Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Springfield, MO

December 18, 2002Cherokee County, Kansas

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 2002, 12:44 AM CST for Cherokee County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 min. 3 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 18, 2002, 12:44 AM CST (06:44 UTC)
Expired: Dec 18, 2002, 1:30 AM CST
In force: 46 min
Issued by: NWS Springfield, MO
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cherokee County, KS

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:44 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
Dec 18, 12:48 AM CST	Hail 1	Chetopa, KS
Dec 18, 12:55 AM CST	Tornado F0	Columbus, KS
Dec 18, 1:08 AM CST	Tornado F0	Columbus, KS

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
Dec 17, 7:35 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr
Dec 17, 10:40 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 104 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: 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.

297 
WFUS53 KSGF 180644
TORSGF
KSC021-180730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1242 AM CST WED DEC 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 130 AM CST

* AT 1240 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO APPROACHING
  EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CHEROKEE COUNTY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   TREECE BY 1250 AM CST.
   COLUMBUS 100 AM CST.
   GALENA BY 105 AM CST.

THE TOWNS OF MELROSE...NEUTRAL...LOWELL...RIVERTON AND CRESTLINE ARE
ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM.

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

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.

LAT...LON 3700 9521 3685 9509 3706 9463 3727 9463

$$

CRAMER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 17, 10:38 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Crawford	22 min
Dec 17, 10:57 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Bourbon	63 min
Dec 18, 12:03 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Bourbon, Crawford	57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 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.