Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Little Rock, AR

February 15, 1990Drew County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 15, 1990, 4:10 PM CST for Drew County, Arkansas. It was in force for 50 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 15, 1990, 4:10 PM CST (22:10 UTC)
Expired
Feb 15, 1990, 5:00 PM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

County Drew 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

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 208 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1990-02-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1189 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1990-02-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 157 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
1189 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
728 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
157 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLIT 152211
SVRLIT
ARC043-152300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
410 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...DREW COUNTY
 
AT 410 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
SOUTHWEST CORNER OF DREW COUNTY...MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH.
 
 
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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Feb 15, 12:45 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
ARZALL-152000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1245 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCHES IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN ARKANSAS...

TWO TORNADO WATCHES...NUMBERS 36 AND 37...BLANKET A LARGE PART OF
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE WATCHES ARE IN
EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM.

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY AROUND NOON TODAY
IN THE VICINITY OF A COLD FRONT WHICH IS NOW ADVANCING THROUGH
CEN3TRAL ARKANSAS.

AT 1240 PM...THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN PULASKI COUNTY...AND WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY.

34
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 1:10 PM CST, 3 hours before
ARZ008-010-152000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
105 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR A FEW CENTRAL ARKANSAS COUNTIES

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 36 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS...PULASKI...SALINE...DALLAS...AND GRANT.

THE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DEVELOPED IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS
AROUND NOON HAS CONTINUED TO MOVE EASTWARD AND IS EAST OF THE
CLEARED COOUNTIES.

TWO TORNADO WATCHES...NUMBERS 36 AND 37...REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 6
PM FOR A LARGE PORTION OF EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ARKANSAS.

34
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 2:04 PM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes before
ARZ06-11>16-152100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
200 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCHES IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN ARKANSAS...

TWO TORNADO WATCHES...NUMBERS 36 AND 37...BLANKET A LARGE PART OF
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE WATCHES ARE IN
EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM.

AT 200 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING
FROM NEAR BLYTHEVILLE TO NEAR FORREST CITY TO STUTTGART. THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER CROSS COUNTY JUST SOUTHWEST OF PARKIN.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS AOUTH ARKANSAS BETWEEN
MAGNOLIA AND CROSSETT.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
06
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 3:04 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
ARZ06-11>16-152200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
300 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCHES IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH AND EAST ARKANSAS...

TWO TORNADO WATCHES...NUMBERS 36 AND 37...BLANKET A LARGE PART OF
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE WATCHES ARE IN
EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM CST FOR
EASTERN OUACHITA AND CALHOUN COUNTIES IN SOUTH ARKANSAS. A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM CST FOR UNION
COUNTY IN SOUTH ARKANSAS.

AT 300 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NEAR HAMPTON...
ARKANSAS AND JUST SOUTHWEST OF JUNCTION CITY...ARKANSAS. THE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. AT LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED .
FROM NEAR MEMPHIS...TENNESSEE TO JUST EAST OF EL DORADO.
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

06

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 15, 5:17 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKConway, Faulkner, Perry118 min
Feb 15, 5:17 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningLZKWhite118 min
Feb 15, 2:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKCalhoun, Ouachita53 min
Feb 15, 2:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKUnion58 min
Feb 15, 3:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKDrew32 min
Feb 15, 3:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBradley53 min
Feb 15, 4:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKAshley42 min
Feb 15, 5:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKChicot28 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 1990Every severe thunderstorm 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.