Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 29, NWS Memphis, TN

May 19, 1990Cross County, Poinsett County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1990, 10:42 PM CDT for Cross County, Poinsett County, Arkansas. It was in force for 48 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 19, 1990, 10:42 PM CDT (03:42 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1990, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cross County, AR, Poinsett 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, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 1990-05-20Temperature 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 1990-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 138 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
3611 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
176 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 200344
SVRMEM
ARC037-111-200430-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1042 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...EASTERN CROSS COUNTY...EASTERN POINSETT COUNTY
 
AT 1040 PM WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO DETECT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING ACROSS THE EAST PARTS OF CROSS AND POINSETT COUNTIES. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WIND AND LARGE
HAIL AS THEY CONTINUE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN +ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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, May 19, 6:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
MSZ004-180045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
650 PM CDT THU MAY 17 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVEOPING IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI...

AT 635 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAINS IN PARTS OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY
WERE IN LAFAYETTE AND BENTON COUNTIES. IN ADDITION...AT 600 PM MEMPHIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING FOR DESOTO
COUNTY...JUST SOUTH OF MEMPHIS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING HEAVY
RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND SMALL HAIL.
BE WEATHER ALERT AND SEEK SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 19, 7:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
MSC003-180200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
756 PM CDT THU MAY 17 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PERSIST OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI...

AT 735 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI. A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS STRECHED
FROM CENTRAL PONTOTOC COUNTY TO NEAR CORINTH.

THESE CELLS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENT*IAL OF PRODUCING HEAVY
RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WIND...AND SMALL HAIL.
BE WEATHER ALERT AND SEEK SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

NNNN
Special weather statement, May 19, 8:14 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-ARZ012-013-014-200215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
812 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE AND NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS...

AT 8 PM THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAV RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS
CONTINUED ALONG THE TENNESSEE BORDER OVER AND AROUND THE TOWNS OF
MOSCOW...BOLIVAR AND SAVANNAH TENNESSEE AS WELL AS HOLLY SPRINGS AND
ASHLAND MISSISSIPPI. THESE AREAS HAVE EXPERIENCED MODERATE TO HEAVY
RAINFALL DURING THE PAST HOUR WITH STREET FLOODING LIKELY IN LOW LYING
REGIONS.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS NEAR FORREST CITY AND WALDENBERG. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS SECOND AREA OF STORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO PUSH INTO EXTREME EAST ARKANSAS AND WEST TENNESSEE AND
PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALLS IN SECTIONS WHERE THE GROUND IS SATURATED FROM
PREVIOUS RAINS.

PERSONS IN WEST TENNESSE+E AND EAST ARKANSAS SHOULD THEREFORE KEEP
INFORMED OF THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION SINCE MORE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED LATER THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, May 19, 9:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-200315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
918 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS REFORMING OVER NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...

AT 9 PM THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WE
ONCE AGAIN DEVELOPING IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS
MOVING INTO WESTERN POINSETT AND WESTERN CROSS COUNTIES NEAR
THE TOWNS OF FAIR OAKS AND WALDENBURG. ANOTHER AREA OF INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN CRITTENDON COUNTY ARKANSAS NEAR WEST MEMPHIS.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING SLIGHTLY NORTH OF EAST AT ABOUT 35 MILES AN
HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS WHICH
EARLIER EXPERIENCED HEAVY RAINFALLS. WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED
THIS NEW AREA OF DOWNPOURS MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS
AS WELL AS SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS. THUS PERSONS MUST BE ALERT FOR
RISING WATERS AND SHOULD NOT CROSS WATER COVERED ROADS EITHER BY MOTOR
VEHICLE OR BY FOOT.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PUSH INTO WEST TENNESSEE ONCE
AGAIN LATER TONIGHT INCLUDING THE MEMPHIS METROPOLITAN AREA. BESIDES
HEAVY RANFALL AND URBAN FLOODING...WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS MAY SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSONS
MUST CONTINUE TO KEEP INFORMED OF WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO TAKE QUICK ACTION WHEN DANGEROUS WEATHER AAPPROACHES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 9:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPoinsett49 min
May 19, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCross43 min
May 19, 10:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGSt. Francis36 min
May 19, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden, Mississippi32 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.