"It's going to take a quite a while to recover from the economic and emotional loss. [93] Thunderstorms sustained over the area into the evening before the surrounding airmass stabilized, resulting in a weakening of the storms by midnight. [35][40], The atmospheric environment continued to remain conducive for tornadoes well into the night of May45. Once the tornado reached just west of Pierce City it strengthened to an F-2 then F-3 rated tornado (158-206 mph) and moved quickly across the center part of town causing substantial and major damage to just about all buildings, brick and wood framed homes, and other structures. Tornado. Warm, moist air flowed northward from the Gulf of Mexico across the Central United States and reached as far north as Missouri. [37] Tornadoes developed over Arkansas during the afternoon and evening of May4, including two tornadoes with 35-mile (56km) and 42-mile (68km) path lengths. [29] The rapid development of storms just north of the low pressure system and the increasingly conducive conditions available to these storms led the SPC to issue their first tornado watch of the day at 16:40UTC (11:40a.m. CDT) for parts of northeastern Kansas and south-central and southeastern Nebraska. [19] Clusters of supercells developed and persisted over the Ohio Valley and over Virginia and North Carolina through the afternoon and evening,[182][183] leading the SPC to issue three tornado watches. [184], Farther west, an outflow boundary remained between St. Louis, Missouri and east-central Kansas in the wake of the thunderstorms earlier in the morning, serving as a potential region for rapid thunderstorm development. The tornado then began taking a more eastward track running parallel to Judges Branch Road with a width of about one-quarter mile. Hurricanes Data courtesy of NOAA Severe Weather Database. [310], Visiting the Northmoor, Missouri, Holden remarked that the damage was "the worst I've seen from a tornado in several years,"[216] later noting in during his visit of Pierce City that the May4 storms were "the most devastating series of tornadoes we've ever had in the state of Missouri. Four people were killed along this tornado track. Along this very destructive path the following confirmed deaths were reported: Pierce City 1, three miles north of Monett 2, north of Marionville 2, one mile north of Clever 1, and Battlefield 1. Disclaimer. ``Ive never seen anything like this, in pictures or otherwise, said Rep. Ike Skelton, who toured the city by air Monday. It destroyed businesses and homes on that Sunday. As the northern storm crossed County Road U, it destroyed a mobile home. Drought [107][117] Severe thunderstorms tracked southeast through parts of the Mid-Atlantic states during the afternoon; one F0tornado was reported in Essex County, Virginia. Boating Safety [245] The flooding washed out roads, damaged at least 200residential buildings, and inundated numerous businesses. [83][84] Another complex of severe thunderstorms ahead of a cold front advanced across the Ark-La-Tex region after 07:00UTC (2:00a.m. CDT) with high wind shear in place;[85] four tornadoes occurred in the region between 511UTC (126a.m. Former KY3 Reporter Cara Connelly spent days in the tornado devastated community. Due to the favorable environment downwind, the SPC assessed the likely emergence of tornadic supercells as these storms moved towards the Ark-La-Tex region and accordingly issued a tornado watch for the area. Some roads were flooded in the city's metropolitan area with flash flooding occurring in some counties, though the precipitation was overall beneficial for the state's agricultural interests and water supplies. The SPC and the National Weather Services offices in Kansas City, Springfield, Memphis, Paducah, and Oklahoma City received a letter of praise signed by 11members of the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology commending their high-quality service during the event. [19], The SPC predicted that the outbreak of severe weather that began on May10 would continue into May11, projecting a High Risk of severe weather over parts of Illinois and Indiana that would continue into the morning hours of May11; additional severe weather was also expected throughout much of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys as the low-pressure system over Iowa intensified. 