Hazardous weather outlook, from the National Weather Service, Norman
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1210 PM CDT THU MAR 22 2012
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-
1210 PM CDT THU MAR 22 2012
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON OVER OKLAHOMA.
DISCUSSION…THE SLOWLY-MOVING UPPER LOW WILL DRIFT FROM CENTRAL TO
NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA TODAY. LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM THE MODEST INSTABILITY THAT WILL
EXIST. AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL.
PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT FRIDAY MAR 22.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…70 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR…20 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
Oklahoma City forecast, from the National Weather Service, Norman
Oklahoma City forecast:
This Afternoon: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. South southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. West wind between 8 and 13 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North northwest wind between 3 and 8 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 80. South southeast wind between 3 and 11 mph.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 78.
Mike Honigsberg, Enid and Garfield County Emergency Management Director, provides information on cold air funnels
There have been several reports of funnels in the Garfield County area. These are associated with what is called a Cold Core Low. This is the Low pressure system that is over us at this time. The freezing level in the atmosphere is at approximately 5500 feet. Winds aloft are very light and this phenomena is common under these conditions. Cold air funnels don’t last very long and usually dissipate in a short amount of time so please don’t panic if you happen to see one.
We aren’t looking at any major shear in the atmosphere at this time and cold air funnels are not associated with a wall cloud per se. Here is a short article about these:
A cold air funnel is a high based weak circulation that occurs in a cool air mass. By high based it is meant it develops well above the earth’s surface. Since it is high based and weak they rarely impact the earth’s surface although they can look threatening. Unlike typical tornadoes, cold air funnels develop in a shallow cool air mass and often behind a cold frontal passage. The mixing of cool and windy conditions in the lower troposphere with air in the middle troposphere flowing in a different direction may spark the rotation that spins up the funnel. If the air is moist enough and rises enough the condensation funnel will be visible.
Kenton has received .31 inches of rainfall since midnight, Oklahoma Mesonet weather network
Kenton in the far western Oklahoma Panhandle has received .31 inches of rain since midnight. This is after 93 days with less than .25 inches of rainfall on any one day, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.
Drought ends for much of Oklahoma, by Gary McManus of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey
Drought Ends for Much of Oklahoma
Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
Heavy rain associated with this week’s slow-moving storm system brought one hazard back to the state, even as it was ending another. The abundant moisture produced flooding in eastern and central Oklahoma, but also alleviated drought impacts that had plagued the state over the last 19 months. The result was a much-improved Oklahoma drought picture. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday morning, the area of the state completely free of drought or abnormally dry conditions rose from 27 percent last week to 63 percent this week. At the drought’s zenith in September 2011, the entire state was suffering some level of drought. At that point, having just exited the hottest summer on record for any state dating back to 1895, 69 percent of Oklahoma was mired in exceptional drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor’s worst category.
According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, rainfall totals of 4-6 inches were common throughout the eastern half of the state for Monday through Thursday morning. Estimated totals from radar indicate some localized areas in the northeast received more than 8 inches. Virtually the entire state received at least an inch of rain, with more general amounts of 2-4 inches spread throughout western through central Oklahoma. The Mesonet site at Pryor led totals with 6.95 inches. With rain continuing to fall, only three of the Mesonet’s 120 stations failed to record at least an inch of rainfall, and unfortunately they are located in areas of the state still hit hard by drought impacts. Kenton has had a paltry-but-welcome quarter-inch of moisture in the far western Panhandle. Its neighbor Boise City and Tipton in far southwestern Oklahoma received around three-quarters of an inch. Fifty-nine Mesonet sites recorded at least 3 inches of rain through Thursday morning, with 33 of those reporting more than 4 inches.
The statewide average going into Thursday morning stood at 4.3 inches, 2.1 inches above normal. That ranks the month already as the 10th wettest March on record with more than a week left to go, and the 13th wettest January-March period. The drought was just getting a toehold in March 2011, which ended as the eighth driest on record with a statewide average of 0.71 inches. The relief this March continues the momentum of drought eradication that began in October 2011. Since that time, also known as the start of the water year, the state has received an average of 17.3 inches of rain, a surplus of 3.6 inches. The water year runs from Oct. 1-Sep. 30. The water year thus far is the 12th wettest on record, compared to the same period last year, which was the seventh driest.
