Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 382
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 15, 2003, 3:00 PM MDT for 7 counties in Colorado; 9 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 15, 2003, 3:00 PM MDT (21:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 2003, 8:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Washington County, CO, Cheyenne County, KS, Decatur County, KS, Gove County, KS, Logan County, KS, Rawlins County, KS, Sheridan County, KS, Sherman County, KS, Thomas County, KS, Wallace County, KS
The radar
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:00 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
6 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 3:25 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Cheyenne | 65 min |
| May 15, 4:17 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Sherman | 58 min |
| May 15, 4:39 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Cheyenne | 66 min |
| May 15, 4:47 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Kit Carson | 58 min |
| May 15, 5:23 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOU | Elbert | 2 hr |
| May 15, 7:45 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOU | Elbert | 3 hr |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 123 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1868 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 33 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 152051
SEL2
SPC WW 152100
COZ000-KSZ000-160200-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 382
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
300 PM MDT THU MAY 15 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
EASTERN COLORADO
NORTHWEST KANSAS
EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL
800 PM MDT.
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 115 STATUTE MILES EAST AND
WEST OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOODLAND KANSAS TO 65
MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF GOODLAND KANSAS.
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 378...WW 379...WW 380...WW
381...
DISCUSSION...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO
REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST...AS WELL AS DEVELOP NEAR THE DEN AREA.
STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES AND SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY SUPPORT A
RISK OF SEVERE/SUPERCELL STORMS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.
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 24035.
...HART
395,1001 382,1000 382,1041 395,1043SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 12:31 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baca, Las Animas | 119 min |
| May 15, 12:55 PM MDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Prowers | 6 hr |
| May 15, 2:41 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baca, Bent, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers | 94 min |
| May 15, 5:50 PM MDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baca | 5 hr |
| May 15, 5:47 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Clark, Comanche | 58 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Kansas, 2003Tornado Watches in Colorado, 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.