Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Springfield, MO

May 4, 2003Cherokee County, Kansas

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2003, 5:20 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Kansas. It was in force for 60 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 4, 2003, 5:20 PM CDT (22:20 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2003, 6:20 PM CDT
In force: 60 min
Issued by: NWS Springfield, MO
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Cherokee County, KS

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:21 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.

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 4, 12:35 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 113 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: 50 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -362 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 282 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 474 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KSGF 042220
TORSGF
KSC021-042320-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
520 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN KANSAS

* UNTIL 620 PM CDT.

* AT 517 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES WEST OF CHETOPA...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
  MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   COLUMBUS...BAXTER SPRINGS BY 550 PM CDT.
   GALENA BY 600 PM CDT.

THE TOWNS OF FAULKNER...MELROSE...SHERWIN...NEUTRAL AND RIVERTON ARE
ALSO IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3710 9536 3700 9526 3700 9463 3725 9462

$$

CRAMER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Springfield, MO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 4:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Crawford	55 min
May 4, 5:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Bourbon	38 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 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.