Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2020

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Norman, OK

March 27, 2020Caddo County, Canadian County, Grady County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 27, 2020, 1:20 PM CDT for Caddo County, Canadian County, Grady County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 21 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 2020, 1:20 PM CDT (18:20 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2020, 1:41 PM CDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Caddo County, OK, Canadian County, OK, Grady County, OK

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:23 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 62 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2020-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 798 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2020-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
798 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-370 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1189 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
183 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Mar 27, 12:54 PM CDT, 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 12:54 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
1254 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

...New AVIATION...

.PREV UPDATE...
Issued at 1115 AM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

Added a slight chance of precipitation for western Oklahoma
through midday, and increased to an even broader area through the
afternoon. Midlevel saturation appears to be significant within
RAP forecast soundings with steepening midlevel lapse rates as
deep western trough approaches. You can see a rather dramatic and
textured look to midlevel convective development in a visible
satellite loop late this morning. Convective showers have already
formed and appear to be rooted around 600-mb within this moist
layer. This will yield a few hundred J/kg of CAPE and so some
lightning is likely too. Storm intensity will be restrained by
overall meager CAPE from parcels lifted from that layer. Given the
steepening lapse rates and potential for deep mixing seen in the
soundings, we'll have to watch for the potential of strong wind
gusts with any echos on radar, especially later this afternoon.
In fact, a substantial amount of the echos may be mostly virga
given the deep sub-cloud dry layer and this was the reason for
keeping the probabilities for measurable precipitation low
relative to what it may appear coverage wise on radar.

Further west across the western panhandles, a more consolidated
band of precipitation/virga is present at the leading edge of
stronger DCVA associated with the approaching trough. This will
probably be the impetus for this evenings convection that will
eventually move into a more deeply moist environment this evening,
yielding better chances of measurable rainfall. We'll continue to
watch trends with this potential and refine precipitation
probabilities/timing later today.

Otherwise, made only minor adjustments to other fields, including
tightening up temperature gradients based on current observational
trends.

BRB

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today and tonight)
Issued at 222 AM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

A meandering front over northern Oklahoma will become a warm front
this afternoon, and move north into Kansas, as surface low
pressure strengthens over southeast Colorado. Southwesterly low-
level flow around this surface low will bring somewhat drier air
into most of central/western Oklahoma and western north Texas. In
the southeast, very humid conditions (especially for late March)
will persist.

A warm layer aloft should stifle most convection today, although
most models show some precipitation over central/eastern Oklahoma
this afternoon. Elevated convection, mainly in the form of
showers, are possible, but surface-based convection is very
unlikely.

As the upper-level system and its surface counterpart shift east
overnight, the extra forcing will further increase the chances for
showers and a few isolated thunderstorms. With the amount of
forcing, shear, and (relatively weak) instability, marginally
severe hail will be possible in advance of the cold front that
will travel eastward across the region tonight.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Saturday through Thursday)
Issued at 156 AM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

By daybreak Saturday an upper level trough from the southwest will
be lifting into eastern OK and a front from a Great Basin air
mass will bring drying west winds across the state. The deepening
surface low moving off to the northeast and vertical mixing from
the west will lead to a windy day Saturday. The record and near-
record heat of the last several days will abate with this air
mass. During Monday south winds will bring gulf moisture into
Oklahoma as another upper trough passes over Oklahoma in fast
southwesterly flow. This will bring showers/thunderstorms Monday
and early Tuesday before exiting to the east. The upper pattern
changes mid-week where Oklahoma is more in the influence of
northwesterly flow with a front and air mass driving south from
the northern plains. This will maintain temperatures close to
normals and dry weather late into the week.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1254 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

Midlevel convection could impact some TAF sites this afternoon,
but the probability is fairly low. PNC, OKC, and OUN would be the
most likely sites affected. The stronger convective cores have
contained small hail but the spatial coverage of this is minimal
so impact to either terminal is low probability. We have not
mentioned TS at this point but will monitor and amend as needed.
Same for this evening with a more consolidated band of showers
with isolated embedded storms. We have covered this with a 4 hour
tempo for now but may need to adjust timing and add thunder for
some sites. Otherwise, a few sites have experienced MVFR stratus
but this should trend toward ceilings above 10,000 feet through
the rest of the TAF period. Southwesterly winds will increase
later tonight through tomorrow morning.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK  85  56  69  43 /  20  40   0   0
Hobart OK         84  51  69  41 /  20  40   0   0
Wichita Falls TX  85  57  72  44 /  20  20   0   0
Gage OK           84  45  64  36 /  30  40   0   0
Ponca City OK     82  55  67  42 /  40  40   0   0
Durant OK         80  62  72  46 /  30  20  10   0

&&

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

SHORT TERM...23
LONG TERM....09
AVIATION...12
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 27, 1:13 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 27, 12:25 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Norman OK
1225 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

OKZ023-024-271800-
Canadian OK-Caddo OK-
1225 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR southwestern Canadian and central
Caddo Counties Until 100 PM CDT...

AT 1221 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located near Fort Cobb,
moving northeast at 45 to 55 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE...
Hail up to one-half inch diameter...
Wind gusts to 40 MPH...

LAT...LON 3545 9828 3535 9809 3532 9810 3508 9835
      3520 9852
TIME...MOT...LOC 1721Z 219DEG 48KT 3512 9846

SIX
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 12:38 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Norman OK
1238 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

OKZ017-023-024-271800-
Canadian OK-Caddo OK-Blaine OK-
1238 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR northwestern Canadian...north
central Caddo and southeastern Blaine Counties Until 100 PM CDT...

AT 1236 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Hinton, moving
northeast at 55 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE...
Hail up half inch diameter...
Wind gusts to 45 MPH...

LAT...LON 3573 9827 3572 9787 3537 9837 3551 9857
TIME...MOT...LOC 1736Z 219DEG 47KT 3548 9837

SIX
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 12:59 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Norman OK
1259 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

OKZ024-025-271830-
Oklahoma OK-Canadian OK-
1259 PM CDT Fri Mar 27 2020

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR northwestern Oklahoma and eastern
Canadian Counties Until 130 PM CDT...

AT 1256 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located 6 miles southeast
of El Reno, moving northeast at 60 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE...
Hail up to the size of nickels...
Wind gusts to 40 MPH...

LAT...LON 3557 9734 3537 9796 3568 9814 3573 9753
TIME...MOT...LOC 1756Z 240DEG 52KT 3547 9787

SIX
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 1:10 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:11 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:15 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 11:45 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNBlaine30 min
Mar 27, 12:25 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNCaddo35 min
Mar 27, 12:38 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNCanadian22 min
Mar 27, 12:59 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNCanadian, Oklahoma31 min
Mar 27, 1:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Kingfisher, Oklahoma29 min
Mar 27, 1:10 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNCanadian35 min
Mar 27, 1:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLogan, Oklahoma36 min
Mar 27, 1:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCanadian, Oklahoma27 min
Mar 27, 1:39 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNLogan36 min
Mar 27, 1:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Logan, Payne29 min
Mar 27, 1:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNLincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Payne47 min
Mar 27, 2:07 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementOUNNoble23 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2020Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2020

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.