Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Memphis, TN

March 11, 1986Cross County, St. Francis County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 11, 1986, 8:57 PM CST for Cross County, St. Francis County, Arkansas. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 11, 1986, 8:57 PM CST (02:57 UTC)
Expired
Mar 11, 1986, 10:00 PM CST
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cross County, AR, St. Francis County, AR

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 11, 9:19 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Cross, AR

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 82 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1986-03-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1986-03-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 467 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3618 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
467 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
635 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 
TTAA00 KMEM 120257
TORMEM
ARC037-123-120400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
857 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

ARKANSAS...CROSS AND ST. FRANCIS

AT 845 PM CST, A TORNADO WAS REPORTED EAST OF DES ARC ARKANSAS
WHICH IS LOCATED IN PRAIRIE COUNTY OF ARKANSASW.  THIS STORM IS
MOVING EAST AT 60 MILES AN HOUR.

 THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY !

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 11, 9:51 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCraighead, Mississippi, Poinsett69 min
Mar 12, 1:05 AM CSTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, St. Francis40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.