANSAS...AND THESE COULD BUILD DOWN INTO PARTS OF NORTHERN OKLAHOMA
LATE TONIGHT AS THE FRONT BEGINS MOVING BACK SOUTH. SEVERE WEATHER
POTENTIAL WITH THESE STORMS LATE TONIGHT CURRENTLY APPEARS LOW.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT TUESDAY MAY 25.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...50 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...90 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS THE
FRONT MOVES BACK INTO THE AREA. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN
AGAIN ON FRIDAY...WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR ONE OR MORE SIGNIFICANT
SEVERE WEATHER EPISODES AS WE GO INTO THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. AT
THIS TIME...FRIDAY AND SUNDAY APPEAR TO BE THE MOST ACTIVE DAYS.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 7 AM
TUESDAY.

2

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 24, 5:50 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
550 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

OKZ017-018-024-242300-
BLAINE OK-CANADIAN OK-KINGFISHER OK-
550 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR BLAINE...CANADIAN AND
KINGFISHER COUNTIES.

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OMEGA AT 550
PM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

STORM INTENSITY IS INCREASING AND SEVERE WEATHER MAY DEVELOP RAPIDLY.

PEOPLE IN BLAINE...CANADIAN AND KINGFISHER COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE
CITY OF KINGFISHER...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY.
LISTEN FOR WARNINGS AND REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS.

 MILLER

Local storm report, May 24, 5:50 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
550 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0501 PM     HAIL             GRANITE                 34.96N 99.38W
05/24/2004  2.00 INCH        GREER              OK   AMATEUR RADIO

            REPORTED AT OK STATE REFORMATORY.

0547 PM     HAIL             7 W ALTUS               34.64N 99.46W
05/24/2004  1.75 INCH        JACKSON            OK   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

TY/LS

Local storm report, May 24, 5:54 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
554 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0545 PM     HAIL             9 E CORDELL             35.30N 98.82W
05/24/2004  0.75 INCH        WASHITA            OK   PUBLIC

&&

TY/LS

Local storm report, May 24, 6:02 PM CDT, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
602 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0601 PM     HAIL             1 W BLAIR               34.78N 99.35W
05/24/2004  1.00 INCH        JACKSON            OK   PUBLIC

&&

TY/LS

Local storm report, May 24, 6:11 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
611 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0610 PM     HAIL             ALTUS                   34.64N 99.33W
05/24/2004  2.00 INCH        JACKSON            OK   BROADCAST MEDIA

            REPORTED ON SOUTH SIDE OF CITY.

0555 PM     HAIL             HOBART                  35.03N 99.09W
05/24/2004  1.00 INCH        KIOWA              OK   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

TY/LS

Local storm report, May 24, 6:17 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
617 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0613 PM     HAIL             GOTEBO                  35.07N 98.87W
05/24/2004  1.25 INCH        KIOWA              OK   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

TY/LS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 23, 7:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Payne	35 min
May 23, 7:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Lincoln	38 min
May 23, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Payne	30 min
May 23, 10:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Lincoln, Payne	44 min
May 23, 10:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Lincoln	38 min
May 24, 4:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Harmon	40 min
May 24, 4:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Greer	51 min
May 24, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Washita	56 min
May 24, 4:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Harmon	50 min
May 24, 4:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Kiowa	62 min
May 24, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Blaine, Caddo, Custer	40 min
May 24, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Jackson	37 min
May 24, 5:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Washita	60 min
May 24, 5:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Jackson	36 min
May 24, 5:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Jackson	35 min
May 24, 5:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Kiowa	46 min
May 24, 6:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Blaine, Kingfisher	45 min
May 24, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Caddo	55 min
May 24, 6:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Jackson, Kiowa	46 min
May 24, 6:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield, Noble	41 min
May 24, 6:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Tillman	31 min
May 24, 6:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Jackson, Tillman	24 min
May 24, 6:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Blaine, Kingfisher	34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes in 2004

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.