Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Nashville, TN

March 27, 1991Franklin County, Lincoln County, Tennessee

NWS Nashville, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1991, 8:13 PM CST for Franklin County, Lincoln County, Tennessee. It was in force for 47 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, 8:13 PM CST (02:13 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1991, 9:00 PM CST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Nashville, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, TN, Lincoln County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 27, 8:15 PM CSTHail 1Franklin, 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 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 112 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-28Temperature 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -44 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
1079 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
114 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 KBNA 280213
TORBNA
TNC051-103-280300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
813 PM CST WED MAR 27 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE
 
   ...FRANKLIN COUNTY...SOUTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN SOUTHEAST LINCOLN COUNTY JUST SOUTH
OF FLINTVILLE BY THE FAYETTEVILLE TENNESSEE SHERIFFS OFFICE
AT 805 PM CST.
 
THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR
AND WILL MOVE INTO FRANKLIN COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.
 
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, Mar 27, 2:41 PM CST, 5 hours 32 minutes before
TNZ007-008-009-010-011-272145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
238 PM CST WED MAR 27 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES FOR PARTS
OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

AT 230 PM CST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS
LOCATED FROM EAST OF HOPKINSVILLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY THROUGH
THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE TO NORTH OF SAVANNAH IN MIDDLTENNESSEE.

THUNDERSTORMS3 WERE ALSO SCATTERED ACROSS WEST TENNESSEE...WESTERN
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 3:39 PM CST, 4 hours 34 minutes before
TNZ007-008-009-010-011-272145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
330 PM CST WED MAR 27 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR PARTS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

AT 330 PM CST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS
LOCATED OVER MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND  SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY FROM LINDEN
TENNESSEE TO NEAR BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO SCATTERED ACROSS WEST TENNESSEE...WESTERN
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY.

HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WERE REPORTED  IN ROBERTSON COUNTY DURING THE
LAST FEW MINUTES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 4:39 PM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
TNZ007-008-009-010-011-272145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
430 PM CST WED MAR 27 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

AT 430 PM CST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS
LOCATED FROM FRANKLIN THROUGH THE NASHVILLE AREA TO NEAR BOWLING
GREEN KENTUCKY.

WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AND THE WESTERN HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 6:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXCannon, DeKalb, Rutherford57 min
Mar 27, 6:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXWarren, White42 min
Mar 27, 6:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXPutnam42 min
Mar 27, 6:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOHXGiles, Lincoln48 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.