Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Springfield, MO

May 16, 2003Barry County, Missouri

NWS Springfield, MO issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2003, 4:03 PM CDT for Barry County, Missouri. It was in force for 42 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 16, 2003, 4:03 PM CDT (21:03 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2003, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Springfield, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Barry County, MO

The radar

The Springfield radar (KSGF), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:06 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 16, 3:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 33 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 12:00Z on 2003-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 189 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 2003-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
189 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-176 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
777 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KSGF 162103
TORSGF
MOC009-162145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
402 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN BARRY COUNTY IN MISSOURI

* UNTIL 445 PM CDT

* AT 401 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 14 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF CASSVILLE...OR 25 MILES EAST OF PEA RIDGE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF...
  BARRY COUNTY.

THE TOWNS OF EAGLE ROCK AND SHELL KNOB ARE 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 3650 9386 3653 9358 3676 9359 3674 9381

$$

WATSON/TERRY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 5:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFMcDonald, Newton46 min
May 16, 6:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFBarry, McDonald77 min
May 16, 6:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFNewton51 min
May 16, 6:32 AM CDTTornado WarningSGFBarry58 min
May 16, 6:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLawrence64 min
May 16, 6:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFStone62 min
May 16, 7:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningSGFBarry, McDonald, Newton6 hr
May 16, 7:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFTaney53 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.