Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Memphis, TN

July 5, 1992Craighead County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1992, 6:48 PM CDT for Craighead County, Arkansas. It was in force for 42 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
Jul 5, 1992, 6:48 PM CDT (23:48 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 1992, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Craighead County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 5, 6:58 PM CDTHail 1Craighead, 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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 1992-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 1992-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1025 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-12 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 052350
TORMEM
ARC031-060030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
648 PM CDT SUN JUL 5 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...CRAIGHEAD COUNTY
 
AT 745 PM WEATHER RADAR AT MEMPHIS DETECTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ABOUT 5
MILES WEST OF BONO ARKANSAS. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE
SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS TRACK WILL PLACE THE POSSIBLE TORNADO IN THE
JONESBORO AREA AROUND 700 PM. THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
IN THE WALNUT RIDGE AREA.
 
THIS WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED AT 627
PM.
 
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.4..
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, Jul 5, 1:01 PM CDT, 5 hours 47 minutes before
MSZ004-005-007-051900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
101 PM CDT SUN JUL 5 1992

.....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 549 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.....

AT 1255 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN TUPELO SHOWED ALL
INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED EAST INTO ALABAMA AND WERE NO LONGER A
THREAT TO MISSISSIPPI.

OTHERWISE...SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS CONTINUED
OVER EASTERN ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST AND EAST-CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.  THIS ACTIVITY WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR.

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 8:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead, Greene53 min
Jul 5, 6:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.