Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 30, NWS Little Rock, AR

May 5, 2003Prairie County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at May 5, 2003, 2:07 AM CDT for Prairie County, Arkansas. It was in force for 23 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 5, 2003, 2:07 AM CDT (07:07 UTC)
Expired: May 5, 2003, 2:30 AM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Little Rock, AR
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Prairie County, AR

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:08 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 148 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 658 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 254 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 313 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 4.4
Supercell composite: 14.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

364 
WFUS54 KLZK 050707
TORLIT
ARC117-050730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
206 AM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PRAIRIE COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 230 AM CDT

* AT 202 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 11 MILES WEST OF DES ARC...OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF
  CARLISLE...MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  DES ARC AROUND 215 AM CDT

&&

A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS THERE IS STRONG ROTATION
WITHIN A STORM. THE STORM MAY NOT BE PRODUCING A TORNADO AT THE
MOMENT...BUT IS EXPECTED TO DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. FOR YOUR
SAFETY...GO INDOORS NOW TO AN INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN LITTLE ROCK.

LAT...LON 3485 9168 3500 9175 3503 9158 3509 9152
          3505 9137 3494 9137

$$

46

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 4, 9:50 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 9:50 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
950 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

SEVERE AND TORNADIC THUNDERSTORMS DUE TO WARM ADVECTION HAS MOVED
EAST OF THE CWA. HOWEVER...WARM AND HUMID AIR MASS REMAINS IN
PLACE. LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWESTERN MISSOURI MAY EXTEND
SOUTHWEST INTO NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA THEN MOVE EAST INTO ARKANSAS
LATER TONIGHT. THUS WILL NOT UPDATE THE FORECAST AND KEEP HIGH
POPS GOING THROUGH TONIGHT. IF ANYTHING...MIN FORECASTS MAY BE
TOO LOW BUT LATER STORMS COULD KNOCK TEMPS DOWN SOMEWHAT.

.LZK...NONE

Hazardous weather outlook, May 4, 1:51 PM CDT, 12 hours 16 minutes before

ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-051000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
151 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A WARM FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL ARKANSAS CONTINUED TO MOVE NORTH THIS
AFTERNOON. BEHIND THE FRONT...WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WAS
NOTED ACROSS THE REGION. MEANWHILE...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WAS IN
NORTH KANSAS WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. AS
THE FRONT APPROACHES LATER TODAY...IT WILL MOVE INTO THE UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERE WITH THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING.

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN FORMING IN WESTERN
ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL PUSH ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. IT APPEARS THAT SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LIKELY.

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER
THREATS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE WINDS WILL BE
CHANGING WITH HEIGHT...WITH A SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR THE
GROUND AND A WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND ALOFT. THIS WILL CREATE A
TURNING MOTION IN THE ATMOSPHERE...WITH TORNADOES POSSIBLE IN SOME
STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE COLD FRONT IN THE PLAINS WILL BE SLOW TO MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS.
BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM AROUND MOUNTAIN
HOME TO TEXARKANA. AFTER SOME LEFTOVER MORNING PRECIPITATION...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON ACROSS
MAINLY THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE STATE. SEVERE WEATHER IS AGAIN
POSSIBLE.

THE FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MUCH OF THE UPCOMING
WEEK. SEVERAL SYSTEMS FROM THE PLAINS WILL INTERACT WITH THE FRONT
TO TRIGGER A FEW ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH AT
LEAST THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF ARKANSAS TODAY...
ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT HOURS.

51

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 8:26 PM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
826 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0800 PM    ROSE BUD                  AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/04/03   WHITE                          TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY
                                          124 WEST. REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO OPERATOR

28

Local storm report, May 4, 8:42 PM CDT, 5 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
842 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0800 PM    VILONIA                   AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/04/03   FAULKNER                       PORCHES OFF HOUSES.
                                          OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED.
                                          POWER LINES DOWN. REPORTED
                                          BY HAM RADIO OPERATOR

0800 PM    VILONIA                   AR   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   FAULKNER                       REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR

28

Local storm report, May 4, 9:31 PM CDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
931 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0755 PM    2 S HOPEWELL              AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   CLEBURNE                       MINOR DAMAGE TO
                                          HOUSES.REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0817 PM    EL PASO                   AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   WHITE                          TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWN. DAMAGE TO HOUSES.
                                          PEOPLE TRAPPED IN HOUSES.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

28

Local storm report, May 4, 9:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
940 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0910 PM    WELDON                    AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   JACKSON                        TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          AROUND WELDON AND TUPELO.
                                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT

