Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 1992

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Memphis, TN

August 20, 1992Shelby County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at Aug 20, 1992, 3:22 PM CDT for Shelby County, Tennessee. It was in force for 68 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 20, 1992, 3:22 PM CDT (20:22 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 1992, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Shelby County, TN

The nearest sounding before it

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 236 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 12:00Z on 1992-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 55 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 12:00Z on 1992-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 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
55 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
651 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-54 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 KMEM 202025
FFWMEM
TNC157-202130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
322 PM CDT THU AUG 20 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST TENNESSEE
 
   ...SHELBY COUNTY
 
AT 320 PM THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINS WERE OVER MUCH OF SHELBY
COUNTY WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OVER MEMPHIS NORTHWARD TO AROUND
BARTLETT AND RALEIGH. THESE STORMS HAVE SHOWN LITTLE MOVEMENT SO
FLOODING IS LIKELY...ESPECIALLY ON LOW LYING STREETS AND ALONG SMALLER
RIVERS AND STREAMS.
 
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

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 1:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-201900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
103 PM CDT THU AUG 20 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORNS ERUPTING OVER THE MID SOUTH...

AT 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE COVERING SOUTHWEST
TENNESSEE...NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS
HAVE PRODUCED SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER AND AROUND
MEMPHIS TENNESSEE WITH STREET FLOODING REPORTED IN THE SHELBY DRIVE ANHICKORY HILL AREAS. LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE ALSO CAUSED POWER OUTAGES.

STORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP OVER SHELBY COUNTY AND FAYETTE COUNTIES
TENNESSEE AROUND MEMPHIS AND ROSSVILLE  WITH OTHER STRONG
STORMS IN NORTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY MISSISSIPPI AND CRITTENDEN AND
CROSS COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING VERY
SLOWLY WHILE THEY DROP HEAVY RAIN...THEREFORE THEY MAY CAUSE FLOODING
IN LOW LYING AREAS AND MAY CAUSE SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS TO
OVERFLOW.

PERSONS OUT DRIVING OR WALKING SHOULD NOT CROSS WATER COVERED ROADS
BUT INSTEAD FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE OF TRAVEL. WHEN YOU ARE NEAR
RISING STREAMS LEAVE THE AREA AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.
Special weather statement, Aug 20, 1:08 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-201900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
103 PM CDT THU AUG 20 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORNS ERUPTING OVER THE MID SOUTH...

AT 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE COVERING SOUTHWEST
TENNESSEE...NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS
HAVE PRODUCED SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER AND AROUND
MEMPHIS TENNESSEE WITH STREET FLOODING IN THE SHELBY DRIVE AND
HICKORY HILL AREAS. LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE ALSO CAUSED POWER OUTAGES.

STORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP OVER SHELBY COUNTY AND FAYETTE COUNTIES
TENNESSEE AROUND MEMPHIS AND ROSSVILLE  WITH OTHER STRONG
STORMS IN NORTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY MISSISSIPPI AND CRITTENDEN AND
CROSS COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING VERY
SLOWLY WHILE THEY DROP HEAVY RAIN...THEREFORE THEY MAY CAUSE FLOODING
IN LOW LYING AREAS AND MAY CAUSE SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS TO
OVERFLOW.

PERSONS OUT DRIVING OR WALKING SHOULD NOT CROSS WATER COVERED ROADS
BUT INSTEAD FIND AN ALTERNATE ROUTE OF TRAVEL. WHEN YOU ARE NEAR
RISING STREAMS LEAVE THE AREA AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND.
Special weather statement, Aug 20, 2:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
TNZ012-013-014-015-MSZ001-004-ARZ012-013-014-202000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
205 PM CDT THU AUG 20 1992

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE MID SOUTH...

AT 2 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...EAST
ARKANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI. STRONGEST ACTIVITY WAS IN
CRITTENDEN COUNTY ARKANSAS NEAR TURRELL WHERE TORRENTIAL RAINS
WERE FALLING. OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE IN ST FRANCIS AND LEE COUNTIES
OF ARKANSAS...SOUTHEAST SHELBY COUNTY TENNESSEE AROUND MEMPHIS AND IN
DESOTO AND MARSHALL COUNTIES OF MISSISSIPPI NEAR HERNANDO AND
HOLLY SPRINGS.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALLS AND
SMALL HAIL. BECAUSE OF THEIR SLOW MOVEMENT THEY HAVE PRODUCED STREET
FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE AND FORREST CITY
ARKANSAS. STORMS HAVE ALSO PRODUCED GUSTY WINDS WITH SMALL TREE LIMBS
REPORTED BLOWN DOWN OVER SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.

PERSONS, MUST STAY ALERT FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND SEEK
IMMEDIATE SHELTER WHEN STORMS APPROACH. IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN A
THUNDERSTORM BE PREPARED FOR FLOODED STREETS AND REMEMBER NEVER
TO DRIVE ON ROADS COVERED WITH WATER.

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 1992Every flash flood warning in 1992

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.