Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Springfield, MO

April 30, 2002Christian County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at Apr 30, 2002, 9:58 AM CDT for Christian County, Missouri. It was in force for 47 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
Apr 30, 2002, 9:58 AM CDT (14:58 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2002, 10:45 AM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Christian County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:58 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
Apr 30, 10:05 AM CDTHail 1.75Ozark, 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
Apr 30, 9:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 58 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 12:00Z on 2002-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 40 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2002-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 69 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
40 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-440 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1432 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

667 
WFUS53 KSGF 301458
TORSGF
MOC043-301545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
958 AM CDT TUE APR 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1045 AM CDT

* AT 953 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR OZARK...  
  MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   SPARTA BY 1005 AM CDT.

THE TOWNS OF SELMORE...CHRISTIAN CENTER...OLDFIELD...CHADWICK AND
KELTNER ARE ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR 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.

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 3709 9326 3692 9334 3683 9299 3697 9292

FOSTER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 8:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFChristian51 min
Apr 30, 8:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFGreene64 min
Apr 30, 8:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLawrence57 min
Apr 30, 9:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDouglas, Ozark55 min
Apr 30, 9:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCedar64 min
Apr 30, 9:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBarry62 min
Apr 30, 9:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDade, Polk55 min
Apr 30, 9:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFStone63 min
Apr 30, 9:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFChristian, Greene60 min
Apr 30, 9:38 AM CDTTornado WarningSGFDouglas, Ozark52 min
Apr 30, 9:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFTaney61 min
Apr 30, 9:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDallas, Webster53 min
Apr 30, 9:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFHowell65 min
Apr 30, 10:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFOregon57 min
Apr 30, 10:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFOzark55 min
Apr 30, 10:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFHowell63 min
Apr 30, 1:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCedar, St. Clair21 min
Apr 30, 1:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFHickory41 min
Apr 30, 1:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDallas, Polk35 min
Apr 30, 2:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede38 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.