Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Little Rock, AR

December 18, 2002Pulaski County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 2002, 4:24 PM CST for Pulaski County, Arkansas. It was in force for 46 min. 2 reports 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
Dec 18, 2002, 4:24 PM CST (22:24 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 2002, 5:10 PM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Pulaski County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 18, 4:38 PM CSTHail 1Maumelle, AR
Dec 18, 4:45 PM CSTHail 1Maumelle, 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 18, 1:10 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 230 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2002-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 30 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2002-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 290 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
30 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-209 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
597 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
290 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
365 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.

349 
WFUS54 KLZK 182224
TORLIT
ARC119-182310-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
424 PM CST WED DEC 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PULASKI COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 510 PM CST

* AT 422 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MAUMELLE...OR ABOUT 9 MILES NORTH OF
  SALEM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MAUMELLE AROUND 435 PM CST

&&

A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS THERE IS A STRONG ROTATION
WITHIN A STORM. THE STORM MAY NOT BE PRODUCING A TORNADO AT THE
MOMENT...BUT IS EXPECTED TO DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. FOR YOUR
SAFETY...GO INDOORS NOW TO AN INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN LITTLE ROCK.

LAT...LON 3495 9247 3487 9246 3487 9242 3490 9242
          3493 9238 3493 9232 3489 9227 3470 9254
          3478 9255 3478 9264 3485 9265 3493 9256

$$

22

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 18, 9:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBoone31 min
Dec 18, 1:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry32 min
Dec 18, 1:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGarland43 min
Dec 18, 2:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry, Saline27 min
Dec 18, 2:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry, Pulaski, Saline45 min
Dec 18, 3:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGarland29 min
Dec 18, 3:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFaulkner39 min
Dec 18, 3:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry, Pulaski, Saline33 min
Dec 18, 3:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry, Pulaski, Saline29 min
Dec 18, 3:30 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKFaulkner30 min
Dec 18, 3:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKClark, Garland, Hot Spring, Pike44 min
Dec 18, 3:44 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKGarland31 min
Dec 18, 3:47 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKHot Spring28 min
Dec 18, 3:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPulaski, Saline34 min
Dec 18, 3:51 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKCleburne, White29 min
Dec 18, 3:58 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKSaline47 min
Dec 18, 4:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFaulkner61 min
Dec 18, 4:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGrant45 min
Dec 18, 4:17 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKFaulkner, White43 min
Dec 18, 4:18 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKGarland27 min
Dec 18, 4:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKArkansas, Jefferson31 min
Dec 18, 4:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFaulkner51 min
Dec 18, 4:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKIndependence43 min
Dec 18, 4:40 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKGrant, Jefferson30 min
Dec 18, 4:49 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKIndependence, Jackson31 min
Dec 18, 4:54 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKGarland3 hr
Dec 18, 4:58 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKLonoke47 min
Dec 18, 5:02 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKLonoke, White43 min
Dec 18, 5:03 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKFaulkner47 min
Dec 18, 5:10 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKSaline3 hr
Dec 18, 5:11 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKDrew44 min
Dec 18, 5:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKClark, Pike44 min
Dec 18, 5:22 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKPrairie58 min
Dec 18, 5:29 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKClark, Pike3 hr
Dec 18, 5:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKOuachita46 min
Dec 18, 5:41 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKOuachita29 min
Dec 18, 5:46 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKJackson, White, Woodruff39 min
Dec 18, 5:50 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKDesha45 min
Dec 18, 5:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGarland, Hot Spring44 min
Dec 18, 5:53 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKMonroe27 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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.