Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1991

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 17, 1991Polk County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this flash flood warning at Apr 17, 1991, 10:40 PM CDT for Polk County, Arkansas. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 17, 1991, 10:40 PM CDT (03:40 UTC)
Expired: Apr 18, 1991, 1:45 AM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties

County Polk County, AR

The nearest sounding before it

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 240 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1509 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 653 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 125 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSM 180341
FFWFSM
ARC113-180645-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
1040 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT SMITH HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
   ...POLK COUNTY
 
AT 1038 PM CDT CREEKS WERE RISING IN POLK COUNTY AND VERY HEAVY
RAINFALL IS OCCURRING AT THE PRESENT TIME AND SHOULD CONTINUE OVER
THE NEXT 1 TO 3 HOURS.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 17, 8:02 PM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
801 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991

TIME (CDT)       COUNTY          REPORT

500 PM           OSAGE           DIME SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 60
                                 MPH.

545 PM           OSAGE           DIME TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
                                 TO 60 MPH FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF CLEVELAND
                                 TO WYNONA.

715 PM            MAYES          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN EAST OF I-44 AND
                                 SOUTH OF SH28-A IN NORTHERN MAYES COUNTY.

Local storm report, Apr 17, 8:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before

STORM REPORT CORRECTED               ...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
839 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991

TIME (CDT)       COUNTY          REPORT

500 PM           OSAGE           DIME SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 60
                                 MPH NEAR FORAKER.

545 PM           OSAGE           DIME TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
                                 TO 60 MPH FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF CLEVELAND
                                 TO WYNONA.

715 PM            MAYES          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN EAST OF I-44 AND
                                 SOUTH OF SH28-A IN NORTHERN MAYES COUNTY.

Special weather statement, Apr 17, 9:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before

OKZ026>034-040-180330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
915 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 151 AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 152
   HAVE EXPIRED...

THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA HAVE WEAKENED DURING THE LAST
HOUR AND THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCHES FOR EASTERN
OKLAHOMA HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN EXTREME SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA IN CHOCTAW
COKUNTY...BUT THEY TOO SHOULD WEAKEN WITH TIME...AND THE THREAT FOR
SEVERE WEATHER IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA IS DIMINISHING.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

Local storm report, Apr 17, 9:40 PM CDT, 1 hour before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
938 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991

TIME (CDT)       COUNTY          REPORT

536 PM           PAWNEE          DIME TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL 2 MILES
                                 NORTHEAST OF HALLET...NEAR OSAGE
                                 COUNTY LINE.

630 PM           DELAWARE        DIME SIZED HAIL IN GROVE.

810 PM           CRAIG           WIND GUST OF 50 TO 55 MPH BLUE JACKET.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 1991 Every flash flood warning 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.