Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Springfield, MO

May 4, 2003Polk County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2003, 6:28 PM CDT for Polk County, Missouri. It was in force for 62 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, 6:28 PM CDT (23:28 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2003, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 62 min
Issued by: NWS Springfield, MO
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:32 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, 6:05 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 94 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.

026 
WFUS53 KSGF 042328
TORSGF
MOC167-050030-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  POLK COUNTY IN MISSOURI

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT.

* AT 622 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR STOCKTON...AND MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   HUMANSVILLE...FAIR PLAY BY 640 PM CDT.

THE TOWNS OF DUNNEGAN...FLEMINGTON...POLK AND GOODSON ARE ALSO IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING MAJOR STRUCTURE DAMAGE.

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 3762 9362 3776 9364 3781 9358 3779 9320
          3765 9320

$$

CRAMER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 4:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	St. Clair	33 min
May 4, 4:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Hickory, St. Clair	29 min
May 4, 7:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Maries, Miller	51 min
May 4, 5:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Barton	60 min
May 4, 5:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Vernon	52 min
May 4, 5:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Cedar, Vernon	56 min
May 4, 5:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	McDonald	50 min
May 4, 5:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Jasper	56 min
May 4, 5:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Newton	61 min
May 4, 6:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Barton	62 min
May 4, 6:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Barton, Dade	63 min
May 4, 6:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Hickory	60 min
May 4, 6:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	SGF	Lawrence	59 min
May 4, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	SGF	Oregon	40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 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.