Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Little Rock, AR

May 3, 1990Newton County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this flash flood warning at May 3, 1990, 3:25 AM CDT for Newton County, Arkansas. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1990, 3:25 AM CDT (08:25 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1990, 5:30 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
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.

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 8.4 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 00:00Z on 1990-05-03Temperature 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1990-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 134 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
626 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
191 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 KLIT 030825
FFWLIT
ARC115-149-023-101-141-031030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
325 AM CDT THU MAY 3 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
   ...POPE COUNTY...YELL COUNTY
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
   ...CLEBURNE COUNTY...NEWTON COUNTY...VAN BUREN COUNTY
 
AT 323 AM...TORRENTIAL RAINS WERE OCCURRING FROM NEAR DANVILLE TO WEST
OF MARSHALL. IN ADDITION...THE LITTLE BUFFALO RIVER WAS REPORTED OUT
OF ITS BANKS IN NEWTON COUNTY. HEAVY RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO...TAPERING OFF TO MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY
HEAVY THEREAFTER.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT.  IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...OR
CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS.  CAMPERS SHOULD
AVOID7 CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.
 
25

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, May 2, 10:21 PM CDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
OKZ020-013-ARZ001-004-007-030415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
1020 PM CDT WED MAY 2 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR LEFLORE COUNTY OKLAHOMA...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA INCLUDING LEFLORE
   COUNTY UNTIL 400 AM CDT...
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR EAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST
   ARKANSAS...

AT 1005 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS  OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN ARKANSAS. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN. MOVEMENT OF THE
PRECIPITATION WAS NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY OCCUR OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
WESTERN ARKANSAS FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT CAUSING MORE FLOODING
OF LOW LYING AREAS ROADWAYS AND STREAMS.ALSO THE ARKANSAS RIVER AT
VAN BUREN ARKANSAS IS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE AT 28.0 FT AND EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE TO RISE TO AROUND 28.5 FEET. THE POTEAU RIVER IS ALSO ABOVE
FLOOD STAGE.

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FLOOD AND FLASH FLOOD SITUATION.
PERSONS IN WESTERN ARKANSAS AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD BE ON THE
ALERT AND TAKE PROPER PRECAUTIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, May 3, 12:28 AM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
ARZ005-007>011-020700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1230 AM CDT THU MAY 3 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 191 FOR SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OUT OF NORTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST
OKLAHOMA WILL POSE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS THURSDAY MORNING.
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 191 HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 7 AM FOR SOUTHWEST
ARKANSAS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING FROM WEST OF FORT SMITH ARKANSAS
SOUTHWESTWARD TO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR.

TORRENTIAL RAINS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...STRONG AND POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS
AND THE THREAT OF A TORNADO WILL BE PRESENT UNTIL LATER THIS MORNING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

25

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 2:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPope, Yell68 min
May 3, 3:13 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKBoone, Marion, Searcy2 hr
May 3, 3:25 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKPope, Yell2 hr
May 3, 3:25 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKCleburne, Van Buren2 hr
May 3, 5:21 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKYell3 hr
May 3, 5:39 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKPope3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.