Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 46, NWS Paducah, KY

September 20, 2002Trigg County, Kentucky

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Sep 20, 2002, 12:45 PM CDT for Trigg County, Kentucky. It was in force for 45 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: Sep 20, 2002, 12:45 PM CDT (17:45 UTC)
Expired: Sep 20, 2002, 1:30 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Trigg County, KY

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 20, 1:05 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Cadiz, KY	Several trees were blown down in the Cadiz area, including one that fell across power lines.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 20, 11:30 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 140 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: 719 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 749 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.7
Supercell composite: 5.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

554 
WFUS53 KPAH 201745
TORPAH
KYC221-201830-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1245 PM CDT FRI SEP 20 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  TRIGG COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 130 PM CDT

* AT 1240 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION OVER CANTON...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE CADIZ

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 3667 8798 3678 8812 3693 8796 3696 8789
          3696 8781 3700 8773 3697 8766 3689 8768

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 19, 7:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	McLean, Muhlenberg	44 min
Sep 20, 1:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Christian, Hopkins	34 min
Sep 20, 1:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Hopkins	51 min
Sep 20, 1:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	McLean, Muhlenberg	48 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.