Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 146, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 12, 2002Benton County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 12, 2002, 6:42 PM CDT for Benton County, Arkansas. It was in force for 48 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 2002, 6:42 PM CDT (23:42 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2002, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Benton County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 6:51 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 57 ELowell, AR

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 12, 1:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 67 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2002-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 513 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2002-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 348 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
513 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-102 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
786 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
348 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
353 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KTSA 122342
SVRTUL
ARC007-130030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
642 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN BENTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 642 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF LOWELL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ROGERS...
  LOWELL...PEA RIDGE...GATEWAY...WAR EAGLE AND GARFIELD.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THE WARNED AREA. STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.

LAT...LON 3623 9419 3624 9387 3651 9386 3649 9420

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 12, 6:42 PM CDT, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 6:42 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
642 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

MOST CONVECTION OVER CWA IS ELEVATED...WITH AN EXCEPTION BEING
SEVERE CELL IN WASHINGTON COUNTY ARKANSAS.  USING MODIFIED RUC
SOUNDING...GETTING A LITTLE OVER 3000 J/KG FOR THIS CELL...VERSUS
ABOUT 1200 J/KG WITH ELEVATED STORMS AROUND OKFUSKEE COUNTY.

MANY OF THE ELEVATED STORMS LOOK TO BE INDUCING INFLOW ON ON THEIR
NORTHERN FLANKS.  BOTH SURFACE-BASED STORMS AND ELEVATED STORMS ONLY
GETTING 10-15 KT OF RELATIVE INFLOW.

PER VWP...COLD AIR ABOUT 3700 FEET DEEP OVER TULSA AREA.  ELEVATED
STORMS MOSTLY DEPENDENT ON UPPER LIFT THAT SHOULD SLIDE EAST OF CWA
BY AROUND MIDNIGHT.  THINK THAT STRONG ELEVATED STORMS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EVENING.

.TSA...

AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

MATHEWS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 12, 1:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-131100-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA / NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
115 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT
ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT THIS
AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS CURRENTLY LOCATED FROM MIAMI TO TULSA TO
BRISTOW AND WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD FRONT AND AN UPPER LEVEL STORM MOVING
INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT.  A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BE
SEVERE WITH HAIL UP TO 1.75 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND DAMAGING WINDS UP
TO 65 MILES AN HOUR.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

.DISCUSSION...
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA.  THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE
SURFACE COLD FRONT REMAINS MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND SHOULD CONTINUE
TO DESTABILIZE AS THE UPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES.  LARGE HAIL UP TO THE
SIZE OF GOLFBALLS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS.
IF THE STORMS BECOME SURFACE BASED...DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO BE
POSSIBLE.  THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL LIKELY END BY MIDNIGHT AS
DRIER MORE STABLE AIR PUSHES SOUTH INTO THE AREA.

THREAT TABLE
VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC MONDAY

AREA 1...MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...90
SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...70
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...20

THREAT AREAS DEFINE THE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT.
SIGNIFICANT SEVERE IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/TORNADO DAMAGE
AND/OR GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER.

.OTHER HAZARDS...
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH A FEW
LOCATIONS LIKELY TO RECEIVE GREATER THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN.

RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT:
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
Local storm report, May 12, 3:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
343 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0311 PM    2 NORTH PETTIT            OK   .88 INCH HAIL 05/12/02
           CHEROKEE                       DIME TO NICKEL HAIL
Local storm report, May 12, 3:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
350 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

...CORRECTION FOR DATE GROUP...

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0311 PM    2 NORTH PETTIT            OK   .88 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   CHEROKEE                       DIME TO NICKEL HAIL
Local storm report, May 12, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
407 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0400 PM    5 N CHOUTEAU              OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   MAYES                          REPORTED BY EMA

0404 PM    PRYOR                     OK   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   MAYES                          REPORTED BY EMA
Local storm report, May 12, 6:18 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
618 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0417 PM    KETCHUM                   OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   CRAIG                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0509 PM    1 E GROVE                 OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   DELAWARE                       REPORTED BY EMA

0530 PM    9 NNW TAHLEQUAH           OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/12/02   CHEROKEE                       POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0511 PM    3 NE GROVE                OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   DELAWARE                       REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0528 PM    1 W WESTVILLE             OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/12/02   ADAIR                          LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0539 PM    STILWELL                  OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02   ADAIR                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0540 PM    5 WNW WESTVILLE           OK   59 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
05/12/02   ADAIR                          REPORTED BY OKLAHOMA
                                          MESONET

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 5:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington62 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.