Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Norman, OK

April 15, 2003Beckham County, Oklahoma

NWS Norman, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 2003, 7:13 PM CDT for Beckham County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 47 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: Apr 15, 2003, 7:13 PM CDT (00:13 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2003, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Norman, OK
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Beckham County, OK

The radar

The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:12 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 15, 6:30 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 175 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1788 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -314 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -45 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.

000 
WFUS54 KOUN 160013
TOROKC
OKC009-160100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
713 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BECKHAM COUNTY IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 713 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ERICK...MOVING
  EAST-NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE CARTER...ERICK AND SAYRE

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO THREAT... THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  WINDS OF 75 MPH WERE 
RECENTLY REPORTED NEAR WELLINGTON TEXAS.

TAKE COVER NOW. LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES. IF POSSIBLE...MOVE
TO A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER. OTHERWISE MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM OR
HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND OUTSIDE
WALLS.

LAT...LON 3520 9999 3499 10000 3520 9937 3540 9950

$$

...SPEG.

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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 15, 3:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 3:45 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
345 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

ACTIVITY IN TEXAS PANHANDLE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST
THROUGH REST OF AFTERNOON WITH BETTER CHANCE OF STORMS DEVELOPING
ALONG DRYLINE AND BECOMING MORE SURFACE BASED.  DEEP LAYER SHEAR
MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELL WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY.
WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR ENTIRE CWA FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
ALTHOUGH SOME AREAS (EASTERN PARTS) MAY NOT EXPERIENCE ADVISORY
TYPE WINDS UNTIL LATER TONIGHT.

WILL REMOVE MENTION OF POPS ACROSS SOUTHEAST SECTIONS OF CWA FOR
WEDNESDAY MORNING AS BEST LIFT SHOULD BE NORTH AND EAST AREA.
WRAP AROUND MOISTURE/CLOUDS ON WEDNESDAY SHOULD MAINLY BE CONFINED
TO NORTHERN HALF OF FA WITH MORE SUNSHINE SOUTH. WITH GUSTY WINDS AND
TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE LOWER 80S ACROSS THE SOUTH MAY
NEED TO ISSUE RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AREA.  HOWEVER...STILL
SOME UNCERTAINTIES ON AMOUNT OF RAINFALL THAT WILL OCCUR ACROSS
THIS AREA TONIGHT.

WILL HAVE A BREAK IN ACTIVE WEATHER WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY
AS FRONT PUSHES INTO SOUTH TEXAS AND UPPER RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS
THE AREA AHEAD OF NEXT PACIFIC SYSTEM.  WILL NOT DEVIATE TOO
MUCH FROM MAV GUIDANCE DURING THIS TIME FRAME.

APPEARS NEXT CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL COME FRIDAY
INTO FRIDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER SOUTHWEST WAVE APPROACHES THE AREA.
12Z GFS FASTER/MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THIS SYSTEM THAN PREVIOUS
RUNS...BUT WILL LEAVE IN SLIGHT CHANCES WEST SATURDAY WITH
TIMING DIFFERENCES.  SUNDAY INTO MONDAY APPEAR DRY AT THIS TIME
WITH ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA AROUND TUESDAY.

FCSTID = SIX

OKC  55 76 45 69 /  60 10 00 00
HBR  51 76 46 72 /  60 00 00 00
SPS  54 81 47 74 /  30 10 00 00
GAG  49 70 41 67 /  50 00 00 00
PNC  55 72 40 66 /  60 10 00 00
DUA  61 82 48 75 /  40 10 00 00

.OKC...
OK...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY ALL ZONES.
TX...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY ALL ZONES.

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 15, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 33 minutes before

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-161200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
240 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. THERE IS
A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND
PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.

LOCATION...
THE MODERATE RISK IS WEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM PONCA CITY...TO
OKLAHOMA CITY...TO MANGUM. THE SLIGHT RISK IS SOUTH AND EAST OF THIS
MODERATE RISK AREA...AND WEST OF A LAKE TEXOMA TO HOLDENVILLE LINE.

TIMING...
THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NWS NORMAN
WARNING AREA WILL BE AFTER 4 PM.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL ACROSS THE
RISK AREAS SHOULD PLAN FOR SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS FROM 4 PM INTO
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

DISCUSSION...
A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS THROUGH TONIGHT. FORCING FROM THIS STORM
SYSTEM IS EVIDENT BY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE AT MID AFTERNOON. AS A DRY LINE BECOMES BETTER DEFINED
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...FROM SOUTHWEST KANSAS THROUGH THE
OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRY LINE AS THE FORCING ENCOUNTERS
BETTER MOISTURE. ALTHOUGH EXTENSIVE MID AND HIGH CLOUDINESS HAS
INHIBITED HEATING OVER MOST OF THE AREA...STRONG LIFT AHEAD OF THE
APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BE ENOUGH TO ERODE THE CAPPING
INVERSION FURTHER EAST. INITIALLY THE STRONGLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT
WILL FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS. LARGE HAIL AND STRONG
WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS...WITH A FEW TORNADOES
ALSO POSSIBLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO TRANSITION INTO A
SQUALL LINE LATER IN THE EVENING...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS
EASTWARD THROUGH NORTHERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. DAMAGING WIND WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THIS
LINE OF STORMS...WITH LARGE HAIL ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ANY EMBEDDED
SUPERCELL STORMS THAT PERSIST.

PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT WEDNESDAY APRIL 16.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...100 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...80 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AS
WELL AS WESTERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
MORNING AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE
SOUTHWEST.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
STRONG WEST OR NORTHWEST WINDS ARE LIKELY WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE DRY
LINE AND COLD FRONT.

THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED
WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 700 AM.

11

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 15, 6:34 PM CDT, 39 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
634 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

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

0629 PM    STRONG CITY               OK   62 MPH WIND GUST
04/15/03   ROGER MILLS                    MEASURED BY OFF DUTY NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE

0636 PM    5 E STRONG CITY           OK   66 MPH WIND GUST
04/15/03   ROGER MILLS                    MEASURED BY OFF DUTY NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE

JLP

Local storm report, Apr 15, 6:56 PM CDT, 17 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
656 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

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

0620 PM    6 SW CHEYENNE             OK   65 MPH WIND GUST
04/15/03   ROGER MILLS                    MEASURED BY OKLAHOMA
                                          MESONET

JLP

Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:58 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

OKZ033-036-TXZ083-160015-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
658 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR HARDEMAN...HARMON AND
JACKSON COUNTIES.

A DANGEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF TORNADOES...WAS LOCATED
24 MILES WEST OF GOODLETT AT 658 PM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND BASEBALL SIZED HAIL. PEOPLE
IN HARDEMAN...HARMON AND JACKSON COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM
CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR WARNINGS AND WATCH FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AS THIS STORM APPROACHES.

Local storm report, Apr 15, 6:59 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
659 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

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

0648 PM    6 W LEEDEY                OK   TORNADO
04/15/03   DEWEY                          REPORTED BY MEDIA

MBB

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:07 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
707 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

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

0605 PM    8 N SWEETWATER            OK   TORNADO
04/15/03   ROGER MILLS                    ROOF DAMAGE TO HOME AND
                                          BARN. TORNADO DAMAGE
                                          EXTENDS 4 MILES NE WHERE
                                          ANOTHER BARN TOTALLY DESTROYED.

FM

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:10 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

OKLAHOMA MAX/MIN TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TABLE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
710 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

12 HOUR HIGH...18 HOUR LOW...24 HOUR PRECIPITATION
DATA ENDING AT  7 PM

STATION                     HI  LO  PCPN
... WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND PANHANDLE...
CLINTON                     71  63 TRACE
FREDERICK                   71  60   .01
GAGE                        76  64   .04
GUYMON                      84  57   .10
HOBART                      69  62   .01
LAWTON                      69  61   .05

...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...
GUTHRIE                      M   M     0
OKLAHOMA CITY/WILL ROGERS   67  63   .01
OKLAHOMA CITY/WILEY POST    68  62 TRACE
OKLAHOMA CITY/TINKER AFB             .15
PONCA CITY                  73  66 TRACE
STILLWATER                  71  64 TRACE

...EASTERN OKLAHOMA...
BARTLESVILLE                77  63 TRACE
MCALESTER                   74  61 TRACE
MUSKOGEE                    78  62 TRACE
TULSA/INTL AIRPORT          76  67 TRACE
TULSA/JONES AIRPORT         76  66 TRACE

...ADJACENT STATES...
CHILDRESS TX                83  65   .17
PARIS TX                    79  57     0
WICHITA FALLS TX            72  63   .01
COFFEYVILLE KS              79  65 TRACE
LIBERAL KS                  82  54     0
MEDICINE LODGE KS           70  63   .04
WINFIELD KS                 74  64 TRACE
FAYETTEVILLE AR             78  60     0
FORT SMITH AR               83  52     0
SILOAM SPRINGS AR            M  61     0
JOPLIN MO                   84  66     0
CLAYTON NM                  76  47   .17

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 15, 7:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Harmon, Jackson	37 min
Apr 15, 7:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Roger Mills	30 min
Apr 15, 7:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Custer	46 min
Apr 15, 7:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Washita	48 min
Apr 15, 7:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Jackson	33 min
Apr 15, 8:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Custer, Washita	23 min
Apr 15, 8:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Custer, Washita	22 min
Apr 15, 8:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Kiowa	31 min
Apr 15, 8:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Custer	43 min
Apr 15, 8:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Jackson, Tillman	40 min
Apr 15, 8:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OUN	Kiowa	31 min
Apr 15, 9:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Caddo	49 min
Apr 15, 11:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Cleveland, Oklahoma	40 min
Apr 15, 11:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Payne	48 min
Apr 15, 11:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Jefferson	46 min
Apr 15, 11:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Lincoln, Pottawatomie	48 min
Apr 16, 12:15 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OUN	Carter	30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Oklahoma, 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.