Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Watches in 2003

Tornado Watch 188

April 30, 20034 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 30, 2003, 5:15 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 30, 2003, 5:15 PM CDT (22:15 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2003, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 73 counties

Appanoose County, IA, Cedar County, IA, Clarke County, IA, Clinton County, IA, Davis County, IA, Decatur County, IA, Des Moines County, IA, Henry County, IA, Iowa County, IA, Jackson County, IA, Jefferson County, IA, Johnson County, IA, Keokuk County, IA, Lee County, IA, Louisa County, IA, Lucas County, IA, Mahaska County, IA, Marion County, IA, Monroe County, IA, Muscatine County, IA, Page County, IA, Ringgold County, IA, Scott County, IA, Taylor County, IA, Union County, IA, Van Buren County, IA, Wapello County, IA, Washington County, IA, Wayne County, IA, Adams County, IL, Hancock County, IL, Henderson County, IL, McDonough County, IL, Mercer County, IL, Rock Island County, IL, Schuyler County, IL, Warren County, IL, Doniphan County, KS, Johnson County, KS, Leavenworth County, KS, Wyandotte County, KS, Adair County, MO, Andrew County, MO, Buchanan County, MO, Caldwell County, MO, Carroll County, MO, Chariton County, MO, Clark County, MO, Clay County, MO, Clinton County, MO, Daviess County, MO, DeKalb County, MO, Gentry County, MO, Grundy County, MO, Harrison County, MO, Jackson County, MO, Knox County, MO, Lafayette County, MO, Lewis County, MO, Linn County, MO, Livingston County, MO, Macon County, MO, Marion County, MO, Mercer County, MO, Nodaway County, MO, Platte County, MO, Putnam County, MO, Ray County, MO, Schuyler County, MO, Scotland County, MO, Shelby County, MO, Sullivan County, MO, Worth County, MO

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:15 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.

