Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Springfield, MO

May 4, 2003Webster County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2003, 7:56 PM CDT for Webster County, Missouri. It was in force for 64 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, 7:56 PM CDT (00:56 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2003, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Webster County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:58 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 4, 6:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 84 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2003-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2099 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2003-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 321 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2099 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
756 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
321 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
341 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.6
Supercell composite
15.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KSGF 050056
TORSGF
MOC225-050200-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEBSTER COUNTY IN MISSOURI

* UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

* AT 753 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO NEAR NIXA...OR NEAR
  OZARK...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
   FORDLAND BY 820 PM CDT.
   DIGGINS BY 825 PM CDT.
   SEYMOUR BY 830 PM CDT.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY

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.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION...TAKE COVER NOW IT COULD 
SAVE YOUR LIFE

LAT...LON 3724 9309 3708 9305 3707 9270 3734 9271

$$

IZZI/RUNNELS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 7:05 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFHickory55 min
May 4, 7:11 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFDallas64 min
May 4, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBarton32 min
May 4, 7:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCedar39 min
May 4, 7:24 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFChristian, Greene, Stone66 min
May 4, 7:27 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFCamden63 min
May 4, 7:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFCedar40 min
May 4, 7:53 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFMiller52 min
May 4, 8:01 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFCedar44 min
May 4, 8:18 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFPolk57 min
May 4, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFMaries, Pulaski56 min
May 4, 8:33 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFWright42 min
May 4, 8:36 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFMaries54 min
May 4, 8:40 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFDallas50 min
May 4, 9:01 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFLaclede44 min
May 4, 9:21 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFCamden, Pulaski54 min
May 4, 9:41 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFLaclede19 min
May 4, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon43 min
May 4, 9:53 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFPhelps67 min
May 4, 10:17 PM CDTTornado WarningSGFDent58 min
May 4, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFSt. Clair57 min
May 4, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFVernon46 min
May 4, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFJasper44 min
May 4, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDade50 min
May 4, 11:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFPolk51 min
May 5, 12:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLawrence56 min
May 5, 12:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFGreene56 min
May 5, 12:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFDallas, Laclede, Webster35 min
May 5, 1:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFWebster46 min
May 5, 1:28 AM CDTTornado WarningSGFWebster, Wright62 min
May 5, 1:58 AM CDTTornado WarningSGFTexas62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.