Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 298
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 26, 2004, 3:55 PM CDT for 22 counties in Oklahoma; Childress County, Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 26, 2004, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)
- Expired
- May 26, 2004, 10:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 23 counties
Alfalfa County, OK, Beckham County, OK, Blaine County, OK, Caddo County, OK, Canadian County, OK, Comanche County, OK, Custer County, OK, Dewey County, OK, Garfield County, OK, Grant County, OK, Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK, Jackson County, OK, Kay County, OK, Kingfisher County, OK, Kiowa County, OK, Major County, OK, Noble County, OK, Roger Mills County, OK, Washita County, OK, Woods County, OK, Woodward County, OK, Childress County, TX
The radar
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:54 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.
Warnings issued inside it
16 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 5:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Blaine, Caddo, Custer, Washita | 38 min |
| May 26, 5:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Canadian, Kingfisher | 39 min |
| May 26, 5:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Blaine, Caddo | 34 min |
| May 26, 5:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Caddo | 31 min |
| May 26, 5:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Canadian | 32 min |
| May 26, 6:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Garfield | 61 min |
| May 26, 6:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Canadian | 47 min |
| May 26, 6:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Grant, Kay | 42 min |
| May 26, 6:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Garfield, Noble | 49 min |
| May 26, 7:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Canadian, Oklahoma | 36 min |
| May 26, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Grant, Kay | 43 min |
| May 26, 7:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 40 min |
| May 26, 8:01 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Kay | 44 min |
| May 26, 8:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Jackson | 49 min |
| May 26, 8:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Kiowa | 48 min |
| May 26, 8:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Comanche | 48 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Fort Sill, OK (KFSI), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 111 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
- 708 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -291 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1122 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 126 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 103 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 262056
SEL8
SPC WW 262055
OKZ000-270300-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 298
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
355 PM CDT WED MAY 26 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
WESTERN OKLAHOMA
EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 355 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALTUS OKLAHOMA TO 45 MILES
NORTH OF ENID OKLAHOMA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 294...WW 295...WW 296...WW
297...
DISCUSSION...AIR MASS HAS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE EAST OF THE DRY LINE
NOW PUSHING EWD INTO FAR WRN OK. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS SEASONABLY
STRONG...AND WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELLS AS STORMS DEVELOP DURING THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...ALONG WITH THE
THREAT OF A TORNADO OR TWO...WILL ACCOMPANY THESE CELLS THROUGH THE
EVENING.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25020.
...EVANS
342,1003 370,0990 370,0965 342,0982SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 7:07 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Carter, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Jefferson, Johnston and 5 more | 113 min |
| May 25, 11:28 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Harmon, Jackson | 2 hr |
| May 26, 12:12 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beckham, Custer, Dewey, Greer, Harmon, Jackson and 3 more | 3 hr |
| May 26, 3:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Greer, Harmon, Jackson | 6 hr |
| May 26, 5:37 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche and 15 more | 83 min |
| May 26, 6:07 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Greer, Harmon, Jackson | 83 min |
| May 26, 6:25 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Cleveland, Creek, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, McClain and 7 more | 5 hr |
| May 26, 6:37 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alfalfa, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche and 24 more | 83 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2004Tornado Watches in Texas, 2004Every tornado watch 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.