Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Tulsa, OK

March 21, 1991Washington County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 21, 1991, 6:47 PM CST for Washington County, Arkansas. It was in force for 58 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 21, 1991, 6:47 PM CST (00:47 UTC)
Expired: Mar 21, 1991, 7:45 PM CST
In force: 58 min
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties

County Washington County, AR

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 21, 6:55 PM CST	Hail 0.75	Washington, 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

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 109 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: 1100 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1075 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 264 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 317 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.9
Supercell composite: 6.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSM 220049
SVRFSM
ARC143-220145-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
647 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT SMITH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  745 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
   ...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 647 PM CST FORT SMITH RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 8
MILES SOUTHWEST OF FAYETTEVILLE ARKANSAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INS7IDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Mar 21, 1:12 PM CST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
111 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

1230 PM   CHEROKEE    DIME SIZE HAIL FELL 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
                       PEGGS.

Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:41 PM CST, 5 hours 6 minutes before

OKZ026>034-040-221200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
130 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

...TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA UNTIL 7 PM...

A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS OVER ALL OF EASTERN
OKLAHOMA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY REACHED SEVERE LEVELS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA
TODAY IN THE VERY MOIST AIR THAT COVERS MOST OF THE AREA.  THE WESTERN
EDGE OF THIS MOIST AIR IS MARKED BY A DRY LINE THAT EXTENDED FROM NEAR
PONCA CITY TO ALTUS AT 130 PM.  THIS DRY LINE WILL BE THE FOCUSING
MECHANISM FOR SEVERE STORMS THAT WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL.
WITH STRONG SURFACE WINDS FROM THE SOUTH AND STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS
ALOFT...TORNADOES ARE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS.

SPOTTER NETWORKS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES ARE URGED TO
MAINTAIN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS THROUGH THIS EVENING.  EVERYONE
IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA SHOULD LISTEN TO zRADIO AND TV FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION AND BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

Local storm report, Mar 21, 6:04 PM CST, 43 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
552 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

210 PM   PITTSBURG   ONE INCH SIZE HAIL 1 MILE WEST OF ARPELAR
210 PM   CREEK       QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT BRISTOW
220 PM   OKFUSKEE    3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH OF WELEEKA
228 PM   CREEK       1 1/2 INCH SIZE HAIL AT KIEFER
230 PM   OKMULGEE    3/4 INCH SIZE HAIL 2 MILES EAST OF HENRYETTA
240 PM   PITTSBURG   BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AT INDIANOLA
245 PM   PITTSBURG   GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT CANADIAN
250 PM   TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL 3 MILES WEST BIXBY
255 PM   MCINTOSH    HAIL THE SIZE OF NICKLES FELL AT EUFAULA
255 PM   TULSA       DIME SIZE HAIL IN SOUTH TULSA
320 PM   MUSKOGEE    GOL:FBALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES EAST OF WARNER
330 PM   ROGERS      3/4 INCH SIZE HJAIL 2 MILES NORTH OF INOLA
355 PM   CREEK       DIME SIZE HAIL 5 MILES SOUTH BRISTOW
415 PM   ADAIR       DIME SIZE HAIL 6 MILES SOUTH STILWELL

Local storm report, Mar 21, 6:10 PM CST, 37 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
604 PM CST THU MAR 21 1991

TIME/CST   COUNTY      EVENT

430 PM   MCINTOSH    NICKLE SIZE TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL BROKE OUT
                     WINDOWS IN SEVERAL MOBLE HOMES 5 MILES NORTH
                     OF EUFAULA.
430 PM   MCINTOSH    QUARTER SIZE HAIL AT EUFAULA.
435 PM   MUSKOGEE    1 INCH SIZE HAIL 3 MILES EAST OF FORT GIBSON
455 PM   CHEROKEE    HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AT TAHLEQUAH
515 PM   eADAIR       DIME SIZE HAIL 2 MILES NORTH OF WATTS ON
                     HIGHWAY 59.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 21, 8:06 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Scott, Sebastian	69 min
Mar 21, 8:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Crawford	64 min
Mar 21, 8:47 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Franklin	58 min
Mar 21, 9:03 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian	57 min
Mar 21, 9:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Johnson	65 min
Mar 21, 9:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Johnson, Logan	62 min
Mar 21, 9:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Polk, Scott	62 min
Mar 22, 12:57 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Crawford, Washington	63 min
Mar 22, 1:28 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Crawford, Sebastian	32 min
Mar 22, 8:07 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Washington	61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 1991 Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.