Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 100, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 5, 2003Benton County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 2003, 9:48 PM CDT for Benton County, Arkansas. 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 5, 2003, 9:48 PM CDT (02:48 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 2003, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Benton County, AR

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:48 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 00:00Z on 2003-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2003-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-108 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2248 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 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 
WUUS54 KTSA 060248
SVRTUL
ARC007-060330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
946 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  BENTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT

* AT 946 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5
  MILES WEST OF GENTRY...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...BENTONVILLE...
  ROGERS...LOWELL...GENTRY...SPRINGTOWN...HIGHFILL...CAVE SPRINGS AND
  DECATUR.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARNED AREA. STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE
STORM HAS PASSED.

LAT...LON 3637 9460 3617 9457 3622 9409 3639 9410

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 5, 9:20 PM CDT, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 9:20 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
920 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

MESONET AT 02Z SHOWING SURFACE BOUNDARY/DRYLINE STILL DRAPED ACROSS
THE AREA.  L/M60 DEWPOINTS BACK AS FAR NORTH AS A TULSA TO GROVE
LINE...WITH L/M70S OVER THE FAR SOUTH.  CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPED
FROM NORTHEAST TX INTO ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON HAS MOVED WELL TO THE
EAST...BUT CONTINUING TO SEE JUST A FEW SPOTTY SHRA/TSRA IN EASTERN
AREAS.  WILL GO AHEAD AND UPDATE ZONES AND LEAVE SOME SLIGHT CHANCE
POPS IN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT FROM NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ZONES
STRETCHING DOWN INTO FAR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.  NO OTHER CHANGES
PLANNED AT THIS TIME.

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 1:00 PM CDT, 8 hours 48 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-061200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK

...CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN
PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS...

A COLD FRONT REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY FROM ROUGHLY JAY TO MUSKOGEE
TO HENRYETTA AND IS EXPECTED TO EXHIBIT VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT THROUGH
TONIGHT. SURFACE MOISTURE REMAINS HIGH SOUTH OF THE FRONT BUT THE
MOISTURE ABOVE THE SURFACE HAS BECOME TOO SHALLOW FOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME.

STRONG SURFACE HEATING WILL OCCUR TODAY WITH AMPLE SUNSHINE AND THE
AIRMASS WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE SOUTH OF THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY. MOISTURE MAY BECOME DEEP ENOUGH FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT EAST OF A STILWELL TO HUGO LINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR
EARLY EVENING. GIVEN THE EXTREME INSTABILITY...ANY STORMS THAT CAN
DEVELOP WILL LIKELY RAPIDLY BECOME SEVERE WITH THE THREAT OF LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO
DEVELOP WILL TEND TO WEAKEN BEFORE MIDNIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME
HEATING.

WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE
FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN
PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT
YOUR LOCATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK WITH A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE
MOST DAYS THIS WEEK.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED EAST OF A STILWELL TO WILBURTON
LINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 5, 4:31 PM CDT, 5 hours 17 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
0431 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    7 WNW VINITA              OK   F0 TORNADO
05/04/03   CRAIG                          BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN OPEN
                                          FIELD.

0555 PM    2 S NARCISSA              OK   F1 TORNADO
05/04/03   OTTAWA                         A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT
                                          555PM 2 MILES SOUTH OF
                                          NARCISSA AND CONTINUED FOR
                                          5 MILES...LIFTING 2 MILES
                                          NORTHEAST OF FAIRLAND.  THE
                                          TORNADO DESTROYED 2 MOBILE
                                          HOMES.  THE PATH LENGTH WAS
                                          5 MILES.  THE PATH WIDTH
                                          WAS UP TO 1/2 MILE.

SP.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 5:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Washington57 min
May 6, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSABenton46 min
May 6, 6:32 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAWashington43 min
May 6, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Franklin61 min
May 6, 6:47 PM CDTTornado WarningTSAMadison58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.