Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Memphis, TN

March 24, 1994Cross County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 24, 1994, 5:32 AM CST for Cross County, Arkansas. It was in force for 43 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 24, 1994, 5:32 AM CST (11:32 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 1994, 6:15 AM CST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Cross County, AR

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 91 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1994-03-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1125 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1994-03-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1125 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
824 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 241130
SVRMEM
ARC037-241215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
532 AM CST THU MAR 24 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 AM CST
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN EAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...WESTERN CROSS COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST INTO WESTERN CROSS COUNTY AT 528
AM THIS MORNING. THE STORM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE FAIROAKS - HICKORY
RIDGE AREA BETWEEN 530 AM AND 550 AM AND WILL BE MOVING TOWARD THE WYNNE
.. VANNDALE .. CHERRY VALLEY AREAS BY ABOUT 600 AM.
 
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES LARGE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL
ACCOMPANY THIS STORM AS IT PASSES THROUGH.  VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO
COME WITH THIS STORM.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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

Special weather statement, Mar 24, 2:35 AM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
ARC035-107-123-MSC033-093-TNC047-069-071-109-157-240945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
236 AM CST THU MAR 24 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM HEADED FOR SELMER AREA OF SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...

DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME
SOUTHEAST HARDEMAN COUNTY TENNESSEE AT 225 AM.  HEADED EAST AT 25 MPH
THIS STORM WILL TRACK OVER WESTERN MCNAIRY COUNTY AND ACROSS THE CITY OF
SELMER BETWEEN 230 AM AND 315 AM THIS MORNING.

ALONG WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF
BRINGING A STRONG WIND GUST AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL AS IT MOVES THROUGH.

THE STRONG STORM WAS PART OF AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THAT WAS DEVELOPING ACROSS EAST ARKANSAS AND SOUTHWEST
TENNESSEE.  WHILE THE HARDEMAN/MCNAIRY STORM WAS THE STRONGEST DETECTED
AT 225 AM ... OTHER STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR FAIRLY RAPID
GROWTH DURING THE PRE-DAWN HOURS.

STAY TUNED TVO THIS STATION FOR LATER UPDATES ON THE MORNING
THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 24, 3:12 AM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
ARC021-031-035-055-093-111-241015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
313 AM CST THU MAR 24 1994

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...

DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR DETECTED A NARROW LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ADVANCING
SOUTH INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AT 305 AM.  THE THUNDERSTORM LINE AT THAT
TIME STRETCHED FROM NEAR CAIRO ILLINOIS WEST-SOUTHWEST ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI TO NEAR MELBOURNE IN IZARD COUNTY ARKANSAS.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS PRESSING TOWARD THE SOUTH AT 25 MPH AND
WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WIND TO THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF ARKANSAS
BY 430 THIS MORNING.  FIRST AFFECTED WILL BE THE CORNING/DELAPLAIN AREAS
IN CLAY AND GREENE COUNTIES.  THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE JONESBORO
PARAGOULD AREAS BY ABOPUT 500 AM.

ALONG WITH THE BRIEF DOWNPOUR AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ... THESE STORMS MAY
BRING SOME HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR UPDATES ON THE MORNING THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 24, 5:05 AM CST, 27 minutes before
ARC021-031-035-037-055-093-123-TNC047-069-113-109-157-241215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
507 AM CST THU MAR 24 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BRING A VARIETY OF WEATHER TO EAST ARKANSAS...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAKING TWO AREAS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS EARLY
THIS MORNING.  A VERY SLOW MOVING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM
NEAR MAMOUTH SPRINGS EASTWARD ALONG THE ARKANSAS - MISSOURI STATE BORDER
AREA.  AND A CLUSTER OF INTENSE STORMS WAS MOVING OUT OF CENTRAL
ARKANSAS TOWARD THE WYNNE - JONESBORO AREA.

ALL OF THESE STORMS WILL BRING DEADLY LIGHTNING ... A PERIOD OF HEAVY
RAIN ... AND THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HAIL.  STRONG GUSTS
OF WIND AND SMALL HAIL HAVE ACCOMPANIED SOME OF THE STORMS MOVING OUT OF
CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

ADDITIONALLY .. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ON PARTS OF EXTREME
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS BY 500 AM.  DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR LOCATED A SWATH OF
HEAVIER RAIN NEAR THE MISSOURI - ARKANSAS BORDER - JUST NORTH OF
MCDOUGAL AND CORNING IN CLAY COUNTY ARKANSAS.

OTHER AREAS WITH NOTABLE RAINFALL INCLUDED THE AREA BETWEEN MARMADUKE
AND PIGGOTT - IN GREENE AND CLAY COUNTIES ... AND ACROSS CENTRAL PARTS
OF ST FRANCIS .. CROSS .. AND CRITTENDEN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS.

IN WEST TENNESSEE... THE HEAVIER RAINS DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED
THE HEAVIER RAINS HAVE FALLEN ACROSS THE MOSCOW - LAGRANGE - SELMER
AREAS OF FAYETTE .. HARDEMAN .. MCNAIRY COUNTIES OF SOUHWEST TENNESSEE.

THE NUMBER OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO CONTINUE INCREASING ACROSS
EAST ARKANSAS AND WEST TENNESSEE THIS MORNING AS A COLD FRONT NEARS THE
AREA.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR UPDATES ON THE MORNING THUNDERSTORMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 6:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCross27 min
Mar 24, 7:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.