Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Memphis, TN

March 15, 1996Madison County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 15, 1996, 4:47 AM CST for Madison County, Tennessee. It was in force for 43 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
Mar 15, 1996, 4:47 AM CST (10:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 15, 1996, 5:30 AM CST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Madison County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 15, 5:00 AM CSTHail 0.75Jackson, TN

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 210 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 1996-03-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 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 1996-03-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-411 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1654 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 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 
WUUS1 KMEM 151048 RRA
SVRMEM
TNC113-151130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
447 AM CST FRI MAR 15 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 AM CST
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST TENNESSEE
 
   ...MADISON COUNTY
 
AT 448 AM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO
MADISON COUNTY JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL TRACK ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 40...PASSING NEAR OAKFIELD AND GILMORE BY 515 AM.
 
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 58
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 15, 2:53 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
TNZ001>102-ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-
115-MSZ001>017-020>024-030-031-151750-

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
247 AM CST (347 AM EST) FRI MAR 15 1996

       ....POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER TODAY ACROSS THE MID SOUTH
       AND ACROSS TENNESSEE..

THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST ACROSS ALL OF TENNESSEE
TODAY AND ACROSS THE EAST PART OF THE STASTE THIS EVENING.

A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EALRY THIS MORNING WILL MOVE SLOWLY
SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS TENNESSEE AND SURROUNDING AREAS TODAY.

SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BRING WARM MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIR TO THE REGION TODAY THAT WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THUNDERSTORMS SOME OF WHICH MAY BECOME SEVERE.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING ACROSS NORTHERN ARKASAS AND MOVING
EASTWARD TOWARD THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE. LARGE HAIL
WAS REPORTED EARLIER THIS MORNING WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH
CENTRAL ARKASAS.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING IN WEST TENNESSEE IN THE VICINITY OF
THE TENNESSEE RIVER...ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE...AND OVER THE CENTRAL
TENNESSEE VALLEY IN THE EAST PART OF THE STATE.

RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN TENNESSEE SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Mar 15, 2:55 AM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
TNZ001>102-ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-
115-MSZ001>017-020>024-030-031-160000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION FOR TITLE AND EXPIRATION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
247 AM CST (347 AM EST) FRI MAR 15 1996

       ....POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER TODAY ACROSS THE MID SOUTH
       AND ACROSS TENNESSEE..

THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST ACROSS ALL OF TENNESSEE
TODAY AND ACROSS THE EAST PART OF THE STASTE THIS EVENING.

A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EALRY THIS MORNING WILL MOVE SLOWLY
SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS TENNESSEE AND SURROUNDING AREAS TODAY.

SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BRING WARM MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIR TO THE REGION TODAY THAT WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THUNDERSTORMS SOME OF WHICH MAY BECOME SEVERE.
<
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING ACROSS NORTHERN ARKASAS AND MOVING
EASTWARD TOWARD THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE. LARGE HAIL
WAS REPORTED EARLIER THIS MORNING WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH
CENTRAL ARKASAS.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING IN WEST TENNESSEE IN THE VICINITY OF
THE TENNESSEE RIVER...ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE...AND OVER THE CENTRAL
TENNESSEE VALLEY IN THE EAST PART OF THE STATE.

RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN TENNESSEE SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Local storm report, Mar 15, 3:05 AM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
305 AM CST FRI MAR 15 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0245 AM    POCAHONTAS                AR   0.75 INCH HAIL
3/15/96    RANDOLPH                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY POLICE DEPARTMENT.

RD
Local storm report, Mar 15, 3:08 AM CST, 1 hour 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
305 AM CST FRI MAR 15 1996

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0245 AM    POCAHONTAS                AR   0.75 INCH HAIL
3/15/96    RANDOLPH                       DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          BY POLICE DEPARTMENT.

RD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 15, 6:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette27 min
Mar 15, 6:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman51 min
Mar 15, 6:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester39 min
Mar 15, 7:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester26 min
Mar 15, 3:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin48 min
Mar 15, 4:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMcNairy48 min
Mar 15, 5:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

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.