Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Springfield, MO

December 17, 2002Greene County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at Dec 17, 2002, 11:16 PM CST for Greene County, Missouri. It was in force for 44 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
Dec 17, 2002, 11:16 PM CST (05:16 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 2002, 12:00 AM CST
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Greene County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 9 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:19 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
Dec 17, 11:21 PM CSTHail 1.5Ash Grove, MO
Dec 17, 11:26 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 80 EHalltown, MO

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
Dec 17, 7:35 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr
Dec 17, 10:40 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 45 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2002-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 39 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2002-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 267 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
39 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1087 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
267 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
432 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 
WFUS53 KSGF 180516
TORSGF
MOC077-180600-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1115 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  GREENE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST

* AT 1114 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF REPUBLIC...OR 13 MILES NORTHEAST OF MOUNT VERNON...   
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. STORM SPOTTERS HAVE CONFIRMED A        
  TORNADO ON THE GROUND WITH THIS STORM.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   BROOKLINE BY 1125 PM CST.
   WILLARD BY 1135 PM CST.

THE TOWNS OF BOIS DARC...GLIDEWELL AND EBENEZER ARE ALSO IN THE PATH
OF THIS TORNADIC STORM.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3720 9376 3706 9362 3728 9313 3741 9324

$$

CRAMER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Springfield, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 17, 8:43 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFNewton32 min
Dec 17, 8:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLawrence28 min
Dec 17, 9:14 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFLawrence46 min
Dec 17, 9:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFGreene46 min
Dec 17, 9:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFPolk46 min
Dec 17, 9:44 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFGreene61 min
Dec 17, 9:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDallas43 min
Dec 17, 10:01 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFMcDonald19 min
Dec 17, 10:13 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFNewton32 min
Dec 17, 10:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede31 min
Dec 17, 10:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCamden, Miller65 min
Dec 17, 10:33 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFBarry, Lawrence27 min
Dec 17, 10:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFWebster46 min
Dec 17, 10:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede14 min
Dec 17, 10:59 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFLawrence21 min
Dec 17, 11:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFPulaski26 min
Dec 17, 11:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon24 min
Dec 17, 11:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede52 min
Dec 17, 11:20 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFGreene40 min
Dec 17, 11:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon58 min
Dec 17, 11:48 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFPolk27 min
Dec 17, 11:53 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFDallas52 min
Dec 18, 12:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBenton, St. Clair60 min
Dec 18, 12:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon34 min
Dec 18, 12:34 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFLaclede26 min
Dec 18, 1:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBenton, Morgan48 min
Dec 18, 1:18 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFJasper42 min
Dec 18, 1:35 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFBarton40 min
Dec 18, 2:06 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFDade39 min
Dec 18, 2:13 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFCedar32 min
Dec 18, 2:41 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFHickory, Polk49 min
Dec 18, 2:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFChristian25 min
Dec 18, 3:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFGreene, Webster24 min
Dec 18, 3:13 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFWebster47 min
Dec 18, 3:22 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFCamden23 min
Dec 18, 3:30 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFWright45 min
Dec 18, 3:41 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFMorgan49 min
Dec 18, 4:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon30 min
Dec 18, 4:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFSt. Clair50 min
Dec 18, 5:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBenton44 min
Dec 18, 5:09 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFBenton36 min
Dec 18, 6:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFChristian, Stone, Taney46 min
Dec 18, 6:45 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFChristian, Douglas, Taney30 min
Dec 18, 7:10 AM CSTTornado WarningSGFDouglas, Webster, Wright35 min
Dec 18, 9:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFWebster, Wright41 min
Dec 18, 2:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFOzark36 min
Dec 18, 2:36 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFOzark24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 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.