6 . [22][19][23] In terms of the number of tornadoes, May4, 2003, was the second most prolific day for tornadoes in the U.S. since 1970, behind only the 1974 Super Outbreak. *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occured within 30 miles of the location. The warm front lifted northeast during the day as a strong surface low developed and tracked across Kansas. This is probably equal in size to Quinter #1 as being the largest tornadoes we have scene. Located in Stockton CA. Til this point, the tornado width was about 250 yards wide but increased to about one quarter mile wide about three miles west southwest of the community of Ringo. Grazulis. [241] Radar estimates suggested that as much as 58in (130200mm) fell in some locations in one hour. It destroyed businesses and homes on that Sunday evening. Tonight Mostly clear. In total, 85 people were killed and 205 were injured, making it the . Stockton, CA 95210 .FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM PST THURSDAY. "Just to look out this way and see nothing there. Cemetery List, Remember these are only partial lists, that have been contributed for this web site.. Records and Normals These afternoon and evening storms were also enhanced by the outflow boundary left behind by the morning storms over Missouri: the boundary created a strong density gradient, increased wind shear, and lowered the height of the lifting condensation level, producing a localized area of heightened favorability for tornado formation. [108] One large supercell within the cluster produced three F2tornadoes between 68UTC (13a.m. CDT) in Jefferson, Marshall, and Love counties in south-central Oklahoma. The total path length of the tornado path was about 83 miles long. Shop the best {0} for your motorcycle at J&P Cycles. CDT). [19], A meteorologist at National Weather Service St. Louis, Missouri, described the weather pattern over the U.S. as "synoptically evident" for severe weather on May10. [50] Eight confirmed tornadoes touched down in Tennessee between 1422UTC (9a.m. .WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM PST MONDAY. [69][70] Over the next two hours, six tornadoes occurred near the GeorgiaSouth Carolina border, of which the strongest was an F2tornado that tracked across Madison and Elbert counties in Georgia. A dry line extended south of the cyclone over areas east of Dodge City, Kansas. [131] A total of 21tornadoes touched down in Kansas during the day, of which 5 were significant tornadoes with the strongest rated F3. Abstract On 15 May 1999, a storm intercept team from the University of Oklahoma collected high-resolution, W-band Doppler radar data in a tornado near Stockton, Kansas. Blown-down trees were documented across several counties as a result of the strong winds. Four of these tornadoes touched down in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, including two F4tornadoes. It continued the F-3 rating across the rest of its path until it lifted northeast of Battlefield. [87][88][89] Additional storms continued to develop farther west over the same states as the surrounding air mass remained unstable with CAPE values between 15002000J/kg. This house did appear to have the walls anchored to the foundation warranting an F3 rating. Several weather stations recorded gusts in excess of 40mph (64km/h), resulting in scattered power outages and downed trees and utility poles throughout the region. Initial damage was wrought to tree and roofs near Shady Lane and Antioch Road, with the severity rated F1. A destructive tornado struck downtown Jackson, severely damaging downtown landmarks. [192] Though wind shear was high enough to inhibit tornadogenesis, cyclical thunderstorm developments increased the odds of tornadogenesis as the storms tracked east. Johnson said he spotted the cloud between Arch Road and Mariposa Road, east. Since then, the city has been working with residents and both federal and state authorities to develop a plan to rebuild the downtown business district and improve upon other public facilities such as a new park and community center. Weather Unlocked Video Series, Local Programs COOP Program Regional Max/Min Temp and Precip. [26] The National Weather Service office in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, noted the potential for severe weather on May4 as early as April28. Now, the initial shock for some in the town formerly known as Lancaster and Fremont before going with Stockton in 1859 in honor of a military man has turned to resolve. [211] The lack of strong thermal gradients where instability was highest also contributed to the lack of severe weather. [248], Severe weather swept across South Carolina on May6, concentrated in two waves of thunderstorms organized in a mesoscale convective system. A large tornado touched down near Fort Stockton, in west Texas, amid multiple severe weather warnings on Sunday, May 1.The National Weather Service urged anyone in the path of the tornado to seek shelter immediately.Storm chaser Timothy Logan filmed this video of the tornado approximately "midway through its lifecycle".Logan told Storyful the tornado system "lasted nearly ten minutes . The issuance of such watches resulted in an average lead-time of 2hours and 3minutes for fatal tornadoes. Almost immediately after the Franklin tornado lifted, a second large tornado was reported to have touched down on the east side of Liberal. [215] Roofs and windows