Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 31, NWS San Angelo, TX

May 4, 2002Fisher County, Texas

NWS San Angelo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2002, 9:15 PM CDT for Fisher County, Texas. 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
May 4, 2002, 9:15 PM CDT (02:15 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2002, 9:50 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS San Angelo, TX
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Fisher County, TX

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 4, 9:18 PM CDTTornado F0Roby, TXA law enforcement officer reported a tornado on the ground for a short time. No structures were damaged from the tornado.

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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 4, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 205 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 806 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 2002-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 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
806 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2597 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KSJT 050215
TORSJT
TXC151-050250-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
915 PM CDT SAT MAY 4 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  FISHER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TEXAS

* UNTIL 950 PM CDT

* AT 910 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  A TORNADIC STORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF MCCAULLEY...OR ABOUT 11      
  MILES WEST OF HAMLIN...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   MCCAULLEY AT 920 PM CDT

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AND ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE 
IN THE DARK. PEOPLE IN NORTHERN AND NORTHEASTERN FISHER COUNTY NEED 
TO TAKE COVER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY BUILDING NOW.

LAT...LON 3292 10038 3274 10039 3274 10017 3294 10016

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 4, 5:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 5:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
550 PM CDT SAT MAY 4 2002

SENT A QUICK UPDATE TO ADD TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL BUT OUR SOUTHERN
ZONES. LOW-LEVEL JET WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE DURING THE NEXT FEW
HOURS. THIS WILL INCREASE THE TORNADO THREAT.

.SJT...TORNADO WATCH FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

BROWN-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-COKE-CONCHO-FISHER-HASKELL-IRION-
JONES-MCCULLOCH-NOLAN-RUNNELS-SAN SABA-SHACKELFORD-
STERLING-TAYLOR-THROCKMORTON-TOM GREEN

23/HUBER

****  235 PM CDT SAT MAY 4 2002 DISCUSSION FOLLOWS  ****

RAIN AND SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TONIGHT...THEN ITS BACK TO SAME OL
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS WEATHER PATTERN

THE DRYLINE PUSHED WEST OF OUR AREA QUICKLY THIS MORNING...WARMFRONT
IS POISED JUST TO OUR SOUTH AND WILL GRADUALLY MOVE NORTH ACROSS W
CENTRAL TX DURING THE EVENING/NIGHT...ALONG WITH THE FRONT A GOOD
LOW LEVEL JET AND A PULSE OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY MOVES ACROSS...WILL
PLACE OUR FORECAST AREA IN THE PRIME AREA FOR T-STORM DEVELOPMENT.
MAINLY BETWEEN 6 PM AND MIDNIGHT. THOSE STORMS THAT FORM WILL HAVE A
HIGH PROBABILITY OF BECOMING SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS
AND EVEN TORNADOES.

THREAT OF STORMS ENDS PRIMARILY WITH THE NORTHWARD PROGRESSION OF
THE WARMFRONT...SO BY SUNRISE THE ONLY RAIN CHANCES REMAIN IN THE
BIG COUNTRY.  WILL TAKE OUT MENTION OF RAIN IN ALL BUT NORTHERN
COUNTIES ON SUNDAY.  WITH THE DRYLINE FIRMLY ENTRENCHED WELL TO OUR
WEST THROUGH TUESDAY...CHANCES OF RAIN ACROSS THE AREA WILL STAY TO
OUR WEST...AND WILL TAKE OUT MENTION OF RAIN FOR MONDAY AND
TUESDAY.  HOWEVER COUPLE OF WEAK BITS OF ENERGY MOVE TO OUR SOUTH
AND EAST...SO A FEW STORMS MAY BE NEARBY.

BY WEDNESDAY THE DRYLINE COMES BACK INTO PLAY...AND WE ALSO FLIRT
WITH A WEAK COLDFRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THEREFORE WILL
CONTINUE THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE END OF THE
WEEK.

BUT AFTER MORE THAN A MONTH WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL RAIN ACROSS MOST OF
THE AREA...TONIGHTS THE BEST SHOT WEVE HAD IN A WHILE.

ABI 065/088/067/090 62--
SJT 066/090/068/092 51--
JCT 068/091/070/093 51--

.SJT...NONE.

25

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Angelo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 7:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTTom Green115 min
May 4, 7:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTRunnels65 min
May 4, 7:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho71 min
May 4, 8:05 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTConcho70 min
May 4, 8:10 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTTom Green20 min
May 4, 8:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTTaylor61 min
May 4, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher47 min
May 4, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher45 min
May 4, 8:34 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTFisher41 min
May 4, 8:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTConcho3 hr
May 4, 8:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTConcho63 min
May 4, 9:03 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTMcCulloch72 min
May 4, 9:15 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTConcho60 min
May 4, 9:16 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTFisher34 min
May 4, 9:27 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTJones73 min
May 4, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTShackelford49 min
May 4, 9:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTMcCulloch3 hr
May 4, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTSan Saba62 min
May 4, 10:17 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTMcCulloch43 min
May 4, 10:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTFisher65 min
May 4, 10:33 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTSan Saba57 min
May 4, 10:42 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTFisher, Nolan63 min
May 4, 11:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTShackelford42 min
May 4, 11:29 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTSan Saba31 min
May 4, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTTaylor74 min
May 4, 11:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTNolan28 min
May 4, 11:57 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTNolan63 min
May 5, 12:57 AM CDTTornado WarningSJTNolan, Taylor63 min
May 5, 1:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTRunnels44 min
May 5, 1:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTTaylor33 min
May 5, 2:45 AM CDTTornado WarningSJTCallahan45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 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.