Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Memphis, TN

March 27, 1991Decatur County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1991, 2:49 PM CST for Decatur County, Tennessee. It was in force for 26 min. 1 report 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
Mar 27, 1991, 2:49 PM CST (20:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1991, 3:15 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Decatur County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 27, 3:00 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Decatur, TN

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 148 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1991-03-27Temperature 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1991-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 289 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1045 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
289 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
308 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Mar 27, 11:28 AM CST, 3 hours 21 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-271830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1128 AM CST WED MAR 27 1991

AT 1125 PM WEATHER RADAR CONTINUED TO TRACK A NORTHEAST - SOUTHWEST
ORIENTED BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS AS IT RACED EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH
ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE SPEEDING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH.

STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE - MOVING ACROSS EASTERN PARTS OF POINSETT
AND CRAIGHEAD COUNTIES NEAR TRUMAN ARKANSAS AND WILL MOVE INTO
MISSISSIPPI COUNTY ARKANSAS TOWARD BLYTHEVILLE BETWEEN 1130 AND NOON.
OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS LEE AND ST FRANCIS
COUNTIES AND INTO WESTERN CRITTENDED COUNTY TOWARD EARLE AND WEST
MEMPHIS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING STRONG WIND GUSTS .. A BRIEF TIME OF
VERY HEAVY RAIN .. AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE THROUGH.  YOU
SHOULD MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AS THE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH.  STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AS THE THUNDERSTORMS PASS
OVER YOUR LOCATION.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO GROW IN STRENGTH AND SIZE AS THE DAY
WEARS ON SO YOU SHOULD STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER BULLETINS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 11:54 AM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-014-271900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1153 AM CST WED MAR 27 1991

AT 1155 AM THE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO WORK ITS WAY
EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND WAS MOVING OVER THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER AND INTO WEST TENNESSEE. MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH .. THE
THUNDERSTORM LINE WILL MOVE THROUGH THE DYERSBURG .. RIPLEY ..
COVINGTON .. AND MEMPHIS AREAS BETWEEN NOON AND 1 PM.

AT 1155 AM THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM JUST WEST OF DYERSBURG
TENNESSEE .. SOUTH ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO WEST MEMPHIS
ARKANSAS .. AND ON SOUTHWEST TO NEAR DEWITT ARKANSAS - JUST EAST OF
PINE BLUFF.  INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE RACING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST
AT 60 MPH WHILE THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRESSED TOWARD THE
EAST-NORTHEAST.

SOME WEAKENING WAS NOTED IN THE THUNDERSTORMS AT THE NORTHERN END OF
THE LINE - NEAR DYERSBURG BUT OTHER CONTINUED TO BE STRONG.
9
THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING A BRIEF PERIOD OF VERY HEAVY RAIN ..
STRONG AND GUSTY WIND .. AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER BULLETINS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 12:32 PM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-271930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1232 PM CST WED MAR 27 1991

AT 1225 PM WEATHER RADAR LOCATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
THE UNION CITY AREA OF NORTHWEST TENNESSEE .. SOUTHWESTWARD BETWEEN
ALAMO AND RIPLEY TENNESSEE .. OVER THE MEMPHIS AND MILLINGTON AREAS ..
NEAR TUNICA MISSISSIPPI .. ACROSS THE MISSISSIPI RIVER NEAR HELENA
ARKANSAS .. AND TO NEAR DUMAS ARKANSAS.

THE THUNDERSTORM LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH WHILE INDIVIDUAL
THUNDERSTORMS RACED TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED NEAR THE NORTH PART OF MEMPHIS
... AND NEAR HELENA ARKANSAS.

ANOTHER LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS AT 1225 PM.  THAT LINE STRETCHED FROM THE PARAGOULD - JONESBO
AREA SOUTHWESTWARD NEAR AUGUSTA .. AND TOWARD PINE BLUFF ARKANSAS.

THAT THUNDERSTORM LINE WAS MOVING EiAST AT 40 MPH AS WELL.

A BRIEF PERIOD OF VERY HEAVY RAIN .. GUSTY WIND .. AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER BULLETINS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 2:08 PM CST, 41 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 27, 2:35 PM CST, 14 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Mar 27, 2:35 PM CST, 14 minutes before
<!doctype html>
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<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 12:55 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto35 min
Mar 27, 1:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette46 min
Mar 27, 1:32 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGFayette28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.