were damaged and business signage were destroyed. F-Scale: F4 From Just Southwest of Ringo, Through Franklin, to North of Liberal, MO. With soils saturated from prior rains, the prolonged precipitation period produced seasonally anomalous runoff that flowed into creeks and rivers, resulting in rapid rises of streams and associated rivers, including Chickamauga Creek, Conasauga River, Chattahoochee River, Flint River, and Sweetwater Creek. The Ingredients for a Major Tornado Outbreak Meteorological conditions came together Sunday May 4th, 2003, to produce the major tornado outbreak across southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks. CDT. National Weather Service in Midland, Texas, confirmed a tornado struck. A strong tornado struck Canton, MO during the early evening hours on May 10, 2003. [28], By around 15:00UTC (10:00a.m. CDT), the conducive conditions for severe weather projected in computer forecast models had begun to come to fruition. A large tornado touched down near Fort Stockton, in west Texas, amid multiple severe weather warnings on Sunday, May 1. [241] Across Central Alabama, the Red Cross reported damage to more than 700homes. Additionally, areas within this region had at least 25percent chance of experiencing a nearby tornado and at least a 10percent change of experiencing a nearby significant tornado. Shop the best {0} for your motorcycle at J&P Cycles. Several shortwave troughs in the upper levels of the troposphere were expected to track northeastward or eastward across the region, overlapping with a broad and wavy front that extended from New England to New Mexico. 1988-4-19 - F1 Tornado: 16.5 mi. . . Behind the front, dew points exceeded 60F (16C). An EF3 tornado devastated the heart of the Cedar County community. Two fatalities occurred in theTunas area. The 00z (7 PM) 500 mb analysis depicts the upper disturbance pushing northeast across the central Plains. During the organizing stage of the life cycle of the tornado, which lasted approximately two minutes, the condensation funnel had a "ragged" appearance. [190] Isolated thunderstorms and towering cumulus clouds began to rapidly form along a dry line over central Oklahoma by around noon, with the local atmospheric conditions supportive of strong tornadoes. The length of this tornado was about 35 miles long and like the other long track tornadoes from May 4, 2003, it uprooted or snapped off numerous trees and poles, destroyed or severely/totally damaged many homes, barns and outbuildings, not to mention uprooting many large over 50 to 75 year old hardwood trees. The southern storm also took the roof off an equipment shed. "I've never seen anything like this, in pictures or otherwise," said Rep. Ike Skelton, who toured the city by air Monday. A total of 83buildings were destroyed and another 582sustained at least some degree of damage. Winter Storm Warning issued March 02 at 1:36PM PST until March 06 at 4:00AM PST by NWS. Monthly Climate Summary However, the debris path ranged from one quarter mile to one mile. [35][105], The SPC predicted that May8 would be another significant day for severe weather. [255] One person was injured in Paducah by the hailstorm; this was the first reported hail-related injury in the warning area of National Weather Service Paducah, Kentucky since 1994. Several subdivisions in eastern Oklahoma City, Choctaw and Midwest City were also affected by the tornado with several homes sustaining significant damage. [103] Overnight, a low-level jet with winds of around 50kt (60mph, 95km/h) brought additional moisture into North Texas and Oklahoma, causing a warm front over Oklahoma to advance north and promoting atmospheric destabilization. 2. The tornado entered Cedar County and progressed north of Jericho Springs where it destroyed a mobile home consistent with F2 intensity. This jet streak is noted by the drying (orange colors) on the water vapor imagery to the far right. (Bluestein et al. Environmental conditions were unusually conducive to a prolonged period of severe weather, driven by a persistent upper-level trough across the Intermountain West. At least one significant tornado was reported daily across nine consecutive days, with at least a dozen tornadoes total occurring daily over the same timeframe. [109][110] Atmospheric conditions remained supportive of storm development further along the warm front to the east towards the Tennessee Valley through the morning hours and into the afternoon before warming air aloft resulted in increased convective inhibition. [19][137], Outside of the highest risk areas for severe weather, the SPC also noted the potential for severe weather in the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys amid the northward advance of a warm front was expected to advect moist and warm air, and around Virginia near a weak and slow-moving cold front. Rated F2, the tornado caused