Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 8, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1989, 8:16 PM CDT for Craighead County, Poinsett County, Arkansas. It was in force for 29 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, 8:16 PM CDT (01:16 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 1989, 8:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Craighead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 8:42 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Poinsett, AR | |
| Apr 3, 8:55 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Craighead, 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, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 116 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
- 3544 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 161 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 336 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 040117
TORMEM
ARC031-111-040145-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
816 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 845 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN EAST ARKANSAS
...SOUTHWESTERN CRAIGHEAD...NORTHWESTERN POINSETT
AT 815 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING INTO
THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF POINSETT COUNTY AND THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF
CRAIGHEAD COUNTY. MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 45 MPH THIS STORM WILL
MOVE NEAR PITTS AND TOWARD OTWELL BETWEEN 815 PM AND 840 PM.
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY$
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.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, 7:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 700 PM CDT MON APR 03 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78 CONTINUES TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANAS... ...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD NORTHEAST ARKANSAS... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS AT 7 PM EXTENDED FROM SOUTH OF CAPE GIRARDEAU MISSOURI TO NORTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS NEAR VAN BUREN. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE HAD HISTORY OF PRODUCING HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THIS LINE IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 20 MPH SO IN A COUPLE OF HOURS THE LINE SHOULD BE REACHING CLAY AND GREENE COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...SO RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER IN FORMATION VIA NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TELEVISION AND COMMERCIAL RADIO SHOULD YOU EXPERIENCE SEVERE WEATHER...INFORM YOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND REQUEST THAT THEY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 8:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Poinsett | 33 min |
| Apr 3, 8:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Craighead | 27 min |
| Apr 3, 9:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 35 min |
| Apr 3, 9:34 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Cross | 26 min |
| Apr 3, 9:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Poinsett | 38 min |
| Apr 3, 9:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 26 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.