Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Memphis, TN

April 16, 1998Dyer County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 3:35 AM CDT for Dyer County, Tennessee. It was in force for 35 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, 3:35 AM CDT (08:35 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 1998, 4:10 AM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Dyer County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 16, 4:00 AM CDTTornado F3Ro Ellen, TNThe tornado started west of Ro Ellen and moved east. One mobile home with two persons inside was destroyed. The two persons in the mobile home were killed. Two other mobile homes were destroyed. A brick home was destroyed with a truck thrown on top of the hous

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 16, 12:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 145 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1219 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 160835
TORMEM
TNC045-160910-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
335 AM CDT THU APR 16 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  DYER COUNTY IN WESTERN TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 410 AM CDT

* AT 334 AM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
SOUTHEAST OF HELOISE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR DYERSBURG BY 350 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.



&

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 2:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLake, Obion47 min
Apr 16, 3:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLauderdale34 min
Apr 16, 4:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrockett33 min
Apr 16, 4:14 AM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrockett31 min
Apr 16, 4:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGibson31 min
Apr 16, 4:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCarroll48 min
Apr 16, 5:15 AM CDTTornado WarningMEGCarroll35 min
Apr 16, 7:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLake35 min
Apr 16, 8:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGObion35 min
Apr 16, 10:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGShelby50 min
Apr 16, 1:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHenderson32 min
Apr 16, 2:04 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGHenderson21 min
Apr 16, 2:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman33 min
Apr 16, 2:24 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGHardeman, McNairy51 min
Apr 16, 2:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHenderson21 min
Apr 16, 3:03 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGHardin47 min
Apr 16, 4:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin, McNairy49 min
Apr 16, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester35 min
Apr 16, 4:35 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGChester35 min
Apr 16, 4:36 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGHardin34 min
Apr 16, 4:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHenderson34 min
Apr 16, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman31 min
Apr 16, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin34 min
Apr 16, 5:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMcNairy33 min
Apr 16, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 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.