Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 36, NWS Little Rock, AR
NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Jun 16, 1997, 6:56 PM CDT for Scott County, Arkansas. It was in force for 34 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
- Jun 16, 1997, 6:56 PM CDT (23:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 16, 1997, 7:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Little Rock, AR
- Area
- Whole counties
County Scott County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 7:08 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Waldron, AR |
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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 4:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 228 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 870 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -217 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -88 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
980 WFUS1 KLIT 162357 RRA TORLIT ARC127-170030- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 656 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK AR HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WESTERN ARKANSAS ...SCOTT COUNTY AT 655 PM CDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS DETECTED BY DOPPLER RADAR 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WALDRON MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE... Y CITY AROUND 655 PM CDT ... WALDRON AROUND 700 PM CDT ... BOLES AROUND 700 PM CDT ... NEEDMORE AROUND 705 PM CDT ... PARKS AROUND 720 PM CDT ... A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS THAT THERE IS STRONG ROTATION WITHIN A STORM. THE STORM MAY NOT BE PRODUCING A TORNADO AT THE MOMENT...BUT IS EXPECTED TO DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. THE STORM MAY ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND. THOSE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE ADVISED TO SEEK SHELTER RIGHT AWAY. 25/46
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, Jun 16, 3:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
ARZ020-030-037-040-041-050>052-059-170000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 350 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997 ...TORNADO WATCH ISSUED FOR A SMALL PART OF WESTERN ARKANSAS UNTIL 10 PM CDT... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A SMALL PART OF WESTERN ARKANSAS EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT. THE TORNADO WATCH GENERALLY COVERS THAT PART OF ARKANSAS WEST OF AN OZARK...MURFREESBORO... ASHDOWN LINE. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AND SPREAD INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. PEOPLE IN WESTERN ARKANSAS ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. KAS/46
Special weather statement, Jun 16, 3:59 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
ARZ020-030-037-040-041-050>052-059-170000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 350 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997 ...TORNADO WATCH ISSUED FOR A SMALL PART OF WESTERN ARKANSAS UNTIL 10 PM CDT... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A SMALL PART OF WESTERN ARKANSAS EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT. THE TORNADO WATCH GENERALLY COVERS THAT PART OF ARKANSAS WEST OF AN OZARK...MURFREESBORO... ASHDOWN LINE. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AND SPREAD INTO WESTERN ARKANSAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. PEOPLE IN WESTERN ARKANSAS ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.N KAS/46
Special weather statement, Jun 16, 5:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
ARZ046-047-049-057-058-064-065-069-170000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 505 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS HAVE MOVED INTO NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS DIMINISHING FOR THE TIME BEING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS UNTIL 8PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED EARLY EXCEPT FOR TWO COUNTIES. ASHLEY AND CHICOT COUNTIES ARE STILL AFFECTED BY THE WATCH. WHILE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED...MORE SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. STAY TUNED TO FURTHER UPDATES AND LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. 46
Special weather statement, Jun 16, 5:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
ARZ046-047-049-057-058-064-065-069-170000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 505 PM CDT MON JUN 16 1997 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS HAVE MOVED INTO NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS DIMINISHING FOR THE TIME BEING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS UNTIL 8PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED EARLY EXCEPT FOR TWO COUNTIES. ASHLEY AND CHICOT COUNTIES ARE STILL AFFECTED BY THE WATCH. WHILE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED...MORE SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. STAY TUNED TO FURTHER UPDATES AND LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. 46
The office that day
Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Scott | 62 min |
| Jun 16, 6:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Scott | 64 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997
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.