substantial damage at William Jewell College and at locales near downtown Liberty before lifting around 5:15pm. [136] The final tornado of the day was an F0tornado in that lifted at 03:04UTC (10:04p.m. CDT) in Johnson County, Missouri. [230] Three people died in Stockton: one man died after being struck by flying debris after his frame house was destroyed, one man died after being struck by flying debris after leaving his home during the tornado's approach, and one man died after refusing to seek shelter in his basement. The tornado was on a direct path of the home but only damaged the roof and windows. Four miles southeast of Humansville, a frame house sustained F-2 damage losing a roof and at least two outside walls. The Stockton tornado occurred in an isolated thunderstorm that developed over Rooks County, Kansas at approximately 19:20 CDT. Survey of the most extensively damaged buildings was indicative of a high F-3 rating. [260] On May8, a fast-moving thunderstorm caused a power outage affecting 4,100people in Gloucester County, Virginia, felling trees and downing power lines. [13] Concurrently, decreasing air pressures, steepening lapse rates, and increasing moisture resulted in another conducive area for severe weather over the central Great Plains and along the eastern periphery of the Rocky Mountains. [231] Numerous vehicles were flipped and tossed, including two cars from a local dealership which were blown approximately one block to the northeast of their original location. Weather Disasters Summary, Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (18752003), Memphis National Weather Service Perspective of the Severe Weather Outbreak of May 2003 Focus on the F4 Madison County, Tennessee Tornado, OK-FIRST Case Study: The Tornado Outbreaks of May 2003, NOAA: Cold Front Spawns Super-Cell Storms, Deadly Tornadoes in Central Plains States, Studies of the May 2003 tornado outbreaks, National Weather Service storm survey results for April 30, 2003, Tornadoes Rip Across Southeast Kansas and the Missouri Ozarks May 4th 2003, Summary of the May 45, 2003 Middle Tennessee Tornadoes, Cold Front Spawns Supercell Storms, Deadly Tornadoes in Central Plains States, Kansas City, KS May 4, 2003 "The 5-4-3 Tornado Outbreak", Storm Survey Results for the May 10, 2003 Event, Summary of the May 11, 2003 Middle Tennessee Tornadoes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tornado_outbreak_sequence_of_May_2003&oldid=1136143347, 2003 natural disasters in the United States, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Pages using infobox storm with notes parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 42deaths (+9non-tornadic deaths), 652injuries (+52non-tornadic injuries), This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 23:21. The combined observations of these reports resulted in the National Weather Service to rate the tornado at the high end of an F-3, indicating winds approaching 200 mph. In northern Kansas, a complex of supercells generated a large number of tornadoes . [236] Despite extensive damage along the path, no fatalities were caused by the tornado, although dozens of injuries were reported across Cleveland and Oklahoma Counties. All roadways in Leeds and Brookside were flooded. Its path began to narrow several miles into Missouri; video and eyewitness accounts suggest that the tornado was "roping out" at this point. CDT). The cause of these successive troughs is unknown, but they proved a key factor in the prolonged nature of the outbreak. [78][79] There were 24tornadoes in Missouri, 9 in Illinois, and 9 in Kentucky between 2105UTC (4p.m.12:00a.m. CDT), including an F3tornado that struck Jackson, Missouri, and an F4tornado that took a path 33mi (53km) path through southern Illinois. On Friday, NWS confirmed that an EF-Unknown tornado did indeed touch down in a field around 12:20 p.m. about eight miles east-southeast of Isleton in San Joaquin County. Tornado touches down near Stockton By ABC7 Thursday, April 12, 2012 STOCKTON, Calif. "I just heard a loud, loud noise. 2003; Lee and Wurman 2005; Tanamachi et al. Upper level diffluence provided strong vertical lift. #MOwx ``It can be rebuilt, said Hafer. A fairly potent spring storm delivered with . Length: ~33 miles Width: 1/4 to 1/2 mile Time: ~530 - 624 p.m. ``Its like: where do you start, what do you do?. West winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. May 3, 2003 (2003-05-03)-May 11, 2003 (2003-05-11) Highest winds Tornadic: 180 mph (290 km/h) in Perryville, Missouri Non-tornadic: 115 mph (185 km/h) in Wayne County, Kentucky(estimated); 105 mph (169 km/h) in Johnson County, Missouri(measured) Tornadoes confirmed 363 tornadoes (62 significant)[note 1] Max.rating1 F4tornado Duration of Winston-Salem police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened near Burke Street Monday at about 2:10 a.m. Police say one man died.
