Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 56, NWS Paducah, KY

May 6, 2003Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Kentucky

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at May 6, 2003, 11:48 PM CDT for Caldwell County, Crittenden County, Kentucky. It was in force for 27 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 6, 2003, 11:48 PM CDT (04:48 UTC)
Expired: May 7, 2003, 12:15 AM CDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Caldwell County, KY, Crittenden County, KY

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
May 6, 5:40 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 168 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: 1519 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 720 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

885 
WFUS53 KPAH 070448
TORPAH
KYC033-055-070515-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1148 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH KENTUCKY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN CRITTENDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY
  CALDWELL COUNTY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 1215 AM CDT

* AT 1147 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER CRAYNE...
  MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  OVER CRESWELL AT MIDNIGHT CDT
  OVER FRYER AT 1210 AM CDT

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE FREDONIA

SEEK SHELTER NOW MOVE INTO A BASEMENT...OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER OR ANY STORM DAMAGE TO YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT...FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED
FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

LAT...LON 3720 8774 3720 8777 3724 8781 3736 8783
          3730 8816 3718 8816 3717 8804 3718 8776

$$

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 6, 3:16 PM CDT, 8 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 3:16 PM CDT, 8 hours 32 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
315 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

FORECAST CHALLENGES CONTINUE TO BE CONVECTIVE CHANCES THROUGHOUT THE
WEEK AND SEVERE WEATHER.

MANY PARAMETERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS PACKAGE. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ALONG WEAK FRONT ALONG THE
NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE CWA INTO THIS EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD
INCREASE AS STORMS CURRENTLY OVER WESTERN MISSOURI AND KANSAS REACH
OUR AREA LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE
WITH PART OF THE AREA IN MODERATE RISK.

FOLLOWING THE ETA/MESOETA FOR THE MOST PART AND ALL MODELS HAVE
GENERAL AGREEMENT ON SOME TIMING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
ATTEMPTED TO TIME THE PRECIPITATION IN THE GRIDS. ONE WAVE MOVES
THROUGH TONIGHT AND THE NEXT LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO
THURSDAY...LINGERING INTO FRIDAY. LEFT A SLIGHT CHANCE IN ON
SATURDAY.

THERE IS SOME CONCERN ABOUT FLOODING...BUT AFTER CONSULTING WITH
HYDROLOGIST...FEEL THAT WE HAVE HAD A DAY TO DAY OUT AND THE HIGHEST
QPF IS FORECAST TO OUR NORTH. WILL MENTION BOTH SEVERE AND HEAVY
RAINFALL.

AS FOR TEMPERATURES...GENERALLY WENT WITH A CONSENSUS OF AVAILABLE
GUIDANCE THROUGH THURSDAY.

.PAH...NONE.

PS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 5:40 PM CDT, 6 hours 8 minutes before

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-071000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
540 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...TORNADO WATCH 275 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
...POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE EARLY TONIGHT
ACROSS THE REGION...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MISSOURI AS OF LATE AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE HEADED EAST TO
SOUTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI BETWEEN 700
PM AND 900 PM. THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH
THIS ACTIVITY...INCLUDING TORNADOES...HIGH WIND AND LARGE HAIL.
THE ACTIVITY WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN
KENTUCKY AROUND MID EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE QUAD STATE
EARLY WEDNESDAY AND LATER WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  AN ORGANIZED LINE OF
STORMS MAY STILL BE PRODUCING SOME DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS THE FAR
EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE QUAD STATE AROUND SUNRISE WEDNESDAY
MORNING.  A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATER ON
WEDNESDAY...RESULTING IN DRY CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE DAY.

HOWEVER...THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO LIFT BACK NORTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST KENTUCKY AFTER MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  THE
POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG AND JUST
NORTH OF THIS BOUNDARY...PRIMARILY OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI.  LARGE
HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARD...BUT DAMAGING WINDS AND AN ISOLATED
TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT.

THERE WILL BE PERIODIC CHANCES OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM THURSDAY
THROUGH MONDAY...AS THE AREA REMAINS IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND A
MEANDERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY STAYS IN THE VICINITY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED BY ABOUT 700 PM OR 800 PM
ACROSS SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...AND LATER THIS
EVENING OVER SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 10:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1047 PM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1042 PM    3S CYPRESS                IL   TORNADO
05/06/03   JOHNSON                        REPORTED BY EOC...AT PERK
                                          AAND WHITEHILL ROADS

Local storm report, May 6, 10:54 PM CDT, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1054 PM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1048 PM    CAIRO                     IL   WIND DAMAGE
05/06/03   ALEXANDER                      HOUSE DAMAGED...REPORTED
                                          BY ESDA

Local storm report, May 6, 10:56 PM CDT, 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1056 PM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1045 PM    HOMBERG                   IL   TORNADO
05/06/03   POPE                           TREES DOWN ROOFS BLOWN
                                          OFF HOMES REPORTED BY
                                          EOC

Local storm report, May 6, 11:18 PM CDT, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1118 PM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1056 PM    CAIRO                     IL   TORNADO
05/06/03   ALEXANDER                      *** 2 INJ ***
                                          NUMEROUS TREES
                                          DOWN...HOUSE BLOWN
                                          OVER...4 PEOPLE TRAPPED
                                          WITH THE 2
                                          INJURIES...SEMI TRUCK
                                          FLIPPED OVER ON I-57 AT
                                          MILE MARKER 1 AT 1058 PM

Special weather statement, May 6, 11:32 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

ILZ090-091-094-KYZ001>003-005>017-020>022-070530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1132 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY...

AT 1130 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SHAWNEETOWN TO GOLCONDA AND METROPOLIS
ILLINOIS...TO PADUCAH AND HICKMAN IN WESTERN KENTUCKY. MOVEMENT OF
THIS ACTIVITY WAS EAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH. AS THESE STORMS PROGRESS
ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY...THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND. SOME
STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO REMAINS
POSSIBLE.

PERSONS ACROSS THE REGION SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT...ESPECIALLY SINCE
TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK
ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER BE OBSERVED...OR A WARNING BE ISSUED.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 275 EXPIRES AT MIDNIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI...SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN
KENTUCKY. HOWEVER...THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAY LINGER INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY.

PRESLEY

Local storm report, May 6, 11:42 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1142 PM CDT TUE MAY 06 2003

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

1140 PM    EQUALITY                  IL   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/06/03   GALLATIN                       REPORTED BY ILLINOIS
                                          STATE POLICE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 6, 9:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Ballard	42 min
May 6, 9:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	McCracken	42 min
May 6, 10:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Livingston	55 min
May 6, 10:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Crittenden	45 min
May 6, 10:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Ballard, Carlisle, Graves, Hickman, McCracken	54 min
May 6, 10:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Ballard	51 min
May 6, 11:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Graves, McCracken	36 min
May 6, 11:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Union	44 min
May 6, 11:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Livingston	39 min
May 6, 11:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Fulton	30 min
May 6, 11:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Marshall	39 min
May 6, 11:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Marshall	28 min
May 6, 11:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Henderson	61 min
May 7, 12:03 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Lyon, Trigg	42 min
May 7, 12:08 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Hopkins	37 min
May 7, 12:09 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Calloway	51 min
May 7, 12:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Webster	26 min
May 7, 12:53 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess	52 min
May 7, 12:56 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Union	2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 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.