Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 199
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 1, 2002, 9:00 PM CDT for 14 counties in Arkansas; Oregon County, Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 1, 2002, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 2:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Baxter County, AR, Benton County, AR, Boone County, AR, Carroll County, AR, Crawford County, AR, Fulton County, AR, Izard County, AR, Madison County, AR, Marion County, AR, Newton County, AR, Searcy County, AR, Sharp County, AR, Stone County, AR, Washington County, AR, Oregon County, MO
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:02 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.
Warnings issued inside it
10 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 9:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Washington | 45 min |
| May 1, 9:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Benton | 33 min |
| May 1, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Boone | 30 min |
| May 1, 9:33 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Madison | 42 min |
| May 1, 9:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Marion | 35 min |
| May 1, 10:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Oregon | 65 min |
| May 1, 10:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Madison, Washington | 46 min |
| May 2, 1:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Washington | 45 min |
| May 2, 1:38 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Washington | 37 min |
| May 2, 1:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Madison | 50 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1175 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -29 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1882 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 50 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 62 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 199 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 4.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 020145 SEL9 SPC WW 020141 ARZ000-020700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 199 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 841 PM CDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARKANSAS EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL 200 AM CDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 30 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS TO 100 MILES EAST OF HARRISON ARKANSAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 196...WW 197...WW 198... DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED DOWN COLD FRONT INTO NORTHWEST AR. THESE STORMS ARE IN A FAVORABLE THERMODYNAMIC AND KINEMATIC ENVIRONMENT FOR SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES. WESTWARD EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT REMAINS A QUESTION DUE TO STRONG CAP. HOWEVER...PARTS OF EASTERN OK MAY ALSO REQUIRE A WW LATER THIS EVENING. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035. ...HART 362,0942 364,0912 354,0912 352,0942 WWUS20 KWNS 020145 SEL9 SPC WW 020141 ARZ000-020700- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 199 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 841 PM CDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARKANSAS EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL 200 AM CDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 30 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS TO 100 MILES EAST OF HARRISON ARKANSAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 196...WW 197...WW 198... DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED DOWN COLD FRONT INTO NORTHWEST AR. THESE STORMS ARE IN A FAVORABLE THERMODYNAMIC AND KINEMATIC ENVIRONMENT FOR SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES. WESTWARD EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT REMAINS A QUESTION DUE TO STRONG CAP. HOWEVER...PARTS OF EASTERN OK MAY ALSO REQUIRE A WW LATER THIS EVENING. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035. ...HART 362,0942 364,0912 354,0912 352,0942
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin and 9 more | 3 hr |
| May 1, 7:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Crawford, Dent, Douglas, Franklin, Howell, Iron and 15 more | 4 hr |
| May 1, 10:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Howell, Iron and 12 more | 6 hr |
| May 2, 7:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Cape Girardeau, Mississippi, New Madrid, Perry, Scott | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2002Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2002Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.