Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Little Rock, AR
NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1998, 9:06 PM CDT for Van Buren County, Arkansas. It was in force for 64 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 15, 1998, 9:06 PM CDT (02:06 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 15, 1998, 10:10 PM CDT
- In force
- 64 min
- Issued by
- NWS Little Rock, AR
- Area
- Whole counties
County Van Buren County, AR
The radar
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:05 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 9:40 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Clinton, AR | |
| Apr 15, 9:45 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Clinton, AR | An F0 tornado touched downed about one half mile west of Clinton on Highway 16. A tree fell on a house with some roof damage noted. More trees were knocked down about 100 yards farther east, with some shingle damage to an outbuilding. About a mile northeast |
| Apr 15, 10:05 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Shirley, AR | Thunderstorm winds downed some trees and power lines. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 6:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 186 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
- 576 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 731 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 138 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 226 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 4.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KLIT 160206 RRA TORLIT ARC141-160310- BULLETIN TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 906 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... VAN BUREN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS * UNTIL 1010 PM CDT * AT 903 PM CDT... DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 19 MILES WEST OF CLINTON OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RUPERT MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE... ALREAD AROUND 905 PM CDT... CHIMES AROUND 905 PM CDT... BOTKINBURG AROUND 920 PM CDT... DENNARD AROUND 920 PM CDT... THOSE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO SHOULD GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS. PUT AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE OUTDOORS AS YOU CAN. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING OR UNDERGROUND SHELTER. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...AND NO BUILDINGS ARE AVAILABLE...LAY IN A DITCH OR CULVERT TO AVOID FLYING DEBRIS. BUT BEWARE OF RISING WATER. 29/32
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 15, 6:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
ARZ003>009-012>018-021>026-030>033-037>045-160500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 617 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR MOST OF THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF ARKANSAS. THE TORNADO WATCH COVERS ARKANSAS NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MENA TO ENGLAND TO NEWPORT TO CORNING. THE LITTLE ROCK METROPOLITAN AREA IS INCLUDED IN THE WATCH. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA BETWEEN 500 AND 600 PM CDT. ALSO...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVLOPED IN WESTERN ARKANSAS. THE STORMS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA WERE ALONG A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WIND...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES IN MOST OF THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF ARKANSAS. ALSO...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL ACCOMPANY ALL THUNDERSTORMS. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE NEAR THE STRONGEST STORMS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. PEOPLE IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS ARE URGED TO REVIEW THEIR TORNADO SAFETY RULES AND SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE GENERALLY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. 29
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 49 minutes before
ARZ003>009-012>018-021>026-030>033-037>045-160500- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 617 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR MOST OF THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF ARKANSAS. THE TORNADO WATCH COVERS ARKANSAS NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MENA TO ENGLAND TO NEWPORT TO CORNING. THE LITTLE ROCK METROPOLITAN AREA IS INCLUDED IN THE WATCH. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN EXTREME EASTERN OKLAHOMA BETWEEN 500 AND 600 PM CDT. ALSO...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVLOPED IN WESTERN ARKANSAS. THE STORMS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA WERE ALONG A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WIND...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES IN MOST OF THE NORTHERN ONE HALF OF ARKANSAS. ALSO...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL ACCOMPANY ALL THUNDERSTORMS. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS IS POSSIBLE NEAR THE STRONGEST STORMS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. PEOPLE IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARKANSAS ARE URGED TO REVIEW THEIR TORNADO SAFETY RULES AND SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST OR A WARNING IS ISSUED. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE GENERALLY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. 29
Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:45 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK/ARKANSAS
745 PM CST WED APR 15 1998
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0440 PM ODEN AR .75 INCH HAIL
04/15/98 MONTGOMERY REPORTED BY THE
COOPERATIVE WEATHER
OBSERVER AT ODEN
0706 PM CLARKSVILLE AR .88 INCH HAIL
04/15/98 JOHNSON REPORTED BY STATE POLICE.
TROOPERS PULLED OFF ROAD
BECAUSE OF HEAVY RAINS.
32Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:45 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK/ARKANSAS
745 PM CST WED APR 15 1998
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0440 PM ODEN AR .75 INCH HAIL
04/15/98 MONTGOMERY REPORTED BY THE
COOPERATIVE WEATHER
OBSERVER AT ODEN
0706 PM CLARKSVILLE AR .88 INCH HAIL
04/15/98 JOHNSON REPORTED BY STATE POLICE.
TROOPERS PULLED OFF ROAD
BECAUSE OF HEAVY RAINS.
32The office that day
Everything else NWS Little Rock, AR issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Johnson | 48 min |
| Apr 15, 8:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Pope | 49 min |
| Apr 15, 8:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Johnson | 48 min |
| Apr 15, 10:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LZK | Cleburne, Stone | 46 min |
| Apr 15, 10:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LZK | Independence, Izard, Stone | 61 min |
| Apr 15, 11:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Polk | 64 min |
| Apr 15, 11:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Pulaski | 31 min |
| Apr 16, 12:09 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Independence | 66 min |
| Apr 16, 12:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Jackson | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 4:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Newton | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 5:46 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Fulton | 34 min |
| Apr 16, 5:52 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Polk | 48 min |
| Apr 16, 6:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Scott | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 6:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Sharp | 49 min |
| Apr 16, 6:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Montgomery, Yell | 61 min |
| Apr 16, 6:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Garland | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 7:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Perry | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 7:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Saline | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 7:35 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Pulaski | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 8:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Lonoke | 49 min |
| Apr 16, 8:34 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Prairie | 51 min |
| Apr 16, 9:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Monroe | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 10:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | White | 51 min |
| Apr 16, 10:20 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LZK | White | 35 min |
| Apr 16, 10:33 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LZK | Jackson | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 10:38 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | LZK | Woodruff | 32 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.