Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Louisville, KY

May 2, 2002Washington County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at May 2, 2002, 9:39 AM EDT for Washington County, Kentucky. It was in force for 21 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 2, 2002, 9:39 AM EDT (13:39 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2002, 10:00 AM EDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, KY

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:41 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 2, 9:41 AM EDTHail 1.75Springfield, KY

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 2, 8:30 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 220 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2002-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1583 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2002-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 219 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
1583 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-60 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
689 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
219 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
391 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.3
Supercell composite
10.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KLMK 021339
TORSDF
KYC229-021400-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
938 AM EDT THU MAY 2 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 1000 AM EDT

* AT 936 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ST.
  CATHERINE...OR ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LOUISVILLE...MOVING EAST
  AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADIC STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  TEXAS...MACKVILLE BY 950 AM EDT

THIS REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR
THE WARNED AREA.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR NEAREST LAW 
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN LOUISVILLE.

$$
FUNK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 8:00 PM EDTTornado WarningLMKLincoln30 min
May 1, 8:30 PM EDTTornado WarningLMKOldham30 min
May 1, 8:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJefferson32 min
May 1, 8:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHenry33 min
May 1, 8:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKShelby42 min
May 1, 9:07 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKFranklin23 min
May 1, 9:07 PM EDTTornado WarningLMKShelby23 min
May 1, 9:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKScott48 min
May 1, 9:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKFayette, Woodford36 min
May 1, 9:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBourbon, Clark32 min
May 2, 8:54 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin36 min
May 2, 9:08 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBullitt, Nelson22 min
May 2, 9:25 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKWashington35 min
May 2, 9:47 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBoyle, Mercer43 min
May 2, 9:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson23 min
May 2, 9:54 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin31 min
May 2, 10:03 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGarrard32 min
May 2, 10:17 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMadison33 min
May 2, 12:47 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBarren, Metcalfe33 min
May 2, 1:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKCumberland32 min
May 2, 1:12 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKClinton, Russell33 min

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.