Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Little Rock, AR

April 3, 1989Newton County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1989, 5:50 PM CDT for Newton County, Arkansas. It was in force for 40 min. 2 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
Apr 3, 1989, 5:50 PM CDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1989, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

County Newton 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
Apr 3, 6:00 PM CDTHail 1.75Newton, AR
Apr 3, 6:30 PM CDTHail 2Newton, 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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 121 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1989-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1226 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1989-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 193 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1226 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-125 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
790 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

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 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, Apr 3, 2:51 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
250 PM CDT SUN APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS...

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF NORTHERN AND MOST OF
NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE AREA COVERED
BY THE WATCH IS GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR MENA TO MORRILLTON
TO BLYTHEVILLE AND IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM.

A COLD FRONT ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE AT MID-AFTERNOON IS
THE PRIMARY REASON FOR THE WATCH. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE STATE IS VERY
WARM..HUMID AND UNSTABLE. AS THE FRONT PUSHES INTO THIS ATMOSPHERE...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT. THE AIR
IS UNSTABLE ENOUGH THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
BECOME SEVERE..POSSIBLY PRODUCING TORNADOS.

REMEMBER..A WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF
SEVERE WEATHER. A WARNING MEANS SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURING OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED.

THOSE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BEGIN TO REVIEW THEIR SEVERE WEATHER
SAFETY RULES...KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A
PLACE OF SAFETY...AND LISTEN FOR WARNINGS AND LATER STATEMENTS.

39
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 4:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
421 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM SOUTHWEST MISSOURI INTO
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
CARROLL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS UNTIL 5 PM TONIGHT.

WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER OTHER PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ALL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AROUND 50 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF ARKANSAS SHOULD WATCH FOR
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THEIR AREA AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WORK THEIR WAY EASTWARD. LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES MAY OCCUR DURING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
THE TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT.

25,
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 4:31 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
425 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
ARKANSAS UNTIL 9 PM...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR CARROLL COUNTY UNTIL
UNTIL 5 PM...

AT 425 PM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLY CONTAINING LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS WAS LOCATED NEAR BERRYVILLE IN CARROLL COUNTY.
THE THUNDERSTORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT
EXTENDED FROM SOUTHERN MISSOURI ACROSS HUNTSVILLE ARKANSAS TO NEAR
CLARKSVILLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LINE ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 4>5 MILES AN HOUR.

104
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 4:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
440 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND NORTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS UNTIL 900 PM CDT TONIGHT...

RADAR AT 440 PM CDT SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
NEAR HARRISON SOUTHWEST ACROSS MADISON...SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON
FRANKLIN AND WEST JOHNSON COUNTIES. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EAST CARROLL COUNTY.

PERSONS IN THE AREAS OF THESE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT
HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING...BRIEF GUSTY WIND
AND HAIL.  PERSONS SHOULD STAY INDOORS AND OFF THE BARE GROUND
IN THE AREAS OF LIGHTNING.

E

The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKCarroll45 min
Apr 3, 4:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBoone55 min
Apr 3, 5:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKMarion59 min
Apr 3, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKNewton60 min
Apr 3, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKStone, Van Buren61 min
Apr 3, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBoone60 min
Apr 3, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFulton, Izard53 min
Apr 3, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKSearcy53 min
Apr 3, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKMarion45 min
Apr 3, 6:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKSharp54 min
Apr 3, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKStone45 min
Apr 3, 6:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKIndependence50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

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.