Alert archive / Oregon / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 5, NWS Medford, OR

August 6, 2003Jackson County, Oregon

NWS Medford, OR issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 6, 2003, 4:59 PM PDT for Jackson County, Oregon. It was in force for 61 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 6, 2003, 4:59 PM PDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
Aug 6, 2003, 6:00 PM PDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Medford, OR
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Jackson 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 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 14 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1006 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 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.

078 
WUUS56 KMFR 062359
SVRMFR
ORC029-070100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
458 PM PDT WED AUG 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEDFORD HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST OREGON
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MEDFORD

* UNTIL 600 PM PDT

* AT 454 PM PDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
  MEDFORD...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  OVER CENTRAL POINT AT 505 PM PDT
  4 MILES WEST OF WHITE CITY AT 515 PM PDT
  6 MILES WEST OF EAGLE POINT AT 520 PM PDT
  6 MILES WEST OF SHADY COVE AT 555 PM PDT

HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. IF 
YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE 
TO A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE
FOR DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...PREFERABLY
INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT 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 MEDFORD.

LAT...LON 4225 12299 4227 12275 4277 12278 4273 12314

$$

SVEN

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 6, 1:45 PM PDT, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 1:45 PM PDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
145 PM PDT WED AUG 6 2003

AS EXPECTED SATELLITE PICTURE INDICATES ONLY INNOCUOUS CUMULUS
CLOUDS HAVE DEVELOPED TO THIS POINT. THE AIR MASS OVER MUCH OF OUR
INLAND REGION WILL DE-STABILIZE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A
SHORTWAVE NEAR CAPE MENDOCINO MOVES EAST-NORTHEAST INTO SISKIYOU
COUNTY AND THEN CONTINUES ACROSS KLAMATH AND NORTHERN LAKE COUNTIES
THIS EVENING. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HIGHEST OVER THE
CASCADES WITH ETA INDICATING BOUNDARY LAYER CAPE VALUES OF 200-1000
J/KG AND LI OF -1 TO -3.

THE AIR MASS WILL STABILIZE BEHIND THE TROUGH WITH A PERSISTENT
PATTERN SETTING UP FOR THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A CLOSED LOW WILL
REMAIN OFFSHORE FROM NORTHERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON WITH COOL
ONSHORE FLOW. A VERY WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL DEEPEN THE MARINE LAYER
THURSDAY NIGHT FOR A CHANCE OF MIST/LIGHT SHOWERS AT THE COAST AFTER
MIDNIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING ALONG WITH LOW CLOUDS SPREADING INTO
THE UMPQUA BASIN. SIMILAR SITUATION SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY MORNING WITH
A STRONGER MARINE PUSH AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES EAST TOWARD THE COAST.

THE UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AND MOVE INLAND TUESDAY FOR
SLIGHT COOLING AND JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS WEST OF CASCADES.
THERE IS A VERY SMALL POSSIBILITY OF A SOUTHWARD VARIATION IN THE
PROJECTED LOW TRACK...WHICH WOULD WARRANT MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS
EAST OF THE CASCADES ON TUESDAY. DRY AND A LITTLE WARMER WEDNESDAY
AS HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC BUILDS IN BEHIND THE
TROUGH.

.MFR...NONE

DW
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 6, 6:30 AM PDT, 10 hours 29 minutes before
ORZ021>031-CAZ080>085-071330-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
630 AM PDT WED AUG 06 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

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.