Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Paducah, KY

April 20, 2002Carlisle County, Hickman County, Kentucky

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 2002, 4:39 PM CDT for Carlisle County, Hickman County, Kentucky. It was in force for 36 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: Apr 20, 2002, 4:39 PM CDT (21:39 UTC)
Expired: Apr 20, 2002, 5:15 PM CDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Carlisle County, KY, Hickman County, KY

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:41 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 20, 5:00 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Bardwell, KY
Apr 20, 5:00 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Berkeley, KY	Near Berkley, trees were blown down in a park near the Mississippi River. One of the trees landed on a moving car, crushing the vehicle and trapping the occupant. The person received a broken neck. Near Milburn, numerous trees and power lines were down. A hous

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 231 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 416 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 980 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KPAH 202139
TORPAH
KYC039-105-202215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
438 PM CDT SAT APR 20 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CARLISLE COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY
  HICKMAN COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 436 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER EASTERN 
MISSISSIPPI COUNTY MISSOURI. A TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY NEAR WYATT WITH THIS STORM.
 
* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  5 MILES SOUTH OF BARDWELL AT 450 PM CDT

SEEK SHELTER NOW

MOVE INTO A BASEMENT...OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER OR ANY STORM DAMAGE TO YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT...FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED
FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

LAT...LON 3694 8911 3685 8909 3674 8918 3668 8883
          3692 8884

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 20, 6:11 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Muhlenberg	3 hr
Apr 20, 6:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Muhlenberg	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 2002 Every tornado warning in 2002 Tornadoes 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.