28

Local storm report, May 4, 9:45 PM CDT, 4 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
945 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0910 PM    MC CRORY                  AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   WOODRUFF                       10 TO 15 HOUSES REPORTED
                                          DESTROYED FROM PATTERSON TO
                                          MC CRORY. FIRE STATION
                                          REPORTEDLY DESTROYED AT MC
                                          CRORY. DAMAGE TO
                                          BUSINESSES. FROM STATE
                                          POLICE AND ARKANSAS DEPT.
                                          OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

28

Local storm report, May 4, 9:59 PM CDT, 4 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
959 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

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

0650 PM    2 SW BEE BRANCH           AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/04/03   VAN BUREN                      MANY TREES DOWN. POWER
                                          LINES DOWN. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0710 PM    2 S EDGEMONT              AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/04/03   CLEBURNE                       TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          AND SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
                                          REPORTED AT GREERS FERRY.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0745 PM    QUITMAN                   AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/04/03   CLEBURNE                       TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          AND SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0815 PM    5 W BEEBE                 AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   WHITE                          HIGHWAY 64 BLOCKED BY
                                          FALLEN TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES. TRUCK TRAILER
                                          OVERTURNED. ONE HOUSE
                                          DAMAGED. REPORTED BY HAM
                                          RADIO OPERATOR

0903 PM    GREGORY                   AR   TORNADO
05/04/03   WOODRUFF                       SHERIFFS DEPUTY REPORTED A
                                          TORNADO NEAR GREGORY ON
                                          HIGHWAY 33 SOUTH.

28

The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 7:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Scott	44 min
May 4, 7:06 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Cleburne, Stone, Van Buren	29 min
May 4, 7:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Jackson	30 min
May 4, 7:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Jackson	27 min
May 4, 7:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Faulkner	28 min
May 4, 7:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Faulkner	20 min
May 4, 7:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Cleburne	42 min
May 4, 7:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Faulkner	31 min
May 4, 8:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Lonoke, White	45 min
May 4, 8:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	White, Woodruff	52 min
May 4, 9:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Jackson	40 min
May 4, 11:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Scott, Yell	47 min
May 4, 11:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Yell	27 min
May 5, 12:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Perry	43 min
May 5, 12:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Saline	28 min
May 5, 12:59 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Faulkner, Pulaski	46 min
May 5, 1:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Lonoke	43 min
May 5, 1:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	White	34 min
May 5, 1:53 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Prairie	32 min
May 5, 2:17 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Monroe, Woodruff	28 min
May 5, 2:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Searcy	27 min
May 5, 3:06 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Stone	39 min
May 5, 3:25 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Izard	30 min
May 5, 3:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Sharp	29 min
May 5, 12:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Ouachita	32 min
May 5, 12:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun	40 min
May 5, 12:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Bradley	36 min
May 5, 1:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Drew	39 min
May 5, 1:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Ouachita	28 min
May 5, 1:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Desha	29 min
May 5, 1:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Drew	31 min
May 5, 1:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun, Drew	32 min
May 5, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun	30 min
May 5, 2:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Drew	31 min
May 5, 2:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Bradley	30 min
May 5, 2:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun	29 min
May 5, 2:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Bradley	31 min
May 5, 2:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Drew	32 min
May 5, 2:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Desha	37 min
May 5, 2:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Drew	39 min
May 5, 3:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Ouachita	29 min
May 5, 3:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LZK	Desha	41 min
May 5, 3:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun	30 min
May 5, 3:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Pike	43 min
May 5, 3:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Cleveland	29 min
May 5, 4:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Lincoln	38 min
May 5, 4:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Clark, Dallas	42 min
May 5, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Cleveland, Jefferson	44 min
May 5, 4:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Arkansas, Lincoln	45 min
May 5, 4:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Dallas, Grant	43 min
May 5, 5:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Desha	30 min
May 5, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Cleveland	25 min
May 5, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Ouachita	30 min
May 5, 5:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Jefferson	38 min
May 5, 5:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Cleveland	27 min
May 5, 5:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Ouachita	47 min
May 5, 5:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Calhoun	32 min
May 5, 5:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Desha	41 min
May 5, 6:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Cleveland, Jefferson, Lincoln	29 min
May 5, 6:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Arkansas	34 min
May 5, 6:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Bradley	31 min
May 5, 6:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Arkansas, Desha	37 min
May 5, 6:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Drew	47 min
May 5, 6:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LZK	Bradley	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2003 Every tornado warning in 2003 Tornadoes in 2003

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.