Warnings issued inside it

84 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold33 min
Apr 30, 5:27 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNHenry, Louisa33 min
Apr 30, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMonroe37 min
Apr 30, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXNodaway66 min
Apr 30, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXLucas46 min
Apr 30, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNJefferson29 min
Apr 30, 5:55 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXMonroe50 min
Apr 30, 5:56 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNMercer64 min
Apr 30, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska, Marion63 min
Apr 30, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur31 min
Apr 30, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNLouisa29 min
Apr 30, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne35 min
Apr 30, 6:10 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNHenry35 min
Apr 30, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAndrew, Buchanan33 min
Apr 30, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXWorth76 min
Apr 30, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNDes Moines56 min
Apr 30, 6:22 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWapello53 min
Apr 30, 6:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXRinggold52 min
Apr 30, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXLucas45 min
Apr 30, 6:31 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNLouisa44 min
Apr 30, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXGentry55 min
Apr 30, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMonroe65 min
Apr 30, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne46 min
Apr 30, 6:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXLeavenworth59 min
Apr 30, 6:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDMXLucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe6 hr
Apr 30, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAppanoose55 min
Apr 30, 6:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDecatur54 min
Apr 30, 6:51 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXHarrison39 min
Apr 30, 6:53 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXGentry37 min
Apr 30, 6:57 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXDecatur, Ringgold48 min
Apr 30, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXBuchanan40 min
Apr 30, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNJefferson39 min
Apr 30, 7:11 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNWashington34 min
Apr 30, 7:14 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXPlatte31 min
Apr 30, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWapello66 min
Apr 30, 7:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNJefferson17 min
Apr 30, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXClinton59 min
Apr 30, 7:31 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXHarrison44 min
Apr 30, 7:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne41 min
Apr 30, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXGentry39 min
Apr 30, 7:36 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXClinton39 min
Apr 30, 7:41 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWapello49 min
Apr 30, 7:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNJohnson32 min
Apr 30, 7:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNJefferson29 min
Apr 30, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXMercer57 min
Apr 30, 7:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNLouisa40 min
Apr 30, 7:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNHenry37 min
Apr 30, 7:54 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXWayne51 min
Apr 30, 7:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXAndrew, Buchanan66 min
Apr 30, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJohnson65 min
Apr 30, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNMuscatine47 min
Apr 30, 8:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDVNMercer5 hr
Apr 30, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXLeavenworth44 min
Apr 30, 8:08 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXBuchanan37 min
Apr 30, 8:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXWayne51 min
Apr 30, 8:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXMahaska50 min
Apr 30, 8:11 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXClinton19 min
Apr 30, 8:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXAppanoose48 min
Apr 30, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXWyandotte62 min
Apr 30, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXHarrison58 min
Apr 30, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCaldwell56 min
Apr 30, 8:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXDeKalb69 min
Apr 30, 8:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNRock Island50 min
Apr 30, 8:30 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXPutnam60 min
Apr 30, 8:35 PM CDTTornado WarningDMXAppanoose40 min
Apr 30, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNMercer39 min
Apr 30, 8:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCaldwell37 min
Apr 30, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXMercer56 min
Apr 30, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXDavis66 min
Apr 30, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXClinton50 min
Apr 30, 9:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJohnson28 min
Apr 30, 9:23 PM CDTTornado WarningEAXSchuyler52 min
Apr 30, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNDes Moines48 min
Apr 30, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXJackson63 min
Apr 30, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXDaviess, DeKalb61 min
Apr 30, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXCaldwell64 min
Apr 30, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNHenderson48 min
Apr 30, 9:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNScotland45 min
Apr 30, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNWarren43 min
Apr 30, 10:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNBenton, Iowa25 min
Apr 30, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXLivingston63 min
Apr 30, 10:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNClark41 min
Apr 30, 10:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNLee48 min
Apr 30, 10:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningEAXRay52 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 262 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2003-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 758 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2003-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 284 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
758 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-361 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
980 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
284 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
293 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 302212
SEL8  
SPC WW 302215
IAZ000-ILZ000-KSZ000-MOZ000-010400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 188 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
515 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN IOWA
       EXTREME WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
       EXTREME NORTHEAST KANSAS
       NORTH AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 515 PM UNTIL
1100 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SAINT JOSEPH
MISSOURI TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF MOLINE ILLINOIS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.


OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 187...


DISCUSSION...SEVERE STORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG
THE SURFACE FRONT FROM FAR NW MO ENEWD ACROSS S/SE IA.	DEEP LAYER
SHEAR AND INSTABILITY ARE SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS WITH LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS.  ADDITIONALLY...A COUPLE OF TORNADOES WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITH STORMS MOVING ALONG THE BOUNDARY WHERE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR
WILL BE MAXIMIZED.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25025.


...THOMPSON

404,0951 421,0903 400,0903 383,0951

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 11:04 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Jo Daviess and 10 more116 min
Apr 30, 12:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles and 37 more113 min
Apr 30, 1:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdams, Brown, Bureau, Cass, Champaign, DeWitt and 30 more5 hr
Apr 30, 3:24 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Bureau, Cass, Champaign, DeWitt and 32 more2 hr
Apr 30, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBureau, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry and 15 more5 hr
Apr 29, 7:00 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 13 more3 hr
Apr 29, 7:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 17 more7 hr
Apr 29, 10:40 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 17 more2 hr
Apr 30, 2:49 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAppanoose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, Page and 3 more116 min
Apr 29, 7:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Cloud, Decatur, Graham, Jewell, Mitchell and 10 more2 hr
Apr 29, 8:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBrown, Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Decatur, Dickinson and 29 more5 hr
Apr 29, 10:29 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrown, Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Decatur, Dickinson and 28 more2 hr
Apr 30, 1:22 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDecatur, Norton, Phillips, Rawlins113 min
Apr 30, 1:49 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDecatur, Norton, Phillips, Rawlins116 min
Apr 30, 3:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGreeley, Wallace, Wichita92 min
Apr 30, 6:29 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCButler, Chase, Coffey, Cowley, Elk, Franklin and 11 more91 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2003Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2003Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2003Every tornado watch 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.