Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 16, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 1998, 7:56 PM CDT for Clay County, Arkansas. It was in force for 24 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, 7:56 PM CDT (00:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 13, 1998, 8:20 PM CDT
- In force
- 24 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clay County, AR
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 13, 6:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 176 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
- 652 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 898 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 62 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 207 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 223 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.8
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
352 WFUS1 KMEM 140057 RRA TORMEM ARC021-140120- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 756 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 820 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS ...EASTERN CLAY COUNTY AT 754 PM..DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR POLLARD MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL AND FUNNEL CLOUDS. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT PIGGOT. .IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. &
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, 3 hours 49 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, 3 hours 49 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.
Local storm report, Apr 13, 7:45 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
745 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0730 PM PALATKA AR 1.75 INCH HAIL
04/13/98 CLAY HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED
GOLFBALL SIZE HAILThe office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 7:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Clay | 58 min |
| Apr 13, 10:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Lawrence | 28 min |
| Apr 13, 10:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Greene | 45 min |
| Apr 13, 11:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Cross | 50 min |
| Apr 13, 11:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 50 min |
| Apr 14, 12:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Cross | 48 min |
| Apr 14, 12:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Crittenden | 37 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.