Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 232
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 5, 2002, 7:30 PM CDT for 15 counties in Oklahoma; Childress County, Collingsworth County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 5, 2002, 7:30 PM CDT (00:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 2002, 11:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Alfalfa County, OK, Beckham County, OK, Blaine County, OK, Custer County, OK, Dewey County, OK, Grant County, OK, Greer County, OK, Harmon County, OK, Jackson County, OK, Kiowa County, OK, Major County, OK, Roger Mills County, OK, Washita County, OK, Woods County, OK, Woodward County, OK, Childress County, TX, Collingsworth County, TX
The radar
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:34 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
16 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 7:32 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Ellis, Roger Mills | 43 min |
| May 5, 8:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Ellis, Roger Mills | 50 min |
| May 5, 8:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Dewey | 38 min |
| May 5, 8:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Dewey | 36 min |
| May 5, 8:55 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Collingsworth, Donley | 35 min |
| May 5, 9:12 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Dewey | 48 min |
| May 5, 9:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LUB | Childress | 55 min |
| May 5, 9:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Major, Woodward | 50 min |
| May 5, 9:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Collingsworth | 29 min |
| May 5, 9:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Harmon | 39 min |
| May 5, 10:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Dewey | 28 min |
| May 5, 10:12 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Major | 33 min |
| May 5, 10:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Kiowa | 29 min |
| May 5, 10:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Greer, Harmon, Jackson | 44 min |
| May 5, 10:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OUN | Blaine, Major | 46 min |
| May 5, 10:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Kiowa, Washita | 41 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 177 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
- 1804 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -78 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 897 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 152 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 216 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 6.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 060024 SEL2 SPC WW 060020 OKZ000-060400- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 232 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 720 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 730 PM UNTIL 1100 PM 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 45 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF ALTUS OKLAHOMA TO 50 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF ENID 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. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 226...WW 227...WW 228...WW 229...WW 230...WW 231... DISCUSSION...A FEW SUPERCELLS AND ATTENDANT THREAT OF VERY LARGE HAIL AS WELL AS TORNADOES SHOULD SPREAD EWD INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA 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 26030. ...EVANS 342,1003 370,0990 370,0972 342,0985 WWUS20 KWNS 060024 SEL2 SPC WW 060020 OKZ000-060400- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 232 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 720 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN OKLAHOMA EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 730 PM UNTIL 1100 PM 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 45 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF ALTUS OKLAHOMA TO 50 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF ENID 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. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION... CONTINUE...WW 226...WW 227...WW 228...WW 229...WW 230...WW 231... DISCUSSION...A FEW SUPERCELLS AND ATTENDANT THREAT OF VERY LARGE HAIL AS WELL AS TORNADOES SHOULD SPREAD EWD INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA 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 26030. ...EVANS 342,1003 370,0990 370,0972 342,0985
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 11:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alfalfa, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Custer and 14 more | 4 hr |
| May 6, 1:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Adair, Cherokee, Cleveland, Creek, Delaware, Garvin and 17 more | 6 hr |
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.