Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 208, NWS Amarillo, TX

October 22, 2002Cimarron County, Oklahoma

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 22, 2002, 9:16 PM CDT for Cimarron County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 44 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Oct 22, 2002, 9:16 PM CDT (02:16 UTC)
Expired
Oct 22, 2002, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cimarron County, OK

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 164 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:16 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 22, 9:48 PM CDTHail 0.88Griggs, OK
Oct 22, 9:50 PM CDTHail 0.75Griggs, OKThe hail covered the ground three to four inches deep.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

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 nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-10-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 796 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-10-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 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
796 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
858 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

623 
WUUS54 KAMA 230216
SVRAMA
OKC025-230300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
915 PM CDT TUE OCT 22 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CIMARRON COUNTY IN THE PANHANDLE OF OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 915 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES WEST OF GRIGGS...OR ABOUT 14 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF BOISE CITY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THE STORM INCLUDE...
  GRIGGS

NICKEL SIZED HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORRENTIAL RAINS ARE 
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

LAT...LON 3662 10259 3649 10243 3651 10204 3682 10219

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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Oct 22, 3:13 PM CDT, 6 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 22, 3:13 PM CDT, 6 hours 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
315 PM CDT TUE 22 OCT 2002

SUBSTANTIAL MSTR IN PLACE ACRS PNHDLS...WITH SFC DWPTS MAINLY IN
50S...WITH LOWER 60S IN SERN ZNS.  H8 DWPTS OF 8 TO 11 DEG C
NOTED.  SFC LOW IN SERN NM WITH INVERTED TROF EXTDG NNEWD THRU WRN
ZNS.  SFC TROF EXPCD TO BCM ACTIVE THIS EVE AS HIGHLY ENERGIZED
SWLY FLOW ALF PVLS...AND LLJ DVLPS OVR ERN HALF OF FCST AREA.

CDFNT OVR SRN KS AND SERN CO EXPCD TO MOV INTO OK PNHDL AFT
MIDNIGHT...AND THEN CLR TX PNHDL BY NOON WED.  LESS THAN 5 DEG F OF
WMG CAN BE EXPCD IN NRN ZNS DURG DAY...AND SRN ZNS WL EXPERIENCE ERY
HIGHS WITH TEMPS FALLING DURG AFTN AS CAA CONTS.  STG CNVGNC ALG
CDFNT AND LIFT ALG SLOPING FRONTAL SFC EXPCD TO PRODUCE WSPRD SHRA
ON WED.

ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE DVLPS ON WED NGT AS COLD SFC RDG BUILDS SWD THRU
PNHDLS.  WDSPRD -RA EXPCD...WITH PSBLTY OF SLEET MIXING IN OVR OK
PNHDL DUE TO COLD AIR INTRUSION.  UPSLP FLOW DMSHS ON THU NGT...YET
ONGOING PARADE OF SHTWVS IN SWLY FLOW ALF WARRANT CHC POPS FOR -RA.

DRIER AIR IS TAPPED FRI THRU SAT NGT...WITH TEMPS MAKING RECOVERY
TO 50S AND 60S FRI THRU SUN.  NEXT H5 TROF DIGS OVR SWRN U.S. SUN
WITH SLGT CHC OR CHC TSTMS SUN THRU MON NGT.

FCSTID = 03

AMARILLO    54 56 36 45 / 70 80 80 40
BEAVER      41 44 34 38 / 80 90 90 50
BOISE CITY  40 43 32 39 / 70 70 70 40
BORGER      53 54 36 43 / 70 80 80 40
BOYS RANCH  52 53 34 44 / 60 70 70 40
CANYON      55 57 36 46 / 60 70 80 40
CLARENDON   57 60 39 48 / 70 90 80 40
DALHART     47 49 33 44 / 60 70 70 40
GUYMON      41 44 33 39 / 80 90 80 40
HEREFORD    54 59 36 47 / 60 70 70 40
LIPSCOMB    50 51 37 39 / 80 90 90 50
SHAMROCK    57 59 40 48 / 70 90 90 40
WELLINGTON  58 62 42 50 / 70 90 90 40

.AMA...
TX...NONE.
OK...NONE.

COCKRELL
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 22, 2:53 PM CDT, 6 hours 23 minutes before
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-231100-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
100 PM CDT TUE OCT 22 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES.

.DAY ONE...

SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. THE
PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...FOLLOWED BY A
SECONDARY THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

A STRONG POLAR COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PANHANDLES EARLY
WEDNESDAY WITH THE CHANCE FOR WINTER PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

JH

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.