Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 279
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 10, 2002, 10:45 PM CDT for Cotton County, Tillman County, Oklahoma; 8 counties in Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 10, 2002, 10:45 PM CDT (03:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 11, 2002, 3:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Cotton County, OK, Tillman County, OK, Archer County, TX, Baylor County, TX, Clay County, TX, Foard County, TX, Hardeman County, TX, Knox County, TX, Wichita County, TX, Wilbarger County, TX
The radar
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:45 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 213 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
- 1056 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -35 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 534 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 272 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 337 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.3
- Supercell composite
- 7.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 110329 SEL9 SPC WW 110325 OKZ000-TXZ000-110800- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 279 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1025 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA NORTHWEST TEXAS EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 1045 PM UNTIL 300 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 40 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 95 MILES WEST OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS TO 30 MILES EAST OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. 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 278... DISCUSSION...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM OVER MOTLEY COUNTY TX IS EXPECTED TO TRACK EASTWARD INTO VERY MOIST/UNSTABLE SURFACE AIRMASS WITHIN THE HOURS. ONCE STORM BECOMES SURFACE-BASED...EXTREMELY STRONG LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES /3KM SR HELICITY VALUES OVER 700 M2/S2/ WILL SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES. VERY LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO REMAIN POSSIBLE. 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 27025. ...HART 343,1000 343,0975 332,0975 332,1000 WWUS20 KWNS 110329 SEL9 SPC WW 110325 OKZ000-TXZ000-110800- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 279 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1025 PM CDT FRI MAY 10 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA NORTHWEST TEXAS EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 1045 PM UNTIL 300 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 40 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 95 MILES WEST OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS TO 30 MILES EAST OF WICHITA FALLS TEXAS. 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 278... DISCUSSION...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM OVER MOTLEY COUNTY TX IS EXPECTED TO TRACK EASTWARD INTO VERY MOIST/UNSTABLE SURFACE AIRMASS WITHIN THE HOURS. ONCE STORM BECOMES SURFACE-BASED...EXTREMELY STRONG LOW LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES /3KM SR HELICITY VALUES OVER 700 M2/S2/ WILL SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES. VERY LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO REMAIN POSSIBLE. 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 27025. ...HART 343,1000 343,0975 332,0975 332,1000
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 1:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alfalfa, Beaver, Ellis, Harper, Roger Mills, Woods and 1 more | 5 hr |
| May 11, 6:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Ellis, Harper, Roger Mills, Woods, Woodward | 5 hr |
| May 10, 8:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Bailey, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Collingsworth and 17 more | 5 hr |
| May 10, 11:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Armstrong, Carson, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley and 14 more | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Texas, 2002Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.