Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Memphis, TN

May 21, 1989Cross County, Poinsett County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1989, 8:49 PM CDT for Cross County, Poinsett County, Arkansas. It was in force for 26 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
May 21, 1989, 8:49 PM CDT (01:49 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1989, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cross 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 21, 9:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Poinsett, AR
May 21, 9:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Poinsett, 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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 1989-05-22Temperature 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 1989-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 99 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3596 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
210 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 220150
TORMEM
ARC037-111-220215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
849 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
          ...NORTHERN CROSS...SOUTHERN POINSETT
 
WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF AMAGON
ARKANSAS AT 845 PM CDT. THIS TORNADO WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35
MPH THROUGH SOUTHERN POINSETT AND NORHTERN CROSS COUNTIES.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCross, St. Francis69 min
May 21, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee69 min
May 21, 11:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden68 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.