Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Morristown, TN
NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at May 28, 1990, 4:31 PM EDT for Blount County, Tennessee. It was in force for 44 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 28, 1990, 4:31 PM EDT (20:31 UTC)
- Expired
- May 28, 1990, 5:15 PM EDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS Morristown, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Blount County, TN
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
Athens Municipal, GA (KAHN), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 201 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
- 291 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -119 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1088 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 55 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 140 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTYS 282033 TORTYS TNC009-282115- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN 431 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN EAST CENTRAL TENNESSEE ...NORTHERN BLOUNT COUNTY AT 425 PM EDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC NEAR SENIC POINT ON FORT LOUDON LAKE IN NORTHWESTERN BLOUNT COUNTY. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH TOWARD THE TOWNS OF MARYVILLE AND ALCOA. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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, May 28, 12:49 PM EDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before
TNZ002-281800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN 1250 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH MIDDLE EAST TENNESSEE... AT 1245 PM EDT HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST WEST OF THE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, IN NORTHERN BLOUNT COUNTY AND IN NORTHWEST SEVERE COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO KNOX AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES AS THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS, SMALL HAIL...HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. IF YOU OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER...SUCH AS DOWNED TREES OR POWER LINES OR LARGE HAIL...NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICE AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR OBSERVATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 28, 1:38 PM EDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
TNZ001>005-016 VAZ008-009-013>016 KYZ006>009 WVZ003-004-006>008 NCZ006>013 SCZ001>004 GAZ002-281830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 1:30 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990] A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. AT 1:30 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER NORTHEAST TENNESSEE BETWEEN MORRISTOWN AND GREENVILLE AND NORTH OF SEVIERVILLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH WESTERN GREEN COUNTY PASSING CLOSE TO GREENVILLE. IF THEY MAINTAIN THEIR PRESENT COURSE AND SPEED THEY WILL BE MOVING CLOSE TO KINGSPORT AROUND 3 PM. THESE STORMS HAVE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS.
Special weather statement, May 28, 1:42 PM EDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
TNZ001>005-016 VAZ008-009-013>016 KYZ006>009 WVZ003-004-006>008 NCZ006>013 SCZ001>004 GAZ002-281830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 1:30 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990] A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. AT 1:30 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER NORTHEAST TENNESSEE BETWEEN MORRISTOWN AND GREENVILLE AND NORTH OF SEVIERVILLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH WESTERN GREEN COUNTY PASSING CLOSE TO GREENVILLE. IF THEY MAINTAIN THEIR PRESENT COURSE AND SPEED THEY WILL BE MOVING CLOSE TO KINGSPORT AROUND 3 PM. THESE STORMS HAVE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRENCES TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. IN ADDITION TO THESE STORMS..RAIN AND SHOWERS WERE OVER SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA ALONG THE NEW RIVER AOD OVER THE PIEDMONT OF NORTH CAROLINA. THE RAIN AND SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 28, 2:08 PM EDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
GAZ001 KCHA 281808 TNZ002-005-281900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TN 205 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990 AT 200 PM EDT THE CHATTANOOGA WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A FEW THUNDERSTORMS IN EAST TENNESSEE AROUND SPRING CITY. THEESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY HAVE GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...SOME SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH...ALONG THE TENNESSEE RIVER...SO THOSE ON OR NEAR THE TENNESSEE RIVER FROM SPRING CITY UP TO NEAR HARRIMAN SHOULD TAKE SHELTER FROM THE DANGERS OF HIGH WIND AND LIGHTNING UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST IN WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 28, 2:39 PM EDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
TNZ001>005-016 VAZ008-009-013>016 KYZ006>009 WVZ003-004-006>008 NCZ006>013 SCZ001>004 GAZ002-281930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BRISTOL TN 2:30 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990] A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. AT 2:30 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER NORTHEAST TENNESSEE WEST OF KINGSPORT ALONG THE HOLSTON RIVER.. AND OVER GREENVILLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH HAWKINS AND WESTERN SULLIVAN COUNTIES AND PASSING INTO VIRGINIA NEAR GATE CITY AND CLINCHO WITHIN 30 TO 45 MINUTES. THESE STORMS HAVE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRENCES TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. ALSO A LINE OF NEWLY FORMED THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM NEAR OWINGSVILLE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY SOUTH ACROSS THE TENNESSEE LINE TO 10 MILES WEST OF CROSSVILLE. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 28, 3:12 PM EDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
TNZ002-282100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TN 310 PM EDT MON MAY 28 1990 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH MIDDLE EAST TENNESSEE... AT 300 PM EDT A LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS MARCHING ACROSS MIDDLE EAST TENNESSEE. THE LINE EXTENDED FROM WESTERN CAMPBELL COUNTY, WEST OF LA FOLLETTE, THROUGH WESTERN ANDERSON COUNTY TO EASTERN ROANE AND WESTERN LOUDON COUNTIES WEST OF LENOIR CITY. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN AND MAY CAUSE STREET FLOODING IN URBAN AREAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER SUCH AS DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH YOUR AREA. IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CALL YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR OBSERVATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR UPDAT2ES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Morristown, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 3:51 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Knox | 69 min |
| May 28, 4:14 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Jefferson, Sevier | 61 min |
| May 28, 4:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MRX | Jefferson, Knox, Sevier | 68 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 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.