Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 20, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 2:16 AM CDT for Greene County, Arkansas. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report 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, 2:16 AM CDT (07:16 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 16, 1998, 2:45 AM CDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Greene County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2:30 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Paragould, AR | A few trees and several tree limbs were blown down. |
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 16, 12:00 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 153 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
- 1219 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 868 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 54 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 100 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 136 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 2.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMEM 160716 RRA TORMEM ARC055-160745- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 216 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... GREENE COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS * UNTIL 245 AM CDT * AT 211 AM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AND SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PARAGOULD MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. *.THE STORM WILL MOVE BETWEEN MARMADUKE AND CARDWELL BY 230 AM. .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 SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS. *A MOBILE HOME WAS REPORTED DESTROYED NEAR BONO SHORTLY AFTER 2 AM BY CRAIGHEAD COUNTY SHERIFF . &
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, 9:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 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>092-161000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 930 PM CDT WED APR 15 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 MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ACROSS EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF JONESBORO..MEMPHIS..DYERSBURG.. PARIS AND JACKSON. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI INCLUDING TUPELO..CLARKSDALE..COLUMBUS AND CORINTH. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES WITH A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTHWEST INTO TEXAS. THE COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL PROGRESS SLOWLY EASTWARD AND AFFECT EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL BY MIDNIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI AFTER MIDNIGHT. INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND STRENGTHENING WIND PROFILES SUGGEST MANY STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE WITH TORNADOES..LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THIS WILL BE PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE HIGH RISK AREA WHERE WIND PROFILES WILL BE STRONGEST. RESIDENTS ACROSS THE MID SOUTH SHOULD REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES NOW..AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION..OR LOCAL CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD BE READY FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGHT THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY THURSDAY.
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 9:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 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>092-161000- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 930 PM CDT WED APR 15 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 MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ACROSS EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE. THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF JONESBORO..MEMPHIS..DYERSBURG.. PARIS AND JACKSON. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI INCLUDING TUPELO..CLARKSDALE..COLUMBUS AND CORINTH. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES WITH A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTHWEST INTO TEXAS. THE COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL PROGRESS SLOWLY EASTWARD AND AFFECT EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL BY MIDNIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI AFTER MIDNIGHT. INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND STRENGTHENING WIND PROFILES SUGGEST MANY STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE WITH TORNADOES..LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THIS WILL BE PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE HIGH RISK AREA WHERE WIND PROFILES WILL BE STRONGEST. RESIDENTS ACROSS THE MID SOUTH SHOULD REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES NOW..AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION..OR LOCAL CABLE TELEVISION PROVIDER FOR THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD BE READY FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGHT THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY THURSDAY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 11:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Randolph | 50 min |
| Apr 16, 12:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Lawrence | 47 min |
| Apr 16, 2:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Craighead, Mississippi | 49 min |
| Apr 16, 2:42 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 33 min |
| Apr 16, 3:15 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 20 min |
| Apr 16, 6:19 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Randolph | 36 min |
| Apr 16, 7:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Clay | 35 min |
| Apr 16, 9:19 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | St. Francis | 46 min |
| Apr 16, 9:56 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Crittenden | 34 min |
| Apr 16, 11:05 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Poinsett | 50 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.