Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 2

January 23, 200217 counties in Oklahoma; Fannin County, Grayson County, Lamar County, Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 23, 2002, 2:30 PM CST for 17 counties in Oklahoma; Fannin County, Grayson County, Lamar County, Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 23, 2002, 2:30 PM CST (20:30 UTC)
Expired
Jan 23, 2002, 7:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Atoka County, OK, Bryan County, OK, Choctaw County, OK, Coal County, OK, Haskell County, OK, Hughes County, OK, Johnston County, OK, Latimer County, OK, LeFlore County, OK, Marshall County, OK, McCurtain County, OK, McIntosh County, OK, Pittsburg County, OK, Pontotoc County, OK, Pushmataha County, OK, Seminole County, OK, Sequoyah County, OK, Fannin County, TX, Grayson County, TX, Lamar County, TX

The radar

The Norman radar (KTLX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:30 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

4 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 23, 3:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAHaskell, Pittsburg41 min
Jan 23, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMcIntosh43 min
Jan 23, 4:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASequoyah43 min
Jan 23, 4:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNJohnston, Marshall24 min

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 148 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2002-01-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2002-01-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 232011
SEL2  
SPC WW 232006
OKZ000-TXZ000-240100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 2
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
206 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA                           
   EXTREME NORTH TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
700 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF DURANT OKLAHOMA TO
15 MILES NORTHEAST OF PAGE OKLAHOMA.

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.

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED STRONG/SEVERE STORMS CONTINUE TO INCREASE
OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OK...WITH SOME DEVELOPMENT NOW OCCURRING
INTO NORTH TX.  LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS QUITE
STRONG...WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S AND SBCAPE VALUES OVER 1500
J/KG.  STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND SUPERCELL STORM STRUCTURES
INDICATE THE THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES AS WELL AS VERY LARGE
HAIL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

...HART

350,0965 355,0942 334,0942 330,0965

WWUS20 KWNS 232011
SEL2  
SPC WW 232006
OKZ000-TXZ000-240100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 2
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
206 PM CST WED JAN 23 2002

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA                           
   EXTREME NORTH TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
700 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF DURANT OKLAHOMA TO
15 MILES NORTHEAST OF PAGE OKLAHOMA.

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.

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED STRONG/SEVERE STORMS CONTINUE TO INCREASE
OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OK...WITH SOME DEVELOPMENT NOW OCCURRING
INTO NORTH TX.  LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS QUITE
STRONG...WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S AND SBCAPE VALUES OVER 1500
J/KG.  STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND SUPERCELL STORM STRUCTURES
INDICATE THE THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES AS WELL AS VERY LARGE
HAIL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

...HART

350,0965 355,0942 334,0942 330,0965

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2002Tornado Watches in Texas, 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.