Alert archive / Texas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Amarillo, TX

May 11, 2002Hansford County, Ochiltree County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 11, 2002, 12:31 AM CDT for Hansford County, Ochiltree County, Texas. It was in force for 59 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 11, 2002, 12:31 AM CDT (05:31 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2002, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Hansford County, TX, Ochiltree County, TX

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:32 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 11, 12:54 AM CDTHail 0.88Perryton, TX

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 10, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 115 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 2002-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 83 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 2002-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 149 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
83 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-459 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
915 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
250 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KAMA 110531
SVRAMA
TXC195-357-110630-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1230 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN HANSFORD COUNTY IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
  SOUTHWESTERN OCHILTREE COUNTY IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

* UNTIL 130 AM CDT

* AT 1230 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTH OF SPEARMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THE STORM INCLUDE...
  SPEARMAN...WAKA AND FARNSWORTH

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

DESTRUCTIVE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED. GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE 
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS

LAT...LON 3606 10146 3606 10111 3609 10077 3609 10064
          3645 10107

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 10, 4:02 PM CDT, 8 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 4:02 PM CDT, 8 hours 29 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
315 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 2002

WMFNT FEATURE IS ABT TO ENTER SWRN CORNER OF FCST AREA ATTM.  MDT
LOW-LVL FLOW HAS REPLENISHED MSTR INTO UPR 40S TO MID 50S IN ALL BUT
NWRN CORNER OF FCST AREA.  DVLPG DRYLN EXPCD TO ENTER W-CNTRL ZNS
BFR SS.  100KT JET AT H2 WL ENTER WRN ZNS THIS EVE...AND H5 50 KT
JET WL ARRIVE IN NWRN ZNS BFR SS.  DEEP CNVGNC SEEN IN CLR AIR OVR
NERN NM AND SERN CO.  EXPC THAT TSTMS WL DVLP ALG DRYLN AND WMFNT
THIS EVE...AND SVR POTENTIAL WL EXIST...SPLY DUE TO SHEARED AMS.
WL CALL FOR SCT TSTMS 1ST PD.  SERN ZNS WL HAVE TO OVERCOME DEEP
DVGNC INITIALLY.

HAVE REMOVED POPS FM WRN ZNS FOR SAT...AS SWLY SFC WNDS EXPCD TO
MIX DRYLN EWD.  HAVE RETAINED SLGT CHC ELSEWHERE.  ON SAT NGT...
CDFNT EXPCD TO ARRIVE IN NRN ZNS BFR 05Z...AND CLR SERN SXNS BFR SR.
WITH STG DYNAMICS AND POOLING OF LOW-LVL MSTR BHND FNT...HAVE KEPT
CHC TSTMS ALL ZONES.  WNDY CONDS WITH FROPA WL ENHANCE CNVGNC.

COOLER CONDS ON SUN WITH UPSLP COMPONENT TO LOW-LVL FLOW...AND LOW
POPS RETAINED.  DRY AMS IN PLACE SUN NGT THRU MON NGT.  CHC TSTMS
TUE THRU FRI AS MSTR RTRNS.  03

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

COCKRELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMADeaf Smith51 min
May 10, 11:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHartley38 min
May 10, 11:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAPotter, Randall51 min
May 10, 11:59 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAOldham46 min
May 11, 12:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHutchinson59 min
May 11, 12:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHartley36 min
May 11, 12:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAOldham46 min
May 11, 1:07 AM CDTTornado WarningAMAOldham38 min
May 11, 1:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAHartley, Moore53 min
May 11, 1:50 AM CDTTornado WarningAMAMoore40 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.