Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 73

April 7, 200225 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 7, 2002, 2:30 PM CDT for 25 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 7, 2002, 2:30 PM CDT (19:30 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 25 counties

Bosque County, TX, Brown County, TX, Comanche County, TX, Coryell County, TX, Dallas County, TX, Denton County, TX, Eastland County, TX, Erath County, TX, Hamilton County, TX, Hill County, TX, Hood County, TX, Jack County, TX, Johnson County, TX, Lampasas County, TX, McCulloch County, TX, McLennan County, TX, Mills County, TX, Palo Pinto County, TX, Parker County, TX, San Saba County, TX, Somervell County, TX, Stephens County, TX, Tarrant County, TX, Wise County, TX, Young County, TX

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 7, 3:01 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDDallas3 hr
Apr 7, 3:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCollin, Denton, Grayson3 hr
Apr 7, 4:20 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDYoung55 min
Apr 7, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland, Stephens58 min
Apr 7, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho, McCulloch62 min
Apr 7, 4:45 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDTarrant2 hr
Apr 7, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTBrown56 min
Apr 7, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDYoung46 min
Apr 7, 5:25 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTMcCulloch, Mason, Menard65 min
Apr 7, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJack59 min
Apr 7, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDPalo Pinto60 min
Apr 7, 6:17 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDJack43 min
Apr 7, 6:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDParker67 min
Apr 7, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWise57 min
Apr 7, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton69 min
Apr 7, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDTarrant67 min
Apr 7, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBosque, Coryell, Lampasas, Somervell47 min
Apr 7, 7:37 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDDenton, Tarrant113 min
Apr 7, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHill, Johnson43 min
Apr 7, 7:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDJohnson117 min

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 363 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 2002-04-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2002-04-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 368 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
460 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
368 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
553 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 071914
SEL3  
SPC WW 071907
TXZ000-080100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 73
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
207 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

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

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL 800
PM CDT.

 ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
 
DAMAGING TORNADOES...LARGE 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 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES WEST OF TEMPLE TEXAS TO 45 MILES NORTH
NORTHEAST OF MINERAL WELLS 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 72...

DISCUSSION...SEVERAL BANDS/CLUSTERS OF TOWERING CUMULUS ARE FORMING
IN THE ABI AREA...AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED IN THE
NEXT HOUR OR SO.  LOW-LEVEL VERTICAL SHEAR AND MOISTURE ARE
MAXIMIZED IN THE CORRIDOR FROM ABI TO MWL NEAR THE WARM FRONT...AND
CLEARING N OF THE WARM FRONT IS ALLOWING DESTABILIZATION IN THE
REGION OF STRONG SHEAR.  THE DEVELOPING STORMS SHOULD QUICKLY
DEVELOP SUPERCELL CHARACTERISTICS AND PRODUCE VERY LARGE HAIL...
AND POTENTIALLY A STRONG TORNADO OR TWO.

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 24030.


...THOMPSON

332,0963 310,0970 310,0992 332,0985

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 6:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCLoving, Pecos, Reeves, Ward, Winkler5 hr
Apr 7, 1:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBorden, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crockett and 27 more6 hr
Apr 7, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Frio, Gillespie and 9 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado 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.