Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Morristown, TN

November 30, 1996Campbell County, Claiborne County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this flash flood warning at Nov 30, 1996, 7:37 PM EST for Campbell County, Claiborne County, Tennessee. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 30, 1996, 7:37 PM EST (00:37 UTC)
Expired
Nov 30, 1996, 11:00 PM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Campbell County, TN, Claiborne County, TN

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:40 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 244 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 1996-12-01Temperature 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1996-12-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 252 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
304 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 
TTAA00 KMRX 010040
FFWMRX
TNC013-025-049-129-151-010400-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TRI CITIES TN
737 PM EST (637 PM CST) SAT NOV 30 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE TRI CITIES HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 PM EST (1000 PM CST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST TENNESSEE
 
   ...CAMPBELL COUNTY...CLAIBORNE COUNTY...FENTRESS COUNTY
   ...MORGAN COUNTY...SCOTT COUNTY
 
AS OF 730 PM EST FLASH FLOODING HAS CONTINUED TO OCCUR ACROSS MANY AREAS
ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AND CLAIBORNE COUNTY. MANY SECONDARY ROADS
REMAIN CLOSED AREAWIDE DUE TO RISING WATER. SOME BRIDGES REMAIN FLOODED
IN FENTRESS AND CLAIBORNE COUNTY WHILE EVACUATIONS CONTINUE IN CLAIBORNE
AND SCOTT COUNTY.
 
DOPPLER RADAR SHOWS THAT THE RAIN WILL BE SLOWLY TAPERING OFF ACROSS THE
PLATEAU BY 800 PM EST (700 PM CST).  HOWEVER MORE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED
LATER TONIGHT.  SO THE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN
EFFECT MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED ONCE AGAIN IF MORE RAIN MOVES INTO THE
AREA.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
 
 
&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Nov 30, 3:14 PM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 3:14 PM EST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
315 PM EST SAT NOV 30 1996

PLUME OF MOIST AHD OF COLD FNT HAS BLOSSOMED ON SATPIX...AS MAIN TROF
HAS ROTATED INTO S CENT U.S.  ONLY XPCT THINGS TO GET WORSE THRU THE
NITE.  TODAY AN AREA OF LGT-MOD RAIN HAS PERSISTED AND TRAINED OVR
SAME AREA - A LINE FROM NW HSV TO CUMBERLAND GAP.  AMTS UP TO 2.5
INCHES OVR LAST 12 HRS HAVE BEEN REPTD ON IFLOWS GAGE IN CAMPBELL CO.
THE NRN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU WILL BE THE FIRST AREA TO WATCH FOR
FLOODING.  FFA HAS BEEN ISSUED THRU ABT NOON LOCAL TOMORO FOR ALL E
TN.

AS TO THE SYNOPTICS...PARAMS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR DEEP LIFT BETW 00
AND 06Z TONITE.  SCREAMING 80H JET AND THETAE RIDGE NOSING UP INTO E
TN AT THAT TIME.  WITH FNTL CONV AND STG AGEOS DIV AT 30H LIFTING DEEP
MOIST ALREADY IN PLACE...COULD SEE AN ADDL 2 INCHES SOME AREAS EASILY.
USUAL INTERCEPTION OF MOIST BY CONVECT IN GULF COAST STATES HAS NOT
MATERIALIZED YET.  SO THE GULF IS OPEN FOR SOME BUSINESS WITH TN
TONITE.  ALTHO BEST ISENT LIFT IS TO OUR NORTH...UPR DYNAMICS AND
FNT SHUD BE PLENTY TO GIVE PROLONGED MODERATE RAIN AT THE VERY LEAST.

DESPITE GOOD HELICITY...DON'T SEE ENUF VERT INST FOR MORE THAN<
IMBEDDED TSTMS...MOST OF WHICH WILL BE IN CHA AREA.

GUID TEMPS LUK OK.

SMH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 30, 2:54 PM EST, 4 hours 43 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-034>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-010730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
252 PM EST SAT NOV 30 1996

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...SOUTHWEST
NORTH CAROLINA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1230 PM
EST SUNDAY MORNING.

A POTENT STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS
IS PUSHING A GREAT DEAL OF MOISTURE AHEAD OF IT.  THIS HAS RESULTED IN
RAINFALL BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES IN THE AREA ALREADY...WITH THE HIGHEST
AMOUNTS IN THE NORTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU.  AS THE FRONT GETS CLOSER
TONIGHT...RAIN WILL BECOME HEAVIER.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BREAK
OUT...ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE.  THIS WILL CREATE LOCALIZED
FLOODING.  THE FRONT SHOULD PASS IN LATE MORNING ON SUNDAY...ENDING THE
HEAVY RAIN BUT NOT THE FLOODING THREAT.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED STREETS IN A CAR...PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT
WHEN DEPTH IS HARD TO ASSESS.  RESIDENTS OF LOW-LYING AREAS AND NEAR STREAMS
SHOULD BEWARE OF FAST WATER RISES.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
FOR UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.

SMH

SMH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 30, 7:37 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXFentress, Morgan, Scott3 hr
Nov 30, 11:43 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXClaiborne3 hr
Nov 30, 11:43 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXMorgan, Scott3 hr
Dec 1, 1:54 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXCumberland5 hr
Dec 1, 2:24 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXCampbell5 hr
Dec 1, 2:46 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXCampbell, Fentress, Morgan, Scott6 hr
Dec 1, 2:46 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXCumberland, Roane6 hr
Dec 1, 2:46 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXClaiborne6 hr
Dec 1, 8:55 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXCampbell, Claiborne3 hr
Dec 1, 8:55 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningMRXMorgan, Roane3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 1996Every flash flood 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.