Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Memphis, TN

April 13, 1998Randolph County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 1998, 6:43 PM CDT for Randolph County, Arkansas. It was in force for 47 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 13, 1998, 6:43 PM CDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 1998, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Randolph County, AR

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 13, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 1998-04-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 11 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 1998-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 300 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
11 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
688 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
300 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
284 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.

989 
WFUS1 KMEM 132344
TORMEM
ARC121-140030-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
643 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY
 
AT 640 PM...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH POSSIBLE
TORNADO NEAR WARM SPRINGS OR 10 MILES NORTH OF INGRAM. THIS STORM WAS
MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE IN THE VICINITY OF MIDDLEBROOK..
MAYNARD AND MINORCA BY 7 PM.
 
.DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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 13, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-030-031-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>054-088>092-140900-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
407 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..INCLUDING
WEST TENNESSEE..NORTH MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE
ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA INCLUDING EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL..WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES
EASTWARD THROUGH THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND INTO THE GREAT
LAKES TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM HAVE
TRANSPORTED ABUNDANT GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION AND DESTABILIZED
THE ATMOSPHERE. IN ADDITION..THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE HAVE
STRENGTHEN AND BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS
TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MOVE
INTO THE MID-SOUTH LATER THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE COULD POSE
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL
BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS..ALTHOUGH WIND PROFILES WILL SUPPORT
A FEW TORNADOES.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM
SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE SITUATION AS ACTIVATION COULD BE REQUESTED LATER THIS
EVENING.
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-030-031-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>054-088>092-140900-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
407 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..INCLUDING
WEST TENNESSEE..NORTH MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE
ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA INCLUDING EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL..WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES
EASTWARD THROUGH THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND INTO THE GREAT
LAKES TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM HAVE
TRANSPORTED ABUNDANT GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION AND DESTABILIZED
THE ATMOSPHERE. IN ADDITION..THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE HAVE
STRENGTHEN AND BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS
TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MOVE
INTO THE MID-SOUTH LATER THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE COULD POSE
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL
BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS..ALTHOUGH WIND PROFILES WILL SUPPORT
A FEW TORNADOES.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM
SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD CONTINUE TO
MONITOR THE SITUATION AS ACTIVATION COULD BE REQUESTED LATER THIS
EVENING.

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.