Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Little Rock, AR

April 15, 1998Cleburne County, Stone County, Arkansas

NWS Little Rock, AR issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1998, 10:04 PM CDT for Cleburne County, Stone County, Arkansas. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 15, 1998, 10:04 PM CDT (03:04 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1998, 10:50 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Little Rock, AR
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cleburne County, AR, Stone County, AR

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:04 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 15, 6:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 203 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 576 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 138 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLIT 160304 RRA
TORLIT
ARC023-137-160350-

BULLETIN
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
1004 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  STONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
  NORTHERN CLEBURNE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 1050 PM CDT

* AT 1001 PM CDT... DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE
  TORNADO 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOUNTAIN VIEW OR 3 MILES SOUTHWEST
  OF PARMA MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
HANOVER                      AROUND 1005 PM CDT...
WOODROW                      AROUND 1005 PM CDT...
BEN                          AROUND 1015 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 STRAIG<HT LINE
WIND. THOSE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE ADVISED TO SEEK
APPROPRIATE SHELTER RIGHT AWAY.

29/206

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, 3 hours 47 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, 3 hours 47 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, 1 hour 19 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.

32
Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 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.

32

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, 10:49 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, 10:33 AM CDTTornado WarningLZKJackson47 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.