Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Little Rock, AR

April 16, 1998Jackson County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 10:33 AM CDT for Jackson County, Arkansas. It was in force for 47 min. 3 reports 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
Apr 16, 1998, 10:33 AM CDT (15:33 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 1998, 11:20 AM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

County Jackson County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 16, 10:52 AM CDTHail 1Tupelo, AR
Apr 16, 10:52 AM CDTHail 1.75Shoffner, AR
Apr 16, 11:00 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Amagon, ARThunderstorm winds caused structural damage to several buildings.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 16, 7:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 708 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 12:00Z on 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 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
708 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
497 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Apr 16, 5:20 AM CDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
ARZ027-028-034>036-040>062-070-071-161200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
520 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998

...ALL SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES CANCELLED OR EXPIRED...

MOST SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED ACROSS THE STATE EARLY THIS MORNING...
AND HAS MOVED INTO TENNESSEE. A STORM SYSTEM WAS APPROACHING FROM
NORTHEAST TEXAS...AND WILL MOVE ALONG A COLD FRONT WHICH EXTENDS
THROUGH CENTRAL ARKANSAS. NEAR THE FRONT...SCATTERED STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...BUT THE THREAT OF
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR NOW.

SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES WHICH WERE IN EFFECT FROM SOUTHWEST THROUGH
CENTRAL INTO EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS HAVE EITHER EXPIRED OR HAVE BEEN
CANCELLED.

EVEN SO...PEOPLE IN ARKANSAS SHOULD EXPECT AT LEAST SOME SEVERE WEATHER
TODAY. WATCHES MAY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH
THE STATE. BE READY TO SEEK APPROPRIATE SHELTER IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

46
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 5:20 AM CDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
ARZ027-028-034>036-040>062-070-071-161200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
520 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998

...ALL SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES CANCELLED OR EXPIRED...

MOST SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED ACROSS THE STATE EARLY THIS MORNING...
AND HAS MOVED INTO TENNESSEE. A STORM SYSTEM WAS APPROACHING FROM
NORTHEAST TEXAS...AND WILL MOVE ALONG A COLD FRONT WHICH EXTENDS
THROUGH CENTRAL ARKANSAS. NEAR THE FRONT...SCATTERED STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...BUT THE THREAT OF
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR NOW.

SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES WHICH WERE IN EFFECT FROM SOUTHWEST THROUGH
CENTRAL INTO EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS HAVE EITHER EXPIRED OR HAVE BEEN
CANCELLED.

EVEN SO...PEOPLE IN ARKANSAS SHOULD EXPECT AT LEAST SOME SEVERE WEATHER
TODAY. WATCHES MAY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH
THE STATE. BE READY TO SEEK APPROPRIATE SHELTER IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

46
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 7:50 AM CDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
ARZ014-016>018-023>028-031>036-039-043>049-055>058-161500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
750 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...

A CLUSTER OF FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED EARLY THIS MORNING
IN WESTERN ARKANSAS...AND HAS MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE.
THE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND LARGE HAIL.
WITH THE STORMS MOVING ACROSS THE REGION...AND WITH A FRONT HEADED
THROUGH THE STATE THIS MORNING...CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL INTO
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS UNTIL 1PM CDT. THE WATCH INCLUDES AREAS SOUTH OF
CLINTON AND PIGGOTT...NORTH OF SHERIDAN AND WEST HELENA...AND EAST OF
PERRYVILLE.

DAMAGING WIND AND DIME SIZE HAIL ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS
IN THE WATCH AREA.

PEOPLE FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS SHOULD EXPECT SEVERE
WEATHER INTO THIS AFTERNOON. BE READY TO FIND APPROPRIATE SHELTER
IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR COUNTY BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

46

46
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 7:50 AM CDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
ARZ014-016>018-023>028-031>036-039-043>049-055>058-161500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
750 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...

A CLUSTER OF FAST MOVING THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED EARLY THIS MORNING
IN WESTERN ARKANSAS...AND HAS MOVED INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE.
THE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND LARGE HAIL.
WITH THE STORMS MOVING ACROSS THE REGION...AND WITH A FRONT HEADED
THROUGH THE STATE THIS MORNING...CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL INTO
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS UNTIL 1PM CDT. THE WATCH INCLUDES AREAS SOUTH OF
CLINTON AND PIGGOTT...NORTH OF SHERIDAN AND WEST HELENA...AND EAST OF
PERRYVILLE.

DAMAGING WIND AND DIME SIZE HAIL ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS
IN THE WATCH AREA.

PEOPLE FROM CENTRAL INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS SHOULD EXPECT SEVERE
WEATHER INTO THIS AFTERNOON. BE READY TO FIND APPROPRIATE SHELTER
IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR COUNTY BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

46

46
Special weather statement, Apr 16, 10:25 AM CDT, 8 minutes before
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The office that day

Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 15, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKJohnson48 min
Apr 15, 8:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPope49 min
Apr 15, 8:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKJohnson48 min
Apr 15, 9:06 PM CDTTornado WarningLZKVan Buren64 min
Apr 15, 10:04 PM CDTTornado WarningLZKCleburne, Stone46 min
Apr 15, 10:49 PM CDTTornado WarningLZKIndependence, Izard, Stone61 min
Apr 15, 11:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPolk64 min
Apr 15, 11:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPulaski31 min
Apr 16, 12:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKIndependence66 min
Apr 16, 12:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKJackson47 min
Apr 16, 4:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKNewton50 min
Apr 16, 5:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFulton34 min
Apr 16, 5:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPolk48 min
Apr 16, 6:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKScott50 min
Apr 16, 6:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKSharp49 min
Apr 16, 6:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKMontgomery, Yell61 min
Apr 16, 6:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKGarland50 min
Apr 16, 7:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPerry50 min
Apr 16, 7:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKSaline50 min
Apr 16, 7:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPulaski50 min
Apr 16, 8:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLonoke49 min
Apr 16, 8:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPrairie51 min
Apr 16, 9:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKMonroe50 min
Apr 16, 10:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKWhite51 min
Apr 16, 10:20 AM CDTTornado WarningLZKWhite35 min
Apr 16, 10:38 AM CDTTornado WarningLZKWoodruff32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.