Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Springfield, MO

December 18, 2002Douglas County, Webster County, Wright County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at Dec 18, 2002, 7:10 AM CST for Douglas County, Webster County, Wright County, Missouri. It was in force for 35 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, 7:10 AM CST (13:10 UTC)
Expired
Dec 18, 2002, 7:45 AM CST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Douglas County, MO, Webster County, MO, Wright County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:11 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 18, 7:15 AM CSTHail 0.88Goodhope, 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 18, 3:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 100 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 2002-12-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 894 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 12:00Z on 2002-12-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 425 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KSGF 181310
TORSGF
MOC067-225-229-181345-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
  SOUTHERN WRIGHT COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
  SOUTHEASTERN WEBSTER COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI

* UNTIL 745 AM CST

* AT 706 AM CST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 12
  MILES NORTHEAST OF TANEYVILLE...OR 14 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AVA...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   AVA BY 720 AM CST.
   MANSFIELD BY 730 AM CST.
   NORWOOD...HARTVILLE BY 740 AM CST.

THE TOWNS OF ROME AND GOODHOPE ARE ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC
STORM.

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 3705 9289 3680 9290 3681 9264 3714 9229
          3731 9248

$$

BROWNING

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, 11:16 PM CSTTornado WarningSGFGreene44 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, 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.