Alert archive / Wyoming / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS Riverton, WY

August 21, 2002Johnson County, Natrona County, Wyoming

NWS Riverton, WY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 2002, 5:28 PM MDT for Johnson County, Natrona County, Wyoming. It was in force for 47 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2002, 5:28 PM MDT (23:28 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2002, 6:15 PM MDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Riverton, WY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Johnson County, WY, Natrona County, WY

The radar

The Riverton/Lander radar (KRIW), 152 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:28 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
Aug 21, 5:45 PM MDTHail 0.88Midwest, WY
Aug 21, 6:10 PM MDTHail 0.88Midwest, WY

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

Riverton, WY (KRIW), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 146 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, Riverton, WY at 12:00Z on 2002-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 82 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Riverton, WY at 12:00Z on 2002-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 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
82 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-249 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2084 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Riverton, WY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 21, 1:59 AM MDT, 15 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 1:59 AM MDT, 15 hours 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
159 AM MDT WED AUG 21 2002

SATELLITE IS SHOWING UPPER CUT OFF LOW CURRENTLY SPINNING OVER THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST. ALSO MOISTURE CONTINUES TO FLOW INTO THE AREA FROM
THE SOUTH.

MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT SHOWING DIVERGENCE AT 300 MB AND 700 MB
CONVERGENCE. IN ADDITION...RESIDUAL BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM CURRENT
CONVECTION WILL ALLOW FOR SCATTERED T-STORMS TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.
700 MB WIND FIELD SHOWS SOUTHWEST WINDS OVER SOUTHWEST WY WITH
NORTHEAST WINDS OVER SHERIDAN AND JOHNSON COUNTIES...THUS FORMING
SOME KIND OF BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM TETON COUNTY DOWN ALONG THE
WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS. EXPECT TO SEE CONVECTION TO FIRE ALONG THIS
BOUNDARY AND MOVE NORTHEAST. MODELS ALSO INDICATE THE FORMATION OF A
MCS OVER NORTHEAST WY TONIGHT.

CURRENT FORECAST HAS 40 POPS IN MOST PLACES TODAY...THIS LOOKS TO BE
GOOD AND WILL NOT CHANGE. WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE OF MAINLY LATE
DAY SHOWERS/T-STORMS THU AND FRI...BUT WITH A LESSER CHANCE IN THE
SOUTH WHERE LESS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY.

IN THE EXTENDED...WILL ADD CHANCE POPS TO SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...
ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH...AS THE MODELS NOW SHOW A WETTER SOLUTION.
CHANCE POPS MONDAY AND TUESDAY LOOK GOOD.

.RIW...NONE.

MLC

The office that day

Everything else NWS Riverton, WY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 3:48 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRIWBig Horn42 min
Aug 21, 3:53 PM MDTTornado WarningRIWBig Horn52 min
Aug 21, 3:53 PM MDTTornado WarningRIWBig Horn52 min
Aug 21, 4:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRIWJohnson62 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wyoming, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.