Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990
Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at Dec 21, 1990, 2:30 PM CST for Greene County, Arkansas. It was in force for 4 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 21, 1990, 2:30 PM CST (20:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 21, 1990, 6:00 PM CST
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Greene 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
Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 197 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
- 46 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -32 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 559 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 176 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 212037 FFWMEM ARC055-220000- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 230 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN EAST ARKANSAS ...GREENE COUNTY HEAVY RAINS IN THE PAST 24 HOURS HAVE CAUSED FLOODING ALONG EIGHTMILE CREEK NEAR PARAGOULD ARKANSAS. HEAVY RAIN IS STILL FALLING AND WILL WORSEN THIS PROBLEM. SOME EVACUATIONS HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PLACE IN THE CITY OF PARAGOULD AND STREETS ARE UNDER WATER. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT. TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND. PLEASE STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR TV FOR ADDITIONAL UPvDATES ON THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER SITUATION.
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, Dec 21, 8:46 AM CST, 5 hours 44 minutes before
RADAR SUMMARY AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 835 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 AT 835 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN ACROSS WEST TENNESSEE FROM NEAR JACKSON TO MEMPHIS TO EASTERN ARKANSAS AROUND WEST HELENA. SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN ADDITION TO CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WAS REPORTED IN THE PAST FEW MINUTES AROUND THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT MEM5PHIS. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST WITH INDIVIDUAL STORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 9:44 AM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-211645- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 943 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR WEST TENNESSEE... AT 925AM ADJACENT WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN...ACROSS WEST TENNESSE NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. THE HEAVIEST RAIN APPEARED TO BE LOCATED ALONG A LINE FROM EXTREME NORTHWEST TENNESSEE THROUGH THE MEMPHIS AREA AND ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS ADN DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 55 MILES AN HOUR WHILE THE ENTIRE AREA IS PUSHING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 11:34 AM CST, 2 hours 56 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-211830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1132 AM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ....FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND WEST TENNESSEE... STRONG SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS ARE CREATING MAJOR FLOODING PROBLEMS FOR SECTIONS OF THE MID-SOUTH. HEAVY RAINS ARE CONTINUING AT THIS LATE MORNING HOUR ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND IN WEST TENNESSEE AND EASTERN ARKANSAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE CURRENTLY IN EAST MEMPHIS. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR BUT THE LINE OF ACTIVITY IS ONLY MOVING VERY VERY SLOWLY EAST. A COLD FRONT IS STILL HOLDING BACK IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS SO WARM MOIST AIR CONTINUES TO FUEL AN ALREADY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM IN PLACES SUCH AS PARAGOULD ARKANSAS WHERE THE EIGHTMILE CREEK IS OVER ITS BANKS. THERE IS WATER OVER MANY ROADS GOING INTO THAT AREA. GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING HAVE BEEN ACCOMPANYING THESE STORMS. WITH FLASH FLOODING A STRONG POSSIBILITY MAKE SURE YOU MOVE TO SAFETY SHOULD ANY BE REPORTED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ANY STATEMENTS CONCER"NING THIS DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 1:45 PM CST, 45 minutes before
MSZ004-005-007-212045-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
145 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990
...TORNADO WATCH NO. 784 AND 785 HAVE BEEN ISUUED FOR ALL OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 9PM THIS EVENING...
AT 245 PM...TUPELO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS INDICATING
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND
WEST TENNESSEE.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST EAST OF GREENWOOD
MISSISSIPPI AND JUST NORTH OF BROWNSVILLE TENNESSEE. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS NAD SMALL HAIL.
ANYONE LIVING IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN
WEATHER ALERT AND TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS SHOULD THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACH.
NNNNSpecial weather statement, Dec 21, 2:02 PM CST, 28 minutes before
TNZ011-012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-212100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 203 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR THE MID-SOUTH AREA... THE MID-SOUTH SHOULD BE BRACING FOR TURBULENT WEATHER IN THE NEXT 24 H HEAVY RAINS FROM THIS MORNING HAVE SATURATED THE AREA AND MORE IS EXPECTED AS A SLOW MOVING ARCTIC COLD FRONT APPROACHES. AT MID-AFTERNOON RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN FROM JUST SOUTH OF MEMPHIS SOUTHWEST ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO NEAR HELENA. EXPECT SOME MORE FLOODING...LIGHTNING...STRONG WINDS... AND HAIL WITH THESE STORMS. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT ARRIVES LATER TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL TV STATION FOR LATEST UPDATES. PLEASE REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR YOUR >LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 2:05 PM CST, 25 minutes before
TNZ011-012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-212100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 203 PM CST FRI DEC 21 1990 ...TORNADO WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR THE MID-SOUTH AREA... MID-SOUTHERNERS SHOULD BE BRACING FOR TURBULENT WEATHER. HEAVY RAINS FROM THIS MORNING HAVE SATURATED THE AREA AND MORE IS EXPECTED AS A SLOW MOVING ARCTIC COLD FRONT APPROACHES. AT MID-AFTERNOON RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN FROM JUST SOUTH OF MEMPHIS SOUTHWEST ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO NEAR HELENA. EXPECT SOME MORE FLOODING...LIGHTNING...STRONG WINDS... AND HAIL WITH THESE STORMS. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT ARRIVES LATER TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL TV STATION FOR LATEST UPDATES. PLEASE REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR YOUR LOCACL POLICE DEPARTMENT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 10:01 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | MEG | Greene | 4 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.