Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2002
Tornado Warning 31, NWS Springfield, MO
NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 2002, 6:45 AM CST for Christian County, Douglas County, Taney County, Missouri. It was in force for 30 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
- Dec 18, 2002, 6:45 AM CST (12:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 18, 2002, 7:15 AM CST
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Springfield, MO
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Christian County, MO, Douglas County, MO, Taney County, MO
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:46 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 | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 7:15 AM CST | Hail 0.88 | Goodhope, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 3:30 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 65 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 894 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 549 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 425 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 449 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.4
- Supercell composite
- 8.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
825 WFUS53 KSGF 181245 TORSGF MOC043-067-213-181315- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 645 AM CST WED DEC 18 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHWESTERN TANEY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI SOUTHEASTERN CHRISTIAN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI * UNTIL 715 AM CST * AT 641 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MERRIAM WOODS...OR NEAR BRANSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... TANEYVILLE BY 650 AM CST. THE TOWNS OF WALNUT SHADE...GARRISON...KELTNER...GOODHOPE AND DOGWOOD ARE ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM. THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAME AREA. GO TO A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR 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 3677 9332 3662 9319 3690 9271 3708 9284 $$ BROWNING
The office that day
Everything else NWS Springfield, MO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 17, 8:43 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Newton | 32 min |
| Dec 17, 8:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Lawrence | 28 min |
| Dec 17, 9:14 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Lawrence | 46 min |
| Dec 17, 9:29 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Greene | 46 min |
| Dec 17, 9:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Polk | 46 min |
| Dec 17, 9:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Greene | 61 min |
| Dec 17, 9:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Dallas | 43 min |
| Dec 17, 10:01 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | McDonald | 19 min |
| Dec 17, 10:13 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Newton | 32 min |
| Dec 17, 10:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Laclede | 31 min |
| Dec 17, 10:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Camden, Miller | 65 min |
| Dec 17, 10:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Barry, Lawrence | 27 min |
| Dec 17, 10:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Webster | 46 min |
| Dec 17, 10:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Laclede | 14 min |
| Dec 17, 10:59 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Lawrence | 21 min |
| Dec 17, 11:04 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Pulaski | 26 min |
| Dec 17, 11:06 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Vernon | 24 min |
| Dec 17, 11:08 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Laclede | 52 min |
| Dec 17, 11:16 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Greene | 44 min |
| Dec 17, 11:20 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Greene | 40 min |
| Dec 17, 11:32 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Vernon | 58 min |
| Dec 17, 11:48 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Polk | 27 min |
| Dec 17, 11:53 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Dallas | 52 min |
| Dec 18, 12:15 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Benton, St. Clair | 60 min |
| Dec 18, 12:26 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Vernon | 34 min |
| Dec 18, 12:34 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Laclede | 26 min |
| Dec 18, 1:12 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Benton, Morgan | 48 min |
| Dec 18, 1:18 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Jasper | 42 min |
| Dec 18, 1:35 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Barton | 40 min |
| Dec 18, 2:06 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Dade | 39 min |
| Dec 18, 2:13 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Cedar | 32 min |
| Dec 18, 2:41 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Hickory, Polk | 49 min |
| Dec 18, 2:50 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Christian | 25 min |
| Dec 18, 3:06 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Greene, Webster | 24 min |
| Dec 18, 3:13 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Webster | 47 min |
| Dec 18, 3:22 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Camden | 23 min |
| Dec 18, 3:30 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Wright | 45 min |
| Dec 18, 3:41 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Morgan | 49 min |
| Dec 18, 4:15 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Vernon | 30 min |
| Dec 18, 4:25 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | St. Clair | 50 min |
| Dec 18, 5:01 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Benton | 44 min |
| Dec 18, 5:09 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Benton | 36 min |
| Dec 18, 6:29 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Christian, Stone, Taney | 46 min |
| Dec 18, 7:10 AM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Douglas, Webster, Wright | 35 min |
| Dec 18, 9:04 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Webster, Wright | 41 min |
| Dec 18, 2:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Ozark | 36 min |
| Dec 18, 2:36 PM CST | Tornado Warning | SGF | Ozark | 24 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.