Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Jackson, KY

May 1, 2002Harlan County, Kentucky

NWS Jackson, KY issued this tornado warning at May 1, 2002, 9:30 PM EDT for Harlan County, Kentucky. It was in force for 45 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 1, 2002, 9:30 PM EDT (01:30 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2002, 10:15 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, KY
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Harlan County, KY

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:31 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 1, 9:50 PM EDTHail 1.75Harlan, KYGolfball size hail caused damage to some vehicles.

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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 1, 9:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 292 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2002-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 93 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2002-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 256 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
93 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-128 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1044 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
256 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KJKL 020130
TORJKL
KYC095-020215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
930 PM EDT WED MAY 1 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON KY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HARLAN COUNTY

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT

* AT 930 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH
  A LIKELY TORNADO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF WALLINS CREEK...OR  12 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF HARLAN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  BAXTER AROUND 940 PM EDT
  HARLAN AROUND 945 PM EDT
  EVARTS AROUND 950 PM EDT
  BLACK MOUNTAIN AROUND 955 PM EDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING...IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL
100 AM EDT THURSDAY MORNING FOR EASTERN KENTUCKY.

LAT...LON 3702 8353 3686 8363 3654 8288 3676 8275

HEINLEIN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 8:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLRockcastle48 min
May 1, 8:24 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLLaurel51 min
May 1, 8:43 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLLaurel32 min
May 1, 8:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLJackson46 min
May 1, 8:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLClay43 min
May 1, 8:52 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLRockcastle6 hr
May 1, 8:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLKnox50 min
May 1, 9:02 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLKnox38 min
May 1, 9:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLHarlan, Leslie48 min
May 1, 9:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLBell30 min
May 1, 9:28 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLClay32 min
May 1, 9:43 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLJackson5 hr
May 1, 10:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLMontgomery48 min
May 1, 11:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLMenifee4 hr
May 2, 12:04 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLFloyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin16 hr
May 2, 10:24 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLEstill66 min
May 2, 11:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLLee42 min
May 2, 11:26 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLBreathitt49 min
May 2, 11:30 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLWolfe30 min
May 2, 11:31 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLEstill, Menifee, Powell, Wolfe4 hr
May 2, 11:44 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLLee4 hr
May 2, 12:05 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLFloyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin4 hr
May 2, 12:11 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPike49 min
May 2, 12:47 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLPike4 hr
May 2, 1:16 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLLeslie29 min
May 2, 1:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPerry38 min
May 2, 1:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLClay35 min
May 2, 1:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLWayne47 min
May 2, 1:30 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLClay, Laurel, Pulaski3 hr
May 2, 1:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPulaski36 min
May 2, 1:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLMcCreary34 min
May 2, 2:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLLetcher45 min
May 2, 2:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLWhitley40 min
May 2, 2:09 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLKnott, Letcher3 hr
May 2, 2:13 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLKnox, Laurel47 min
May 2, 2:56 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLJackson, Owsley4 hr
May 2, 3:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPulaski40 min
May 2, 3:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLFloyd27 min
May 2, 3:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLOwsley32 min
May 2, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPike45 min
May 2, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLPerry36 min
May 2, 3:38 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLBreathitt4 hr
May 2, 3:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLKnott41 min
May 2, 3:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLClay28 min
May 2, 6:23 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningJKLLeslie, Perry4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.