Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Memphis, TN

December 14, 1987Fayette County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 14, 1987, 10:49 PM CST for Fayette County, Tennessee. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 14, 1987, 10:49 PM CST (04:49 UTC)
Expired
Dec 14, 1987, 11:15 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Fayette County, TN

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 1987-12-15Temperature 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 1987-12-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 336 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
3438 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
104 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
336 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
486 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 14, 8:49 PM CST, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
850 PM CST MON DEC 14 1987

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 564 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM TUESDAY MORNING
FOR PORTION OF NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...

AT 845 PM CST A LINE OR THUNDERSTORM EXTENDED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER FROM 60 MILES NORTH OF MEMPHIS TENNESSEE TO VICKSBURG
MISSISSIPPI. SOME OF THESE STORM COULD BECOME SEVERE AS THEY MOVE
ACROSS NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. GOLF BALL
SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUST TO 60 MILE AN HOUR HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH
SOME OF THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVED ACROSS ARKANSAS.

YOU ARE URGED TO KEEP INFORMED OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES.

THESE STORMS WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. IF YOUR
ARE DRIVING ON NORTHERM MISSISSIPPI ROADS AND HIGHWAYS TONIGHT YOU
SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.
Local storm report, Dec 14, 9:16 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
915 PM CST MON DEC 14 1987

...REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER MON DEC 14 1987...

815 PM CST  TYRONZA PD REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL COVERING GROUND IN
            TYRONZA, POINSETT COUNTY ARKANSAS.

825 PM CST  MISSISSIPPI COUNTY ARKANSAS SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED
            MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COUNTY WEST
            OF OCEOLA.

END/ HEW WSFO MEM
Local storm report, Dec 14, 9:23 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
915 PM CST MON DEC 14 1987

...REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER MON DEC 14 1987...

750 PM CST  EARLE PD (CRITTENDED COUNTY ARKANSAS) REPORTED PEA SIZE
            HAIL COVERING GROUND.

815 PM CST  TYRONZA PD REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL COVERING GROUND IN
            TYRONZA, POINSETT COUNTY ARKANSAS.

825 PM CST  MISSISSIPPI COUNTY ARKANSAS SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED
            MARB"LE SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COUNTY WEST
            OF OCEOLA.

END/ HEW WSFO MEM
Special weather statement, Dec 14, 9:36 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  MEMPHIS TN
930 PM CST MON DEC 14 1987

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 563 AND 564  REMAINS IN EFFECT...

AT 930 PM A NEARLY SOLID LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED
IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS.. AND HAD BEGUN MOVING INTO
SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE..IN THE MEMPHIS AREA.  THIS LINE ALSO EXTENDED
INTO THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 563 CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM THIS
MONDAY EVENING FOR ALL OF EAST ARKANSAS.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 564 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM TUESDAY MORNING FOR
NORTH MISSISSIPPI AND MOST OF WEST TENNESSEE.

REMEMBER THAT A )TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN AND
NEAR THE WATCH AREA AND PERSONS IN THIS AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
Special weather statement, Dec 14, 9:36 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
940 PM CST MON DEC 14 1987

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 564 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM TUESDAY MORNING
AND TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 565 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM FOR PORTION OF
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...

AT 930 PM CST A LINE OR THUNDERSTORM EXTENDED FROM MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
SOUTH THROUGH CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI TO 20 MILES EAST OF GREENVILLE
MISSISSIPPI. SOME OF THESE STORM COULD BECOME SEVERE AS THEY MOVE
ACROSS NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. GOLF BALL
SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUST TO 60 MILE AN HOUR HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH
SOME OF THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVED ACROSS ARKANSAS.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

YOU ARE URGED TO KEEP INFORMED OF THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES.

THESE STORMS WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. IF YO/U
ARE DRIVING ON NORTHERM MISSISSIPPI ROADS AND HIGHWAYS TONIGHT YOU
SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.
Special weather statement, Dec 14, 10:32 PM CST, 17 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 14, 8:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMississippi, Poinsett27 min
Dec 14, 9:51 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden54 min
Dec 14, 10:19 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGHaywood, Tipton56 min
Dec 14, 11:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman, Madison58 min
Dec 14, 11:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrockett58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.