Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990
Tornado Warning 20, NWS Shreveport, LA
NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1990, 5:39 PM CDT for Columbia County, Arkansas. It was in force for 66 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 16, 1990, 5:39 PM CDT (22:39 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1990, 6:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 66 min
- Issued by
- NWS Shreveport, LA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Columbia County, AR
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 5:59 PM CDT | Tornado F2 | Columbia, AR | |
| May 16, 6:09 PM CDT | Tornado F2 | Columbia, AR | |
| May 16, 6:40 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Columbia, AR |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 160 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
- 995 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -191 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 606 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 200 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 268 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KSHV 162241 TORSHV ARC027-162345- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 539 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SHREVEPORT HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS.. IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS ...COLUMBIA COUNTY DAT 539 PM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHREVEPORT INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR BUSSEY OR ABOUT 15 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF MAGNOLIA MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH. IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.
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 16, 2:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 29 minutes before
OKZ026-TXZ022-023-027-028-032-033-ARZ009-010-011-016-LAZ001-002- 003-004-005-006-162030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 210 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE ARKLATEX... AT 205 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SHREVEPORT INDICATED SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE ARKLATEX. THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SULPHUR SPRINGS TEXAS NORTHEAST TO IDABEL OKLAHOMA AND DE QUEEN ARKANSAS. DURING THE PAST HOUR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED BASEBALL SIZED HAIL 6 MILES NORTH OF SULPHUR SPRINGS TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE ARKLATEX. THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE ARKLATEX THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT AND A FEW SEVERE STORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. STAY TUNED TO TV..RADIO AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST IN WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
OKZ026-TXZ022-023-027-028-032-033-ARZ009-010-011-016-LAZ001-002- 003-004-005-006-162130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 310 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST TEXAS..SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING... AT 305 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SHREVEPORT INDICATED SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHEAST TEXAS..EXTREME SOUTH- EAST OKLAHOMA AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS. A 25 MILE WIDE BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM ANTOINE ARKANSAS TO JUST NORTH OF TEXARKANA TO MT VERNON TEXAS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCED BASEBALL SIZE HAIL 6 MILES NORTH OF SULPHUR SPRINGS TEXAS WAS LOCATED NOW ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TALCO TEXAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST-NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH. THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE ARKLATEX. THE AREA OF ARKLATEX THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT AND A FEW SEVERE STORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. ALSO AT 305 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATING DEVELOPING WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS CENTRAL LOUISIANA. STAY TUNED TO TV..RADIO AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST IN WEATHER INFORMATION.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Shreveport, LA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 4:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Miller | 57 min |
| May 16, 4:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Lafayette | 83 min |
| May 16, 5:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Columbia | 71 min |
| May 16, 5:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Miller | 71 min |
| May 16, 5:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SHV | Lafayette | 52 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.