Alert archive / Oregon / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Medford, OR

August 4, 2003Josephine County, Oregon

NWS Medford, OR issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 2003, 5:11 PM PDT for Josephine County, Oregon. It was in force for 49 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
Aug 4, 2003, 5:11 PM PDT (00:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 4, 2003, 6:00 PM PDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Medford, OR
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Josephine County, OR

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

Medford/Jackson, OR (KMFR), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 74 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2003-08-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 311 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2003-08-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
311 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-83 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2975 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

382 
WUUS56 KMFR 050011
SVRMFR
ORC033-050100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
510 PM PDT MON AUG 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEDFORD HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  JOSEPHINE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OREGON

* UNTIL 600 PM PDT

* AT 510 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER SELMA...OR ABOUT 12 MILES NORTH OF CAVE
  JUNCTION...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH. LARGE HAIL IS THE PRIMARY THREAT 
  WITH THIS STORM. 

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  OVER RURAL JOSEPHINE COUNTY AT 540 PM PDT

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

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

LAT...LON 4225 12379 4225 12355 4253 12351 4252 12384

$$

SANDLER

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 4, 2:30 PM PDT, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 2:30 PM PDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
230 PM PDT MON AUG 4 2003

ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND MID TO UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE ALONG
WITH A MODEST 60 KNOT JET AT 250MB WILL EXTEND THUNDER STORMS WELL
INTO THE EVENING OVER MOST OF OUR FORECAST AREA EXCLUDING THE COAST.

TUESDAY A STRONG MID TO UPPER LEVEL LOW AND A COOL POOL OF AIR AT
500MB WILL SPREAD CLOUDS AND RAINSHOWERS OVER NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA
AND SOUTHWEST OREGON. FURTHER EAST THERE MAY BE ENOUGH SUNSHINE TO
GENERATE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST AREA OF DYNAMICS AND
INSTABILITY FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LOCATED NORTHEAST OF OUR AREA.

WEDNESDAY A WEAKER MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA BUT WILL LIKELY BRING MAINLY MID AND HIGH CLOUDS WITH
ISOLATED LIGHT RAINSHOWERS.

THURSDAY A COLD FRONT REACHES THE COAST WITH LIGHT RAIN BUT WEAKENS
QUICKLY AS IT EVOLVES INTO A SPLIT SYSTEM. A MARINE PUSH WITH COOL
AIR FOLLOWS THE FRONT CONTINUING EAST OF THE CASCADES THURSDAY NIGHT
BUT WITHOUT STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

LATE FRIDAY ANOTHER WEAKER MARINE PUSH OCCURS MAINTAINING THE COOL
TREND.

SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE CLEARING BUT ONLY A SLIGHT
INCREASE IN TEMPERATURES AS THE LONG WAVE TROUGH REMAINS NEAR 130W
AND CLOSED LOW MEANDERS ABOUT.

TUESDAY THE MRF BRINGS THE CLOSED LOW INTO THE BROOKINGS AREA. IF
THIS IS CORRECT IT WOULD MEAN MORE CLOUDS AND SHOWERS.

.MFR...NONE.

MO
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 4, 6:30 AM PDT, 10 hours 41 minutes before
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-051330-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PDT SUN AUG 04 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

HESS

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oregon, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.