Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Memphis, TN

October 26, 1995Greene County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Oct 26, 1995, 11:55 PM CDT for Greene County, Arkansas. It was in force for 50 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 26, 1995, 11:55 PM CDT (04:55 UTC)
Expired
Oct 27, 1995, 12:45 AM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Greene County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:56 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 153 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 1995-10-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1516 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 1995-10-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 310 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
1516 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
653 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
310 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
465 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.8
Supercell composite
13.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 270456
TORMEM
ARC055-270545-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1155 PM CDT THU OCT 26 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 AM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...GREENE COUNTY
 
AT 1155 PM DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHWEST GREENE COUNTY ... SOUTHEAST OF WALNUT
RIDGE. MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH ... THIS STORM AND THE
POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL MOVE BETWEEN WALCOTT AND EVENING STAR BY 1210 AM
AND TOWARD THE MARMADUKE AREA OF NORTHEAST GREENE COUNTY.
 
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.

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, Oct 26, 8:20 PM CDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
TNZ001>003-019-020-048>052-088>090-270715-

TENNESSEE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
820 PM CDT THU OCT 26 1995

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER WEST TENNESSEE LATE TONIGHT...

THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF WEST TENNESSEE
LATE TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE GREATEST THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER EXTREME WESTERN TENNESSEE...INCLUDING
MEMPHIS...RIPLEY...DYERSBURG...UNION CITY AND BROWNSVILLE.

A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS COVERS THE AREA THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE OF A
STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF THE PLAINS STATES. AS THE FRONT
APPROACHES LATER TONIGHT...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER PARTS
OF MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS THIS EVENING...AND THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TOWARD WEST TENNESSEE.

GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF UNSTABLE AIR PRESENT OVER THE AREA...AND STRONG
WINDS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT OVER THE REGION...SOME OF THE STORMS
WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE WITH TONIGHT'S STORMS. IN ADDITION...THERE
IS A THREAT OF TORNADOES.

AT ITS PRESENT MOVEMENT THE MAIN AREA OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
APPROACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AROUND MIDNIGHT.
HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP RAPIDLY IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN
AREA AND AFFECT WEST TENNESSEE.

PERSONS IN WEST TENNESSEE SHOULD REVIEW TORNADO AND SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM SAFETY RULES AND BE READY TO TAKE QUICK ACTION SHOULD
SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. THERE MAY NOT BE TIME FOR A WARNING TO BE
ISSUED...SO PLAN NOW WHAT YOU WILL DO AND WHERE YOU WILL GO IF SEVERE
WEATHER STRIKES.

MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON TONIGHT'S DANGEROUS WEATHER.

RDS
Special weather statement, Oct 26, 8:35 PM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
TNZ001>003-019-020-048>052-088>090-270715-

TENNESSEE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
820 PM CDT THU OCT 26 1995

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE OVER WEST TENNESSEE LATE TONIGHT...

THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF WEST TENNESSEE
LATE TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE GREATEST THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER EXTREME WESTERN TENNESSEE...INCLUDING
MEMPHIS...RIPLEY...DYERSBURG...UNION CITY AND BROWNSVILLE.

A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS COVERS THE AREA THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE OF A
STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF THE PLAINS STATES. AS THE FRONT
APPROACHES LATER TONIGHT...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER PARTS
OF MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS THIS EVENING...AND THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY
CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST TOWARD WEST TENNESSEE.

GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF UNSTABLE AIR PRESENT OVER THE AREA...AND STRONG
WINDS AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT OVER THE REGION...SOME OF THE STORMS
WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE WITH TONIGHT'S STORMS. IN ADDITION...THERE
IS A THREAT OF TORNADOES.

AT ITS PRESENT MOVEMENT THE MAIN AREA OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
APPROACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AROUND MIDNIGHT.
HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP RAPIDLY IN ADVANCE OF THE MAIN
AREA AND AFFECT WEST TENNESSEE.

PERSONS IN WEST TENNESSEE SHOULD REVIEW TORNADO AND SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM SAFETY RULES AND BE READY TO TAKE QUICK ACTION SHOULD
SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. THERE MAY NOT BE TIME FOR A WARNING TO BE
ISSUED...SO PLAN NOW WHAT YOU WILL DO AND WHERE YOU WILL GO IF SEVERE
WEATHER STRIKES.

MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO.>..COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON TONIGHT'S DANGEROUS WEATHER.

RDS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 26, 9:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGreene54 min
Oct 26, 10:12 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGSt. Francis48 min
Oct 26, 10:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden53 min
Oct 26, 10:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence42 min
Oct 26, 11:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGreene, Lawrence52 min
Oct 27, 1:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead43 min
Oct 27, 3:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMississippi, Poinsett47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.