Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Little Rock, AR

April 15, 1994Van Buren County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1994, 8:24 AM CDT for Van Buren County, Arkansas. It was in force for 23 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 15, 1994, 8:24 AM CDT (13:24 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1994, 8:47 AM CDT
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

County Van Buren County, AR

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KUMN), launched 12:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 186 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1994-04-15Temperature 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, Springfield, MO at 12:00Z on 1994-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -372 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1655 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-372 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLIT 151327
TORLIT
ARC141-151400-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
824 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
   ...VAN BUREN COUNTY
 
AT 823 AM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES NORTH OF CLINTON
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS MOVEMENT WILL BRING IT NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF
SHIRLEY.
 
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.
 
16/40

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, Apr 15, 4:48 AM CDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before
OKZ072-076-ARZALL-151045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
445 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR BENTON COUNTY OF
EXTREME NORTHWEST ARKANSAS UNTIL 515 AM CDT...

AT 435 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN FORT SMITH INDICATED A
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST EAST OF GENTRY IN BENTON COUNTY...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH.

THIS STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM
BARRY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI THROUGH BENTON COUNTY TO NEAR
STILWELL IN EAST-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN BENTON COUNTY..4.
BUT DIME-SIZE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS MAY OCCUR.

RESIDENTS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT AS THE LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES MOVING SOUTHEAST.

-03-
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:53 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
OKZ072-076-ARZALL-151300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
651 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES WEST OF MOUNTAINBURG IN
CRAWFORD COUNTY...

...ANOTHER STORNG THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT
SMITH...IN EASTERN SEQUOYAH COUNTY OF OKLAHOMA...

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THESE STORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

PERSONS IN CRAWFORD COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS
TRACK THROUGH DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

THE CITIES OF ALMA AND MOUNTAINBURG ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS.

-03-
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 7:14 AM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
ARZ004-012-013-151315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
712 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NORTHERN ARKANSAS...

AT 710 AM...RADAR WAS SHOWING A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN
ARKANSAS FROM DEER IN NEWTON COUNTY THROUGH FLIPPIN IN MARION COUNTY
THEN INTO MISSOURI. THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

HAIL...HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE STORMS.

16
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 7:24 AM CDT, 1 hour before
OKZ072-076-ARZALL-151315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
720 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS...

AT 715 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDIACTED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...
A FEW PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...FROM
ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF CLARKSVILLE ARKANSAS TO 20 MILES SOUTH
OF FORT SMITH.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS...POSSIBLY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...WERE
LOCATED IN EASTERN JOHNSON COUNTY.

THESE STORMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING THROUGH
THE AREA. AS THE FRONT MOVES EAST...THE MAIN FOCUSn FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE
WEATHER WILL BE IN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS INTO THE
MID-MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 88 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FOR THE NORTHEAST
QUARTER OF ARKANSAS.

-03-
Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:36 AM CDT, 48 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH, AR
731 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

TIME/CDT     COUNTY/STATE          EVENT

500 AM       BENTON/AR             NICKLE-SIZE HAIL LITTLE FLOCK...
                                   2 N ROGERS (SPOTTER)

512 AM       WASHINGTON/AR         DIME SIZE HAIL SPRINGDALE (SPOTTER)

525 AM       WASHINGTON/AR         1/4 INCH HAIL FAYETTEVILLE (SAO)

550 AM       MADISON/AR            NICKLE-SIZE HAIL 5 SW HUNTSVILLE
                                   (SPOTTER)
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 8:08 AM CDT, 16 minutes before
OKZ072-076-ARZALL-151400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT SMITH AR
805 AM CDT FRI APR 15 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM BETWEEEN POTEAU OKLAHOMA AND HARTFORD ARKANSAS...

AT 800 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
IN EXTREME EAST-CENTRAL  LEFLORE COUNTY OKLAHOMA...MOVING EAST AT
35 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE TRACKING ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERM SEBASTIAN
COUNTY AND NORTHERN SCOTT COUNTY DURING THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.

SMALL HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WILL LIKELY OCCUR WITH
THIS STORM.

ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST SEQUOYAH
COUNTY OF OKLAHOMA...BETWEEN MULDROW AND FORT SMITH.

THIS STORM PRODUCED PEA-SIZED HAIL IN MULDROW DURING THE PAST 15
MINUTES.

THIS STORM WILL PASS NEAR FORT SMITH AND VAN BUREN DURING THE NEXT
30 MINUTES.

-03-

The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 15, 5:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBoone, Carroll61 min
Apr 15, 6:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKNewton36 min
Apr 15, 7:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBaxter36 min
Apr 15, 7:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPope, Searcy46 min
Apr 15, 7:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKRandolph34 min
Apr 15, 7:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKVan Buren46 min
Apr 15, 8:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKIzard, Stone45 min
Apr 15, 8:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKSharp37 min
Apr 15, 10:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKAshley, Union45 min
Apr 15, 11:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKAshley, Chicot31 min
Apr 15, 11:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKChicot31 min
Apr 15, 12:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKAshley, Union40 min
Apr 15, 1:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKChicot18 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.