Alert archive / Oklahoma / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 232
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 4, 2003, 12:35 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 4, 2003, 12:35 PM CDT (17:35 UTC)
- Expired
- May 4, 2003, 7:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 54 counties
Benton County, AR, Crawford County, AR, Sebastian County, AR, Washington County, AR, Allen County, KS, Bourbon County, KS, Chautauqua County, KS, Cherokee County, KS, Crawford County, KS, Elk County, KS, Greenwood County, KS, Labette County, KS, Montgomery County, KS, Neosho County, KS, Wilson County, KS, Woodson County, KS, Barry County, MO, Barton County, MO, Cedar County, MO, Dade County, MO, Jasper County, MO, Lawrence County, MO, McDonald County, MO, Newton County, MO, St. Clair County, MO, Vernon County, MO, Adair County, OK, Cherokee County, OK, Craig County, OK, Creek County, OK, Delaware County, OK, Haskell County, OK, Hughes County, OK, Latimer County, OK, LeFlore County, OK, Lincoln County, OK, Mayes County, OK, McIntosh County, OK, Muskogee County, OK, Nowata County, OK, Okfuskee County, OK, Okmulgee County, OK, Osage County, OK, Ottawa County, OK, Pawnee County, OK, Payne County, OK, Pittsburg County, OK, Pottawatomie County, OK, Rogers County, OK, Seminole County, OK, Sequoyah County, OK, Tulsa County, OK, Wagoner County, OK, Washington County, OK
The radar
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:36 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
41 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 3:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Chautauqua | 38 min |
| May 4, 3:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Montgomery | 45 min |
| May 4, 3:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Labette, Neosho | 39 min |
| May 4, 3:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage, Washington | 67 min |
| May 4, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OUN | Hughes | 46 min |
| May 4, 4:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Allen | 36 min |
| May 4, 4:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | McIntosh | 66 min |
| May 4, 4:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 64 min |
| May 4, 4:12 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Labette, Neosho | 33 min |
| May 4, 4:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | SGF | Crawford | 55 min |
| May 4, 4:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Osage, Washington | 53 min |
| May 4, 4:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Okfuskee, Okmulgee | 51 min |
| May 4, 4:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Montgomery | 35 min |
| May 4, 4:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Nowata, Washington | 48 min |
| May 4, 4:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Wilson | 41 min |
| May 4, 4:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 38 min |
| May 4, 4:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Craig, Nowata | 47 min |
| May 4, 4:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Muskogee, Wagoner | 45 min |
| May 4, 4:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Labette, Neosho | 43 min |
| May 4, 4:53 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Nowata | 37 min |
| May 4, 5:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | SGF | Barton | 60 min |
| May 4, 5:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Pittsburg | 57 min |
| May 4, 5:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Craig | 36 min |
| May 4, 5:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Labette | 32 min |
| May 4, 5:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Cherokee, Mayes | 47 min |
| May 4, 5:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | SGF | Cherokee | 60 min |
| May 4, 5:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Bourbon | 38 min |
| May 4, 5:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Vernon | 52 min |
| May 4, 5:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Delaware | 50 min |
| May 4, 5:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Latimer | 65 min |
| May 4, 5:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Craig, Ottawa | 37 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, 5:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | LeFlore | 63 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, 6:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Ottawa | 42 min |
| May 4, 6:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | Barton | 62 min |
| May 4, 6:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Sebastian | 60 min |
| May 4, 6:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | SGF | Barton, Dade | 63 min |
| May 4, 6:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | SGF | Lawrence | 59 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
Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 177 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1741 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -124 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 724 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 341 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 365 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.2
- Supercell composite
- 31.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 041732
SEL2
SPC WW 041735
ARZ000-KSZ000-MOZ000-OKZ000-050000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 232
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1235 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
SOUTHEAST KANSAS
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1235 PM UNTIL 700
PM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES NORTHEAST OF CHANUTE KANSAS TO 10 MILES
SOUTH OF MCALESTER OKLAHOMA.
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 231...
DISCUSSION...DRY LINE WILL LIKELY INITIATE RAPID SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS FROM SERN KS INTO ERN OK. THE
AIR MASS HAS DESTABILIZED CONSIDERABLY WITH MLCAPES NOW IN EXCESS OF
2500 J/KG JUST EAST OF THE DRY LINE. AS STRONG PRESSURE FALLS AND
CLEARING OF STRATUS CLOUDS SPREADS EAST...THIS INSTABILITY AXIS WILL
SHIFT EWD INTO MORE OF ERN OK AND SWRN MO/WRN AR DURING THE MID
AFTERNOON. VERY STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL SUPPORT DISCRETE
SUPERCELLS... WITH LOW LCL HEIGHTS AND SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL SHEAR
FOR A FEW STRONG TORNADOES INTO THE EARLY EVENING.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25045.
...EVANS
380,0932 344,0941 344,0971 380,0963SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 3:05 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Benton | 115 min |
| May 4, 5:01 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson and 7 more | 3 hr |
| May 4, 5:20 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway and 21 more | 55 min |
| May 4, 6:05 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway and 29 more | 7 hr |
| May 4, 6:55 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson and 9 more | 6 hr |
| May 3, 11:07 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay and 43 more | 83 min |
| May 3, 11:46 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Clay and 30 more | 59 min |
| May 4, 12:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Anderson, Atchison, Brown, Chase, Clay, Coffey and 24 more | 6 hr |
| May 4, 2:58 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Atchison, Brown, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas and 13 more | 92 min |
| May 4, 4:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Doniphan, Wyandotte | 6 hr |
| May 4, 7:43 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Doniphan | 2 hr |
| May 4, 10:19 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atchison, Butler, Chase, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson and 19 more | 116 min |
| May 4, 11:40 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Anderson, Chase, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Dickinson and 19 more | 6 hr |
| May 4, 11:44 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho and 1 more | 3 hr |
| May 4, 12:14 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson and 7 more | 2 hr |
| May 4, 12:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson and 4 more | 6 hr |
| May 4, 2:22 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Atchison, Brown, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas and 13 more | 113 min |
| May 4, 2:58 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Ellis, Gove, Jewell, Lane, Lincoln, Mitchell and 9 more | 92 min |
| May 4, 4:28 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Wyandotte | 62 min |
| May 4, 4:43 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Neosho | 2 hr |
| May 4, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Doniphan, Wyandotte | 6 hr |
| May 4, 3:56 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Chariton, Grundy, Harrison, Linn, Livingston and 6 more | 2 hr |
| May 4, 5:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Adair, Audrain, Bollinger, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Clark and 28 more | 6 hr |
| May 3, 8:05 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Cotton and 14 more | 6 hr |
| May 3, 10:00 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Comanche, Cotton and 12 more | 2 hr |
| May 4, 2:16 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bryan, Johnston, Love, Marshall, Murray | 119 min |
| May 4, 3:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Coal, Garvin and 6 more | 6 hr |
| May 4, 6:28 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Coal, Johnston and 5 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2003Tornado Watches in Kansas, 2003Tornado Watches in Missouri, 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.