Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 333

May 30, 20049 counties in Arkansas; 4 counties in Oklahoma; 19 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 30, 2004, 12:35 PM CDT for 9 counties in Arkansas; 4 counties in Oklahoma; 19 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 30, 2004, 12:35 PM CDT (17:35 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 2004, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 32 counties

Clark County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Little River County, AR, Miller County, AR, Pike County, AR, Sevier County, AR, Bryan County, OK, Choctaw County, OK, McCurtain County, OK, Pushmataha County, OK, Bowie County, TX, Camp County, TX, Cass County, TX, Collin County, TX, Dallas County, TX, Delta County, TX, Fannin County, TX, Franklin County, TX, Hopkins County, TX, Hunt County, TX, Lamar County, TX, Marion County, TX, Morris County, TX, Rains County, TX, Red River County, TX, Rockwall County, TX, Titus County, TX, Upshur County, TX, Wood County, TX

The radar

The Shreveport radar (KSHV), 175 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:33 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 2:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOUNAtoka, Bryan46 min
May 30, 2:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAChoctaw, Pushmataha89 min
May 30, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAPushmataha61 min
May 30, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFannin73 min
May 30, 4:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLamar64 min
May 30, 4:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVRed River46 min
May 30, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas, Kaufman, Rockwall61 min
May 30, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMcCurtain61 min
May 30, 5:09 PM CDTTornado WarningSHVMcCurtain66 min
May 30, 5:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDLamar74 min
May 30, 5:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVRed River44 min
May 30, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVLittle River, Sevier54 min
May 30, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMiller61 min
May 30, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMcCurtain60 min
May 30, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt31 min
May 30, 6:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead57 min
May 30, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHoward64 min
May 30, 6:20 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDLamar3 hr
May 30, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVLittle River, Sevier61 min
May 30, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WarningSHVHempstead, Nevada60 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

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 180 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2004-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2146 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2004-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 229 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2146 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
631 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
376 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.2
Supercell composite
15.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 301739
SEL3  
SPC WW 301735
ARZ000-OKZ000-TXZ000-310000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 333
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1235 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004

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

       SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
       EXTREME SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
       NORTHEAST TEXAS

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 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 70 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF TEXARKANA ARKANSAS TO
65 MILES SOUTH OF PARIS TEXAS.

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 329...WW 330...WW 331...WW
332...

DISCUSSION...STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG SURFACE TROUGH/DRYLINE JUST
SOUTH OF THE RED RIVER IN NORTHEAST TEXAS.  ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE
IN EXTREME UNSTABLE WHERE CAPE IS BETWEEN 4000-5000 J/KG.  DEEP
LAYER SHEAR HAS INCREASED DURING THE LAST HOUR OR SO TO 40-50 KT
ENHANCING TORNADO POTENTIAL ACROSS THE AREA.

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 26030.


...MCCARTHY

342,0925 324,0935 324,0970 342,0960

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 9:40 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Madison, Washington3 hr
May 30, 10:50 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Conway, Crawford and 14 more8 hr
May 30, 12:15 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Little River, Montgomery and 4 more90 min
May 30, 12:53 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Madison, Washington2 hr
May 30, 2:44 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaxter, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne and 44 more2 hr
May 30, 3:20 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Craighead and 31 more8 hr
May 30, 5:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Baxter, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark and 59 more95 min
May 30, 5:53 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCConway, Crawford, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Howard and 13 more97 min
May 30, 6:10 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Conway and 30 more5 hr
May 29, 8:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCanadian, Creek, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher and 9 more63 min
May 29, 9:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlfalfa, Blaine, Canadian, Craig, Creek, Custer and 22 more6 hr
May 29, 11:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCraig, Kay, Mayes, Noble, Nowata, Osage and 5 more67 min
May 30, 7:24 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBosque, Brown, Burnet, Coleman, Comanche, Coryell and 13 more96 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Texas, 2004Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2004Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 2004Every tornado watch in 2004

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.