Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 18, 1995Van Buren County, Tennessee

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1995, 8:46 PM CDT for Van Buren County, Tennessee. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 1995, 8:46 PM CDT (01:46 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1995, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Atlanta, GA
Area
Whole counties

County Van Buren County, TN

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 114 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1995-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1185 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1995-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 371 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
1185 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
942 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
371 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
460 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.0
Supercell composite
17.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCHA 190146
TORCHA
TNC175-190215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHATTANOOGA TN
946 PM EDT (846 PM CDT) THU MAY 18 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHATTANOOGA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM EDT (915 PM CDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE
 
   ...VAN BUREN COUNTY
 
AT 945 PM EDT/845 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR AT MORRISTOWN INDICATED
AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WITH A TORNADO MOVING INTO VAN BUREN COUNTY
ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. THE TORNADO IS MOVING
TOWARD THE EASTNORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WOR`KBENCH 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.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHamilton25 min
May 18, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBledsoe, Rhea49 min
May 18, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMcMinn, Meigs38 min
May 18, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBradley31 min
May 18, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCGrundy, Marion, Sequatchie26 min
May 18, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHamilton, Meigs, Rhea32 min
May 18, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBledsoe36 min
May 18, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMcMinn, Meigs, Rhea50 min
May 18, 9:31 PM CDTTornado WarningFFCMcMinn29 min
May 18, 10:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCHamilton36 min
May 18, 10:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCBradley, McMinn, Meigs32 min
May 18, 10:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCPolk33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

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.