Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1989, 8:48 PM CDT for Craighead County, Arkansas. It was in force for 27 min. 1 report 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, 8:48 PM CDT (01:48 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 1989, 9:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Craighead 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, 8:55 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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 127 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 040149
TORMEM
ARC031-040215-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
848 PM CDT MON APR 3 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN EAST ARKANSAS
...CRAIGHEAD
AT 850 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING EAST
THROUGH CRAIGHEAD COUNTY AT 45 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS
JONESBORO AND OTHER SECTIONS OF CRAIGHEAD COUNTY BETWEEN 845 PM AND
915 PM. A TORNADO WAS REPORTED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM AT 845 PM AND
GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL WAS FALLING IN JONESBORO.
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN At
STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.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 43 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, 8:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Craighead, Poinsett | 29 min |
| Apr 3, 8:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Poinsett | 33 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.