Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 167, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 17, 2002Franklin County, Madison County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 12:58 AM CDT for Franklin County, Madison County, Arkansas. It was in force for 62 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 17, 2002, 12:58 AM CDT (05:58 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 2:00 AM CDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Franklin County, AR, Madison County, AR

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:58 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 1:18 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52 EPettigrew, ARThunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.

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 nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 123 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 00:00Z on 2002-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1170 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2002-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 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
1170 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
235 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
9.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KTSA 170558
SVRTUL
ARC047-087-170700-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1258 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  NORTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 200 AM CDT

* AT 1258 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
  CASS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...CASS...ST
  PAUL...PETTIGREW...BOSTON AND WITTER.

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 3572 9397 3559 9381 3589 9338 3607 9359

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 16, 7:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 7:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 5 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
753 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

COMPLICATED SFC PATTERN THIS EVENING WITH MULTIPLE BOUNDARIES ACROSS
AREA.  COLD FRONT LOCATED NEAR MCI EXTENDING SW INTO OK PANHANDLE.
FURTHER SOUTH INVERTED SFC TROUGH OVER NW OK AND SECONDARY WEAKER
BOUNDARY ACROSS SE OK.  ELEVATED CONVECTION HAS DEVELOP OVER
SOUTH-CENTRAL OK/NORTH TEXAS IN RESPONSE TO WEAK UPPER WAVE THAT
MOVED OUT OF MEXICO EARLIER TODAY.  ELEVATED INSTABILITIES WILL
REMAIN MARGINAL THIS EVENING...BUT STRONGER CELLS COULD BRIEFLY
APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS AS ACTIVITY MOVES EAST ACROSS SE OK THIS
EVENING.

STRONGER CONVECTION WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT AS MAIN UPPER
DISTURBANCE MOVES OUT INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. SCT TSTMS COULD
DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING ALONG INVERTED SFC TROUGH OVER
NORTH-CENTRAL/ NORTHEAST OK...BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD AS COLD FRONT
PUSHES SOUTH INTO FA LATE TONIGHT.  THE HEAVIEST PRECIP EXPECTED
AFTER 300 AM... CONTINUING THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS BEFORE PUSHING
EAST OF FA BY MID AFTERNOON FRIDAY.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH STILL LOOKS GOOD AS WIDESPREAD 2-3 INCH RAINFALL
AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF FA THROUGH FRIDAY
AFTERNOON. WILL UPDATE TO TWEAK CURRENT FORECAST GIVEN LATEST
TRENDS...OTHERWISE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ANTICIPATED THIS EVENING.

FCSTID = 12

.TSA...
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH  UNTIL NOON CDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES
ARZ001>002...ARZ010>011...ARZ019>020...ARZ029.

OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM UNTIL NOON CDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES
OKZ054>076.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 16, 11:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1150 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

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

1145 PM    5 S CLEVELAND             OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/02   PAWNEE                         REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER
Local storm report, May 17, 12:12 AM CDT, 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1212 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

1208 AM    5 S PRUE                  OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/16/02   TULSA                          REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER
Local storm report, May 17, 12:12 AM CDT, 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1212 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

1208 AM    5 S PRUE                  OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/17/02   TULSA                          REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER
Local storm report, May 17, 12:18 AM CDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1218 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

0905 PM    3 S ANTLERS               OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/02   PUSHMATAHA
Local storm report, May 17, 12:48 AM CDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1248 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

1242 AM    TULSA                     OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/17/02   TULSA                          51ST AND YALE. REPORTED BY
                                          TRAINED SPOTTER.
Local storm report, May 17, 12:53 AM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1253 AM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

1215 AM    3 S SANDSPRINGS           OK   .88 INCH HAIL
05/17/02   TULSA                          REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 4:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSABenton3 hr
May 17, 5:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Sebastian49 min
May 17, 6:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSABenton6 hr

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.