Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 552, NWS Norman, OK

September 17, 2011Cotton County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 17, 2011, 7:00 PM CDT for Cotton County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 60 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: Sep 17, 2011, 7:00 PM CDT (00:00 UTC)
Expired: Sep 17, 2011, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 60 min
Issued by: NWS Norman, OK
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Cotton County, OK

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:01 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 17, 3:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 143 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: 2097 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1371 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 234 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

827 
WUUS54 KOUN 180000
SVROUN
OKC033-180100-
/O.NEW.KOUN.SV.W.0552.110918T0000Z-110918T0100Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
700 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL COTTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 659 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE   THUNDERSTORM NEAR RANDLETT...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.  
STRONG WINDS TO 70 MPH AND HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS IS
POSSIBLE.

HAZARDS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS...
WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH...

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE COOKIETOWN...DEVOL...RANDLETT...
  TAYLOR...TEMPLE AND WALTERS.

LAT...LON 3414 9832 3416 9835 3415 9839 3416 9861
      3434 9860 3438 9815 3413 9815
TIME...MOT...LOC 2359Z 283DEG 22KT 3417 9848

$$

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 17, 6:48 PM CDT, 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 17, 6:48 PM CDT, 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
648 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

.AVIATION...
/00Z TAFS/
STRONG TO SEVERE T-STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE E-NE ACROSS PARTS
OF N-CENTRAL... CENTRAL AND SW OK... AND WESTERN N-TX THIS EVENING
BEFORE WEAKENING BY LATE EVENING. AREAS OF MVFR STRATUS WILL
DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT FROM NORTH CENTRAL INTO CENTRAL OK BEFORE
THINNING BY MID TO LATE SUNDAY MORNING. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL
MOVE THROUGH THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF OK AND NORTH TX SUNDAY
MORNING BRINGING A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR CEILINGS TO NW OK.
SCATTERED STRONG T-STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON ALONG
THE FRONT AS IT MOVES INTO THE I-35 CORRIDOR.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 250 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011/

DISCUSSION...
SCATTERED OR EVEN NUMEROUS STRONG AND SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED
THROUGH THIS EVENING...MAINLY OVER NORTHWEST INTO NORTH-CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. WITH STRONGLY BACKED LOW-LEVEL FLOW NEAR/NORTH OF SLOWLY
RETREATING WARM FRONT...THERE WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR TORNADIC
ACTIVITY IF STORMS CAN MAINTAIN A DISCRETE NATURE. STORMS PROGD
TO GROW UPSCALE INTO MCS ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA/SOUTHERN KANSAS
OVERNIGHT. SOUTHERN EXTENT OF ANY MCS COULD APPROACH I-40 CORRIDOR
INCLUDING METRO AREA LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS LOW-LEVEL
JET INTERACTIONS INCREASE. OTHERWISE MORE IN THE WAY OF ISOLATED
STORMS POSSIBLE FARTHER SOUTH TO AND SOUTH OF RED RIVER BUT THIS
ACTIVITY NOT EXPECTED TO LAST LONG AFTER SUNSET.

SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBILITIES CONTINUE TOMORROW ALONG AND AHEAD OF
WEAK COLD FRONT THAT WILL PASS OVER OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS
SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND SUNDAY NIGHT. MAIN AREA OF CONCERN WITH
MODEST DEEP SHEAR AND FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL CAPE WOULD BE AN AREA
NEAR AND EAST OF THE I-44 CORRIDOR - PER SWODY2. LESS ACTIVE
MONDAY AND TUESDAY AHEAD OF AN EVEN STRONGER UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH AND
COLD FRONT...WHICH ARE PROGD TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE
TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. LATEST ECMWF TRENDING TOWARD GFS SOLUTION
OF CUTTING OFF PORTION OF TROUGH LATE IN THE WEEK...ALTHOUGH IT IS
FARTHER EAST. BOTH SOLUTIONS SUPPORT A CLOUDY/COOLER THAN AVERAGE
STRETCH OF WEATHER BUT DRY. THIS TREND IS ALREADY IN GRIDS AND
WILL NOT MAKE ANY NEW INITIALIZATIONS THIS PACKAGE.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK  68  87  63  84 /  40  40  40   0
HOBART OK         68  88  60  85 /  30  20  20   0
WICHITA FALLS TX  69  90  66  87 /  30  40  40   0
GAGE OK           63  84  50  87 /  30  20  10   0
PONCA CITY OK     68  82  58  83 /  70  50  30   0
DURANT OK         68  87  68  85 /  40  50  60  10

&&

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

03/06/32

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 17, 4:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
445 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-181300-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
445 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

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

.DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN
OKLAHOMA... AND MAY EXTEND INTO WESTERN NORTH TEXAS... THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

LOCATION...
THE RISK INCLUDES THE AREA WEST OF A LINE FROM STILLWATER
TO OKLAHOMA CITY TO LAWTON AND WICHITA FALLS...TEXAS.

TIMING...
THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THROUGH 2 AM.

IMPACTS...
SOME DAMAGE TO AUTOMOBILES...ROOFTOPS...AND TENDER VEGETATION FROM
LARGE HAIL UP TO TWO INCHES IN DIAMETER.

DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL ACROSS THE
RISK AREA SHOULD PLAN FOR SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS UNTIL 2 AM.

DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE WILL GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN ALONG THE HIGH PLAINS THROUGH
THE EVENING HOURS AS AN UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST.
BREEZY SOUTH WINDS HAVE HELPED TRANSPORT VERY HUMID AIR INTO THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS.  SURFACE HEATING HAS YIELDED MODERATE INSTABILITY
ACROSS THE RISK AREA.

A FEW SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL
BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ANY SUPERCELL STORMS
WOULD ALSO MOVE MORE SLOWLY...RESULTING IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.

STORM INTENSITY WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE AS SUNSET APPROACHES BUT
STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO PARTS OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
DURING THE MID TO LATE EVENING HOURS.  HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF HALF
DOLLARS...STRONG WIND GUSTS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE
MAIN HAZARDS AFTER DARK.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT SUNDAY SEP 18.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...100 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...100 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
ALTHOUGH TODAY WILL BE HUMID...THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASED RISK OF
FIRES IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS...OWING TO BREEZY
WINDS...DRY FUELS...AND LIGHTNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
ON SUNDAY... A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ONGOING DURING THE MORNING.
THIS ACTIVITY IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. BY AFTERNOON... THERE
WILL BE A CHANCE FOR STRONG AND POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS AS A COLD
FRONT ENCOUNTERS WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR FROM CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TO
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

MUCH OF MONDAY AND TUESDAY APPEAR DRY...BUT A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN BEGINNING TUESDAY NIGHT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
NONE.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED
BY 5AM SUNDAY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 17, 5:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
505 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

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

0502 PM     HAIL             1 S RETROP              35.16N 99.37W
09/17/2011  E1.25 INCH       BECKHAM            OK   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

FM

Special weather statement, Sep 17, 5:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
544 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

OKZ008-172315-
KAY OK-
544 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR KAY COUNTY.

AT 544 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 3
MILES SOUTH OF CHILOCCO TO JUST EAST OF PONCA CITY...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS IS POSSIBLE...

MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY AND BE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS.

LAT...LON 3699 9674 3679 9674 3678 9678 3674 9683
      3675 9688 3668 9693 3669 9704 3697 9714
      3701 9711 3700 9675

Local storm report, Sep 17, 6:06 PM CDT, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
606 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

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

0557 PM     TORNADO          10 W MEDFORD            36.81N 97.91W
09/17/2011                   GRANT              OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TORNADO SPOTTED ONE MILE WEST OF REDHILL ROAD ALONG STATE
            HIGHWAY 11. GRANT COUNTY SPOTTER REPORT RELAYED BY
            GARFIELD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER.

&&

NWS NORMAN

Local storm report, Sep 17, 6:46 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
646 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

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

0615 PM     HAIL             GRANDFIELD              34.23N 98.69W
09/17/2011  E2.00 INCH       TILLMAN            OK   PUBLIC

0615 PM     TSTM WND GST     GRANDFIELD              34.23N 98.69W
09/17/2011  E65 MPH          TILLMAN            OK   PUBLIC

&&

FM

Special weather statement, Sep 17, 6:54 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
654 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

TXZ085-086-088>090-180030-
WICHITA TX-WILBARGER TX-CLAY TX-BAYLOR TX-ARCHER TX-
654 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR ARCHER...BAYLOR...CLAY...
WICHITA AND WILBARGER COUNTIES.

AT 653 PM CDT...SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED
FROM LAKE DIVERSION TO HOLIDAY TO LAKE KICKAPOO AND ARCHER
CITY.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 20 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS...
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...

LAT...LON 3396 9820 3347 9839 3359 9911 3406 9903

Local storm report, Sep 17, 6:56 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
656 PM CDT SAT SEP 17 2011

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

0605 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 W GRANDFIELD          34.23N 98.74W
09/17/2011  M58 MPH          TILLMAN            OK   MESONET

0605 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 W GRANDFIELD          34.23N 98.74W
09/17/2011  M66 MPH          TILLMAN            OK   MESONET

&&

FM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 17, 7:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Major	56 min
Sep 17, 7:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield, Grant, Kay, Noble	61 min
Sep 17, 7:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Cotton, Jefferson	45 min
Sep 17, 7:33 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Canadian	27 min
Sep 17, 7:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Oklahoma	27 min
Sep 17, 8:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Stephens	30 min
Sep 17, 8:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield, Major	58 min
Sep 17, 8:15 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Payne	15 min
Sep 17, 8:16 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Cotton, Jefferson	14 min
Sep 17, 8:20 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Oklahoma	25 min
Sep 17, 8:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Cotton, Jefferson	41 min
Sep 17, 8:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Logan, Payne	28 min
Sep 17, 8:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield	65 min
Sep 17, 9:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Garfield, Noble	63 min
Sep 17, 10:44 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Payne	31 min
Sep 17, 11:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Payne	33 min
Sep 18, 12:14 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Bryan	31 min
Sep 18, 4:11 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Atoka, Bryan, Marshall	19 min
Sep 18, 4:28 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Atoka, Bryan, Marshall	17 min
Sep 18, 4:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Bryan, Marshall	30 min
Sep 18, 4:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Bryan, Marshall	52 min
Sep 18, 5:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Atoka, Bryan, Johnston, Marshall	43 min
Sep 18, 5:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Atoka	56 min
Sep 18, 6:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Bryan	57 min
Sep 18, 6:13 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	OUN	Hughes	17 min
Sep 18, 6:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Coal, Hughes	51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2011 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2011

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.