Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Memphis, TN

June 9, 1990Phillips County, Arkansas; Coahoma County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at Jun 9, 1990, 6:17 PM CDT for Phillips County, Arkansas; Coahoma County, Mississippi. It was in force for 118 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 9, 1990, 6:17 PM CDT (23:17 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 1990, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Phillips County, AR, Coahoma County, MS

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 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 90 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 12:00Z on 1990-06-09Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1990-06-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 38 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3603 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 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 KMEM 092318
FFWMEM
ARC107-MSC027-100115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
617 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN PHILLIPS COUNTY
 
 
IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...NORTHERN COAHOMA COUNTY
 
SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DUMP LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN ONTO
NORTHERN PARTS OF COAHOMA COUNTY MISSISSIPPI AND PHILLIPS COUNTY
ARKANSAS AT 615 PM THIS EVENING. WHILE NO FLOODING HAD BEEN REPORTED
BY 615 PM ... WEATHER RADAR INDICATED RAINS WERE SUFFICIENTLY HEAVY TO
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING.
 
THE GREATEST DANGER FROM FLASH FLOODS IS TO MOTORISTS.  DO NOT ATTEMPT
TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS - THAT IS THE CHIEF CAUSE OF DEATHS
IN FLASH FLOODS.  KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM DRAINAGES AND DITCHES.
 
THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY WEAKEN AND DRIFT TO THE SOUTH
AS SUNDOWN APPROACHES.  THAT SLOW CHANGE WILL CAUSE THE RISK OF FLASH
FLOODING TO DIMINISH.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AyUTOMOBILES.  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.

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, Jun 9, 1:37 PM CDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before
MSZ004-005-092045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
137 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990

AT 130 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING AND MOVING ACROSS
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WIND...FREQUENT
LIGHNING STRIKES AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

YOU SHOULD STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

ALSO SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS AND
ROADWAYS. IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON
YOU ARE URGED TO USE EXTRA CAUTION IN THE VICINTIY OF THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 2:51 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
MSZ004-005-092100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
251 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 428 IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM CDT THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOO AND EVENING.

AT 245 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS TO
BE SCATTERED OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS MOVING
ACROSS NORTHERN BENTON COUNTY. ANOTHER AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDED ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS INTO NORTHWEST TENNESSEE. THIS AREA
WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25
MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING STRIKES AND POSSIBLE LARGE HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

YOU ARE URGED TO STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

THESE STORMS WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON STREET AND ROADWAYS.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON YOU SHOULD
USE EXTRA CAUTION IN THE VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 3:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
MSZ004-005-092145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
347 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 428 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
NORTH MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM CDT THIS SATURDAY EVENING...

AT 340 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST PRENTISS...SOUTHERN TISHOMINGO
AND NORTHEAST ITAWAMBA COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. THESE STORMS
WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY
WIND...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LARGE HAIL. YOU SHOULD STAY ALERT AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR MARIANNA
ARKANSAS ACROSS EXTREME NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE
TO BROWNSVILLE TENNESSEE IN HAYWOOD COUNTY. THIS LINE WAS DRIFTING
SLOWLY SOUTHEAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES
AN HOUR. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN 500 PM AND 700 PM THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

THESE STORMS WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS AND ROADWAYS.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON YOU ARE
URGED TO USE EXTkRA CAUTION IN THE VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 4:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
MSZ004-005-092245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
448 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 428 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
NORTH MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM CDT THIS SATURDAY EVENING...

AT 435 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOW A LINE OF VERY
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF WEST HELENA
ARKANSAS TO JUST NORTHWEST OF HOLLY SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI. THIS LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS WAS DRIFTING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS
WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
MOVE INTO TIPPAH AND LAFAYETTE COUNTIES OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI BY 530 PM
CDT THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
STRIKES.

YOU ARE URGE TO STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. FOR PERSON BOATING ON SARDIS
LAKE...YOU SHOULD GET OFF THE LAKE NOW.

THESE STORMS WILL ALSO CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON STREETS AND ROADWAYS.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON YOU ARE
URGED TO USE EXTRA CAUTION IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFROMATION.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 5:21 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ014-092330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
521 PM CDT SAT JUN 9 1990

... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING ...

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO WORK THEIR WAY SOUTHEAST ACROSS
NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND EAST ARKANSAS AT 515 PM THIS EVENING.  AT
THAT TIME THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN A LINE THAT STRETCHED EAST -
WEST FROM NEAR HOLLY SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI TO NEAR HELENA ARKANSAS.

THE THUNDERSTORM LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND
WILL BRING VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH GUSTY WIND AND POSSIBLY HAIL.
WEATHER RADAR LOCATED THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM TO BE APPROACHING
THE CITIES OF HELENA AND WEST HELENA IN PHILLIPS COUNTY ARKANSAS.

THAT THUNDERSTORM WILL  MOVE THROUGH THE HELENA / WEST HELENA AREA
BEFORE 6 PM.  THE RAIN MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE STREETS AND ROADS TO
FLOOD FOR A BRIEF TIME.

OTHER .. LESS INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS2 WERE OVER WEST TENNESSEE BETWEEN
DYERSBURG .. BROWNSVILLE .. AND BOLIVAR ... AND OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI
BETWEEN TUPELO AND IUKA.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER UPDATES ON THE EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 9, 1:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMississippi39 min
Jun 9, 1:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPoinsett30 min
Jun 9, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee25 min
Jun 9, 4:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMarshall29 min
Jun 9, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate33 min
Jun 9, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette44 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 1990Flash Flood Warnings in Mississippi, 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.