Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 28, NWS Amarillo, TX

May 5, 2002Lipscomb County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 2002, 6:59 PM CDT for Lipscomb County, Texas. It was in force for 61 min. 1 report 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
May 5, 2002, 6:59 PM CDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Lipscomb County, TX

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 163 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 5, 7:54 PM CDTTornado F0Canadian, TXThe tornado remained over open country and no damage or injuries were reported. The tornado path length and width were estimated.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 5, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2002-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 282 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2002-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 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
282 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-438 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1423 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KAMA 052359
SVRAMA
TXC295-060100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
659 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LIPSCOMB COUNTY IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 659 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIPSCOMB...OR ABOUT 11
  MILES NORTHWEST OF CANADIAN...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THE STORM INCLUDE...
  LIPSCOMB...HIGGINS AND COBURN

LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS...DAMAGING WINDS...AND 
TORRENTIAL RAINS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER IN A 
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY
FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

LAT...LON 3649 10054 3606 10055 3607 10000 3650 10002

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 May 5, 4:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 4:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
425 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

DRYLINE HAS ALREADY STARTED TO FIRE UP OVER THE WESTERN TEXAS
PANHANDLE. MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR AND MODERATE DEEP LAYERED SHEAR
WILL COMBINE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THE AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SEE LATEST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
#227 FOR MORE DETAILS.

THIS BOUNDARY EDGES EAST THIS EVENING AND STALLS OVER THE EASTERN
TEXAS PANHANDLE LATE TONIGHT. ONCE DAYTIME HEATING BEGINS...THIS
BOUNDARY SHOULD START TO MARCH EAST AGAIN. THUNDERSTORMS COULD
DEVELOP AGAIN LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AS THE AIRMASS DESTABILIZES EAST
OF THE DRYLINE. REPEAT MAY OCCUR ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING AS THE
DRYLINE STAYS NEAR THE EASTERN ZONES.

COLD FRONT IS STILL ON SCHEDULE TO MOVE THROUGH AROUND WEDNESDAY
EVENING. EXPECT CLOUDS TO INCREASE DUE TO TERRAIN UPSLOPE.

THE WEATHER PATTERN SETS UP ONCE AGAIN ON FRIDAY AND INTO THE
WEEKEND WHILE LOW LEVEL FLOW INCREASES AND MOISTURE IS REPLENISHED.

FCSTR ID= 08

AMA 55/87/54/87 4000
DHT 51/85/51/86 2000

.AMA...
TX...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ALL UNTIL 10 PM CDT.
OK...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR ALL UNTIL 10 PM CDT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 5, 1:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 49 minutes before
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-052300-

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
110 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS LOCATED ACROSS THE
EASTERN ONE-HALF OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND ACROSS THE
SOUTHEASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT. THE MODERATE RISK AREA IS GENERALLY EAST OF A LINE FROM
GUYMON OKLAHOMA TO 30 MILES WEST OF HEREFORD TEXAS.

A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS LOCATED IN A NARROW BAND 20
MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM JUST EAST OF ELKHART KANSAS SOUTHWEST TO 50
MILES NORTHWEST OF HEREFORD TEXAS.

AS OF SUNDAY AFTERNOON...AN AREA OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED
IN EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO. A DRYLINE WAS ORIENTED FROM
DALHART EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO ROSWELL NEW MEXICO. THE LOW-LEVEL JET
WAS LOCATED ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA. AT UPPER-LEVELS...SEVERAL
DISTURBANCES WERE APPROACHING THE SOUTHERN PLAINS FROM THE WEST AND
SOUTHWEST. THESE WEATHER FEATURES ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE THE PRIMARY
FOCUS AND LIFT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

STRONG DAYTIME HEATING COUPLED WITH INCREASING AMOUNTS OF LOW-LEVEL
MOISTURE WILL CREATE A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. THIS COMBINED WITH
CHANGING WINDS WITH HEIGHT WILL CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT FAVORABLE FOR
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

INITIALLY...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ALONG THE DRYLINE ACROSS FAR EASTERN NEW MEXICO LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND BECOME MORE SCATTERED AS THEY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE
WESTERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES.
EARLY THIS EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP PUSHING
INTO THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. HOWEVER...
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE.

THEREFORE...SKYWARN SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES
THROUGHOUT THE SLIGHT AND MODERATE RISK AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
FOR THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.

THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED
AROUND 6 AM TONIGHT.

CB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 3:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAMoore31 min
May 5, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAMoore45 min
May 5, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMADeaf Smith39 min
May 5, 5:02 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAHansford, Hutchinson58 min
May 5, 5:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMADeaf Smith, Oldham, Potter, Randall53 min
May 5, 5:35 PM CDTTornado WarningAMADeaf Smith25 min
May 5, 5:55 PM CDTTornado WarningAMARandall35 min
May 5, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHutchinson, Moore, Ochiltree, Potter59 min
May 5, 6:04 PM CDTTornado WarningAMARoberts56 min
May 5, 6:32 PM CDTTornado WarningAMARandall28 min
May 5, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHansford50 min
May 5, 6:59 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAArmstrong, Randall31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Texas, 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.