Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 11, 1986, 9:51 PM CST for Craighead County, Mississippi County, Poinsett County, Arkansas. It was in force for 69 min. 5 reports 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, 9:51 PM CST (03:51 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 11, 1986, 11:00 PM CST
- In force
- 69 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Craighead County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Poinsett 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 10:00 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Mississippi, AR | |
| Mar 11, 10:00 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Poinsett, AR | |
| Mar 11, 10:00 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Mississippi, AR | |
| Mar 11, 10:15 PM CST | Hail 1 | Mississippi, AR | |
| Mar 11, 10:30 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Poinsett, 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, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 109 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMEM 120351 TORMEM ARC031-093-111-120500- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 951 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF ARKANSAS...CRAIGHEAD...MISSISSIPPI AND EASTERN POINSETT AT 935 PM CST , A TORNADO WAS INDICATED NEAR WYNNE ARKANSAS IN EAST CENTRAL ARwKANSAS. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 60 MILES AND HOUR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY !
1 follow-up statement
000 TTAA00 KMEM 120358 COR TORMEM ARC093-111-035-120500- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING ...CORRECTION SEE COUNTIES AFFECTED... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 951 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF ARKANSAS...CRITTENDEN...MISSISSIPPI AND EASTERN POINSETT AT 935 PM CST , A TORNADO WAS INDICATED ~NEAR WYNNE ARKANSAS IN EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 60 MILES AND HOUR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY !
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 11, 7:59 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
800 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986
... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS RACE ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH ...
AT 800 PM CST A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY THE MEMPHIS RADAR
TO BE NEAR COVINGTON TENNESSEE. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 45 MILES AN HOUR AND IS LIKELY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS.
AS THIS STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST..RESIDENTS OF
HAYWOOD.3.CROCKETT..MADISON..AND GIBSON COUNTIES OF WEST TENNESSEE
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE DAMAGING WINDS BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND
SMALL HAIL UNTIL 900 PM CST TONIGHT.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 8:57 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MEG | Cross, St. Francis | 63 min |
| Mar 12, 1:05 AM CST | Tornado Warning | MEG | Crittenden, St. Francis | 40 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.