Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Morristown, TN

March 5, 1989Morgan County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this flash flood warning at Mar 5, 1989, 11:48 PM EST for Morgan County, Tennessee. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 5, 1989, 11:48 PM EST (04:48 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 1989, 2:45 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Morgan 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 175 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1989-03-06Temperature 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1989-03-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 468 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
488 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
468 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
636 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 KTYS 060449
FFWTYS
TNC129-060745-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN
1148 PM EST SUN MAR 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL TENNESSEE
          ...SOUTHERN MORGAN
 
AT 1145 PM FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN SOUTHERN MORGAN COUNTY NEAR
COALFIELD WHERE A SMALL BRIDGE WAS WASHED OUT. HEAVY RAIN WILL
CONTINUE OVER THIS AREA FOR ANOTHER HOUR.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATOERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Mar 5, 5:49 PM EST, 5 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN
545 PM EST SUN MAR 5 1989

..FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE..
..FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND EARY MONDAY FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

RAIN AND A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE
LOCAL AREA AND WILL MOVE IN LATER TONIGHT.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS CODITIONS ARE FAVARABLE FOR FLASH FLOODING
TO DEVELOP IN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED AR#EA SHOULD
STAY INFORMED AND BE READY FOR QUICK ACTION IF FLOODING OCCURS OR
A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 6:44 PM EST, 5 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN
645 PM EST SUN MAR 5 1989

 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MIDDLE EAST TENNESSEE...

RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO THE EAST TENNESSEE VALLEY.
SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING
HEAVY RAINFALL RATES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  WITH THE GROUND
ALREADY SOAKED FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEKS RAINFALL FLASH FLOODING
IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY.  PERSONS DRIVING IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE
ALERT TO RAPIDLY RISING WATER ON ROADWAYS OR OVER BRIDGES.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST UPDATES OR
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 9:13 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN
915 PM EST SUN MAR 5 1989

 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MIDDLE EAST TENNESSEE...

MODERATE RAIN WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU TO
EAST OF KNOXVILLE CONTINUE AT THIS TIME.  RAIN FALL AMOUNTS IN THE
SURROUNDING COUNTIES ARE RUNNING AROUND ONE HALF TO ONE INCH.
THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING IS BECOMING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE.
IF YOU ARE NEAR ANY AREA THAT HAS BEEN PRONE TO FLOODING IN THE PAST
YOU SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE QUICKLY RISING WATERS AND PREPARE TO MOVE
TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.  ALSO CITY FLOODING CAN OCCUR IN ANY TERRAIN AND
IS AGGRAVATED BY LOST NATURAL COVER DUE TO URBANIZATION.  ROADS AND
PARKING LOTS AND AREAS OF CONSTRUCTION ARE VERY PRONE TO FLOODING.

FLASH FLOOD WAVES CAN MOVE AT INCREDIBLE SPEEDS AND CAN ROLL BOULDERS
AND TEAR DOWN TREES.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 10:14 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN
1015 PM EST SUN MAR 5 1989

..FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE..
..FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND EARY MONDAY FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

AN AREA OF RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO NORTHEAST
TENNESSEE AND WESTERN VIRGINIA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 TO 3
INCHES IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT WHICH COULD CAUSE LOCAL FLOODING.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS CODITIOGNS ARE FAVARABLE FOR FLASH FLOODING
TO DEVELOP IN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD
STAY INFORMED AND BE READY FOR QUICK ACTION IF FLOODING OCCURS OR
A WARNING IS ISSUED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 5, 11:07 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXRoane3 hr
Mar 6, 12:52 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXScott2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 1989Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.