The outlooks for April-June from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center are uncertain about Oklahoma’s precipitation chances through that period. They indicate equal chance of below-, above- or near-normal precipitation, meaning no clear climate signal exists to tip the forecast in one direction. Two of those possibilities would be favorable for Oklahoma. Anything but below normal rainfall will continue to alleviate existing drought impacts, and prevent more drought from developing.
Severe thunderstorm warning Garfield, Kingfisher, Logan counties, from the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office
BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
637 PM CDT WED MAR 21 2012
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
SOUTHEASTERN GARFIELD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA…
EXTREME NORTHEASTERN KINGFISHER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA…
NORTHWESTERN LOGAN COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA…
* UNTIL 715 PM CDT
* AT 631 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
CRESCENT…MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
COVINGTON…MARSHALL…DOUGLAS…LOVELL AND HAYWARD.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH…
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION…MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
FUNNEL CLOUDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IF TORNADOES DO
DEVELOP…WIND SPEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TORNADOES WILL BE
RELATIVELY WEAK. HOWEVER… RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND SEEK
SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED.
Short-term forecast, from the National Weather Service, Norman
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-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BUFFALO…ALVA…CHEROKEE…MEDFORD…
PONCA CITY…ARNETT…WOODWARD…FAIRVIEW…ENID…PERRY…
CHEYENNE…TALOGA…WEATHERFORD…CLINTON…WATONGA…
KINGFISHER…GUTHRIE…STILLWATER…ELK CITY…SAYRE…CORDELL…
ANADARKO…YUKON…EL RENO…MUSTANG…OKLAHOMA CITY…CHANDLER…
CHICKASHA…PURCELL…NORMAN…MOORE…SHAWNEE…SEMINOLE…
HOLDENVILLE…HOLLIS…MANGUM…HOBART…ALTUS…FREDERICK…
LAWTON…DUNCAN…PAULS VALLEY…SULPHUR…ADA…COALGATE…
WALTERS…WAURIKA…ARDMORE…TISHOMINGO…ATOKA…MARIETTA…
MADILL…DURANT…QUANAH…CHILLICOTHE…CROWELL…VERNON…
WICHITA FALLS…MUNDAY…KNOX CITY…SEYMOUR…ARCHER CITY…
HOLLIDAY…LAKESIDE CITY…HENRIETTA
600 PM CDT WED MAR 21 2012
.NOW…
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS
EVENING FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA INTO WESTERN NORTH
TEXAS. BRIEF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN…OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREAT. FUNNEL
CLOUDS AND BRIEF WEAK TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY
EVENING AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES SLOWLY NORTHEAST FROM SOUTHWEST
OKLAHOMA. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE IN INTENSITY AND AREAL
COVERAGE AFTER SUNSET AS INSTABILITY DECREASES.
Severe thunderstorm warning Lincoln, Oklahoma counties, from the National Weather Service, Norman
OKC081-109-212345-
/O.CON.KOUN.SV.W.0038.000000T0000Z-120321T2345Z/
LINCOLN OK-OKLAHOMA OK-
609 PM CDT WED MAR 21 2012
…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM
CDT FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN AND OKLAHOMA COUNTIES…
AT 605 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NEAR CHOCTAW AND 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF
HARRAH…MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH. HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS
WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
CHOCTAW…JONES…NICOMA PARK…LUTHER AND ARCADIA.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH…
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION…MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
Severe thunderstorm warning Lincoln and Oklahoma counties, from the National Weather Service, Norman
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA…
OKLAHOMA COUNTY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA…
* UNTIL 645 PM CDT
* AT 535 PM CDT…QUARTER SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE VICNITY
OF CHOCTAW. RADAR INDICATED ANOTHER STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
NEAR HARRAH. BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST AT 15
MPH.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
CHOCTAW…JONES…NICOMA PARK…LUTHER AND ARCADIA.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH…
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL…DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION…MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
FUNNEL CLOUDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. IF TORNADOES
DO DEVELOP…WIND SPEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TORNADOES WILL BE
RELATIVELY WEAK. HOWEVER… RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND
SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED.
&&
