Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Norman, OK

April 17, 2002Beckham County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 2002, 7:50 PM CDT for Beckham County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 40 min. 3 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
Apr 17, 2002, 7:50 PM CDT (00:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2002, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Beckham County, OK

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:50 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
Apr 17, 8:00 PM CDTHail 1.5Erick, OK
Apr 17, 8:00 PM CDTHail 4.5Erick, OK
Apr 17, 8:05 PM CDTHail 1Mayfield, OK

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
Apr 17, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 159 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 2002-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 53 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
53 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 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 
WFUS54 KOUN 180050
TOROKC
OKC009-180130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
750 PM CDT WED APR 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BECKHAM COUNTY IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 750 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 3 MILES SOUTH OF TEXOLA...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ERICK AND TEXOLA

IN ADDITION TO A TORNADO THREAT... THIS STORM LIKELY CONTAINS
DAMAGING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS OR LARGER.

TAKE COVER NOW. LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. IF POSSIBLE...MOVE
TO A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER. OTHERWISE MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR
HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND OUTSIDE
WALLS.

LAT...LON 3520 10013 3507 9997 3535 9964 3542 9989

CJS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Norman, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey44 min
Apr 17, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham, Roger Mills47 min
Apr 17, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNDewey27 min
Apr 17, 7:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoodward37 min
Apr 17, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills47 min
Apr 17, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNMajor46 min
Apr 17, 8:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon27 min
Apr 17, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey42 min
Apr 17, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNWoodward46 min
Apr 17, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNBeckham61 min
Apr 17, 8:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNMajor, Roger Mills, Woods43 min
Apr 17, 8:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNHarmon50 min
Apr 17, 9:10 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNBeckham35 min
Apr 17, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNRoger Mills49 min
Apr 17, 9:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey47 min
Apr 17, 9:43 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNBeckham32 min
Apr 17, 9:53 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNWashita37 min
Apr 17, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNCuster60 min
Apr 17, 10:19 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNCuster41 min
Apr 17, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNDewey28 min
Apr 17, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNMajor, Woods, Woodward45 min
Apr 17, 11:53 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNMajor37 min
Apr 18, 12:28 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNMajor, Woods32 min
Apr 18, 12:51 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNAlfalfa, Woods39 min
Apr 18, 1:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNGrant38 min
Apr 18, 1:26 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNAlfalfa34 min
Apr 18, 1:57 AM CDTTornado WarningOUNAlfalfa, Grant33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 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.