Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 145, NWS Little Rock, AR

May 9, 2002Boone County, Marion County, Newton County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 2002, 12:17 AM CDT for Boone County, Marion County, Newton County, Arkansas. It was in force for 53 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 9, 2002, 12:17 AM CDT (05:17 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2002, 1:10 AM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

Counties Boone County, AR, Marion County, AR, Newton County, AR

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:18 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 9, 12:50 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EBull Shoals, AR

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 nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 109 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2002-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1675 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2002-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 285 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
1675 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
811 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
375 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.9
Supercell composite
13.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 8, 9:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 9:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
900 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

PREVIOUS FORECAST LOOKS PRETTY GOOD. INCREASED WIND SPEEDS A LITTLE
IN MANY AREAS AFTER REVIEW OF 9 PM CONDITIONS. PUT THE MENTION OF
SEVERE IN OVERNIGHT OVER NORTHERN AND WESTERN ZONES PER SPC OUTLOOK.
IF SEVERE OCCURS IN THOSE AREAS...SHOULD BE LATE TONIGHT.  (22)

.LZK...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 8, 7:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062-091200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
740 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN INTO
CENTRAL ARKANSAS LATE TONIGHT...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE TONIGHT IN AREAS
MAINLY NORTH AND WEST OF LITTLE ROCK.

AS OF 7 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING...A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE
DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN AND WESTERN ARKANSAS. MEANWHILE...STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI AND EASTERN
KANSAS. THE SEVERE STORMS WERE ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WHICH
WILL MOVE INTO ARKANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

AS THE FRONT PUSHES INTO THE STATE...THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER
THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

STORM SPOTTERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...AND HAM RADIO OPERATORS MAY
NEED TO BE ACTIVATED ACROSS ARKANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

46

The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 4:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLogan, Scott55 min
May 9, 4:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKYell47 min
May 9, 5:00 AM CDTTornado WarningLZKYell35 min
May 9, 5:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry43 min
May 9, 6:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFaulkner40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 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.