Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 313
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 8, 2003, 9:00 PM CDT for 32 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 8, 2003, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 9, 2003, 2:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 32 counties
Audrain County, MO, Benton County, MO, Boone County, MO, Callaway County, MO, Camden County, MO, Cole County, MO, Cooper County, MO, Dallas County, MO, Dent County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Greene County, MO, Hickory County, MO, Howard County, MO, Laclede County, MO, Lawrence County, MO, Maries County, MO, Miller County, MO, Moniteau County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Morgan County, MO, Osage County, MO, Pettis County, MO, Phelps County, MO, Pike County, MO, Polk County, MO, Pulaski County, MO, Randolph County, MO, Saline County, MO, Texas County, MO, Warren County, MO, Webster County, MO, Wright County, MO
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:59 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
9 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 9:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Pettis | 47 min |
| May 8, 9:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Pettis | 54 min |
| May 8, 10:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Saline | 38 min |
| May 8, 10:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Cooper | 58 min |
| May 8, 10:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Howard | 39 min |
| May 8, 10:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Audrain, Boone | 54 min |
| May 8, 11:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Audrain, Boone | 42 min |
| May 8, 11:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Audrain | 30 min |
| May 9, 12:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Pike, Ralls | 41 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 152 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
- 1898 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -50 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1059 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 226 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 290 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.2
- Supercell composite
- 17.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 090153
SEL3
SPC WW 090200
MOZ000-090700-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 313
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
900 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL
200 AM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTH OF COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO 40 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI.
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 304...WW 305...WW 306...WW
307...WW 308...WW 309...WW 310...WW 311...WW 312...
DISCUSSION...ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS CONTINUE RAPIDLY ENEWD
INTO WRN MO. WITH STRONG SHEAR PROFILES AND INSTABILITY THEN
POTENTIAL FOR THESE AND ADDITIONAL STORMS THAT DEVELOP TO REMAIN
TORNADIC ARE FAVORABLE.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.
...HALES
392,0910 365,0913 365,0935 392,0932
WWUS20 KWNS 090153
SEL3
SPC WW 090200
MOZ000-090700-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 313
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
900 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL
200 AM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTH OF COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO 40 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI.
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 304...WW 305...WW 306...WW
307...WW 308...WW 309...WW 310...WW 311...WW 312...
DISCUSSION...ISOLATED TORNADIC SUPERCELLS CONTINUE RAPIDLY ENEWD
INTO WRN MO. WITH STRONG SHEAR PROFILES AND INSTABILITY THEN
POTENTIAL FOR THESE AND ADDITIONAL STORMS THAT DEVELOP TO REMAIN
TORNADIC ARE FAVORABLE.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.
...HALES
392,0910 365,0913 365,0935 392,0932SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 7:13 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Andrew, Barton, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll and 23 more | 2 hr |
| May 8, 7:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Adair, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn and 9 more | 5 hr |
| May 8, 9:27 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn and 10 more | 93 min |
| May 8, 11:50 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn and 9 more | 55 min |
| May 9, 12:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Lincoln, Saint Charles, Saint Louis, City of Saint Louis | 6 hr |
| May 9, 2:48 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Crawford, Dent, Franklin, Iron and 15 more | 117 min |
| May 9, 4:17 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Audrain, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Callaway and 43 more | 28 min |
| May 9, 4:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone and 50 more | 6 hr |
Nearby
Tornado 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.