Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Little Rock, AR

June 2, 1990Jefferson County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Jun 2, 1990, 9:12 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Arkansas. It was in force for 33 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 2, 1990, 9:12 PM CDT (02:12 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 1990, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 192 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1990-06-03Temperature 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1990-06-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 121 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3613 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 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 030214
TORLIT
ARC069-030245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
912 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...JEFFERSON COUNTY
 
AT 910 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO WITH A STORM MOVING
ACROSS NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY. NUMEROUS FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN
SIGHTED WITH THIS STORM AS IT MOVED SOUTH OF REDFIELD EARLIER. THE
STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT INy 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.
 
34

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, Jun 2, 4:05 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
ARZ002>016-022200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
403 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS...

A TORNADO WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR A LARGE
PART OF ARKANSAS.

AT 400 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED FROM JUST NORTH OF
RUSSELLVILLE TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF DANVILLE TO 15 MILES WEST OF
MOUNT IDA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF-
MOUNT IDA.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OCCURRING IN EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS.
THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR HOLLY GROVE AND 10 MILES EAST OF
CLARENDON.

ALL OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

28
Local storm report, Jun 2, 4:26 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH, AR
415 PM CDT SAT JUN 02 1990

DATE/TIME CDT    LOCATION                    EVENT
02/1200 NOON     SOUTHEAST SEBASTIAN CY      A SMALL F0 TORNADO TOUCHED
                                             DOWN BRIEFLY 4 MILES SOUTH OF
                                             GREENWOOD OFF HIWAY 71. DAMAGE
                                             TO SEVERAL HOMES AND METAL OUT
                                             BUILDINGS. ROOF WAS OFF OF ONE
                                             MOBILE HOME AND ROOF DAMAGE TO
                                             TWO OTHER HOMES. SEVERAL TREES
                                             DOWN AND SOME ACROSS POWER LINES.
                                             NO INJURIES. PATH ABOUT 50 YARDS
                                             WIDE WITH TWO BRIEF TOUCH DOWNS
                                             ABOUT ONE MILE? APART BEING ON
                                             THE GROUND ABOUT 100 YARDS EACH
                                             TIME.
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 4:33 PM CDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before
OKZ020-013-ARZ001-004-007-022230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
433 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 374 HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR THE COUNTIES
SERVED BGY THE FORT SMITH WEATHER OFFICE...

RADAR AT 430 PM CDT SHOWED A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSHOWERS IN CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...MOVEMENT
WAS EAST AT 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 4:34 PM CDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before
OKZ020-013-ARZ001-004-007-022230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
433 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 374 HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR THE COUNTIES
SERVED BHY THE FORT SMITH WEATHER OFFICE...

RADAR AT 430 PM CDT SHOWED A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSHOWERS IN CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...MOVEMENT
WAS EAST AT 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 5:20 PM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
ARZ002>016-022300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
520 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR PARTS OF ARKANSAS BUT REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE...

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR NORTHERN ARKANSAS AND
MUCH OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS. HOWEVER...THE WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT
UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR ABOUT THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.

SPECIFICALLY...THE COUNTIES NO LONGER UNDER A TORNADO WATCH ARE...

IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS
CONWAY          FAULKNER        GARLAND
LONOKE          PERRY           POPE            PRAIRIE
PULASKI         SALINE          WHITE           YELL
<
IN EASTERN ARKANSAS
CLAY            CRAIGHEAD       CROSS           GREENE
JACKSON         LAWRENCE        MONROE          POINSETT
RANDOLPH        ST. FRANCIS     WOODRUFF

IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
BAXTER          BOONE           CLEBURNE        FULTON
INDEPENDENCE    IZARD           MARION          NEWTON
SEARCY          SHARP           STONE           VAN BUREN

IN WESTERN ARKANSAS
JOHNSON         LOGAN           MONTGOMERY      PIKE
POLK            SCOTT

THE TORNADO WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS
GRANT

IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
CALHOUN         CLARK           COLUMBIA        DALLAS
HEMPSTEAD       HOT SPRING      HOWARD          LAFAYETTE
LITTLE RIVER    MILLER          NEVADA          OUACHITA
SEVIER          UNION

IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
ARKANSAS        BRADLEY         CLEVELAND       DREW
JEFFERSON       LINCOLN

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE CONTINUED TO DEVELOP NEAR A COLD FRONT IN THE
SOUTHWEST PART OF ARKANSAS...SO THERE IS STILL A THREAT tOF
SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE.

28
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 6:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
ARZ009>011-015-016-030000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
559 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR ABOUT THE
SOUTHERN HALF OF ARKANSAS.

AT 555 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN CLARK COUNTY
IN THE AREA AROUND OKOLONA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT
50 MPH.

28

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 8:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGrant39 min
Jun 2, 8:24 PM CDTTornado WarningLZKJefferson51 min
Jun 2, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLonoke, Prairie48 min
Jun 2, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKWoodruff28 min
Jun 2, 9:09 PM CDTTornado WarningLZKGrant51 min
Jun 2, 10:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKArkansas40 min
Jun 3, 3:03 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKCalhoun, Ouachita3 hr
Jun 3, 5:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKCalhoun, Dallas, Ouachita, Union3 hr
Jun 3, 9:05 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKCalhoun, Ouachita115 min
Jun 3, 2:41 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLZKAshley66 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.