Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Norman, OK

April 18, 2002Alfalfa County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 18, 2002, 1:26 AM CDT for Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 34 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
Apr 18, 2002, 1:26 AM CDT (06:26 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 2002, 2:00 AM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Norman, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Alfalfa County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 18, 1:30 AM CDTHail 1.75Cherokee, 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, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 168 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2002-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2002-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
4097 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 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.

000 
WFUS54 KOUN 180626
TOROKC
OKC003-180700-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
125 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ALFALFA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 200 AM CDT

* AT 125 AM CDT...A TORNADO WAS DETECTED BY DOPPLER RADAR 3 MILES 
NORTHWEST OF LAMBERT...MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. DAMAGE HAS 
BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS TORNADO

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  INGERSOLL AROUND 130 AM CDT
  DRIFTWOOD AROUND 140 AM CDT
  AMORITA...BYRON AROUND 145 AM CDT

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. TAKE 
COVER A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER IS BEST. OTHERWISE...TAKE COVER 
IN AN INTERIOR CLOSET OR BATHROOM AWAY FROM OUTSIDE WALLS AND 
WINDOWS. COVER YOUR HEAD WITH PILLOWS AND BLANKETS.

LAT...LON 3669 9852 3666 9841 3704 9812 3713 9847

ANDRA

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, 7:50 PM CDTTornado WarningOUNBeckham40 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, 1:57 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.