Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Memphis, TN

June 12, 1991Mississippi County, Poinsett County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 1991, 9:02 PM CDT for Mississippi County, Poinsett County, Arkansas. It was in force for 39 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 12, 1991, 9:02 PM CDT (02:02 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1991, 9:41 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Mississippi County, AR, Poinsett County, AR

The nearest sounding before it

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 215 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 00:00Z on 1991-06-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 838 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 00:00Z on 1991-06-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -31 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
838 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1080 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 130201
TORMEM
ARC093-111-130300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
902 PM CDT WED JUN 12 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COUNTY...EASTERN POINSETT COUNTY
 
AT 855 PM...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST NORTHEAST OF
TRUMAN. THE STORM WAS MOVING SLOWLY EAST SOUTHEAST. PERSONS IN THE
TOWN OF RIVERDALE ARKANSAS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
 
 
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 eIS 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, Jun 12, 7:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
TNZ015-130215-

URBAN FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
712 PM CDT WED JUN 12 1991

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL HAS BEEN OCCURING FROM THE MIDTOWN AREA OF
MEMPHIS SOUTHWARD TO THE MISSISSIPPI BORDER. STREET FLOODING WAS OCCUR
AT THE INTERSECTION OF BELLEVUE AND AGNES IN MEMPHIS WHERE AN ESTIMATE
INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE PAST 2 HOURS OR SO.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND MAY
PRODUCED SOME LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING IN THE MEMPHIS METROPOLITAN
AREA. IF YOU ARE TRAVELING AROUND THE MEMPHIS AREA TONIGHT...USE
CAUTION. WATCH OUT FOR AREAS WHERE THE WATER MAY FILL THE ROADWAYS.
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 7:16 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
TNZ015-130215-

URBAN FLOOD STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
712 PM CDT WED JUN 12 1991

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL HAS BEEN OCCURING FROM THE MIDTOWN AREA OF
MEMPHIS SOUTHWARD TO THE MISSISSIPPI BORDER. STREET FLOODING WAS OCCUR
AT THE INTERSECTION OF BELLEVUE AND AGNES IN MEMPHIS WHERE AN ESTIMATE
OF THREE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE PAST 2 HOURS OR SO.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND MAY
PRODUCED SOME LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING IN THE MEMPHIS METROPOLITAN
AREA. IF YOU ARE TRAVELING AROUND THE MEMPHIS AREA TONIGHT...USE
CAUTION. WATCH OUT FOR AREAS WHERE THE WATER MAY FILL THE ROADWAYS.

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.