Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Memphis, TN

April 3, 1998Weakley County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1998, 12:31 PM CST for Weakley County, Tennessee. It was in force for 34 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 3, 1998, 12:31 PM CST (18:31 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 1:05 PM CST
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:35 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 12:55 PM CSTHail 1Dresden, TN

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 nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 191 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1998-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
888 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
46 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.

154 
WFUS1 KMEM 031830 RRA
TORMEM
TNC183-031905-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1231 PM CST FRI APR 3 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 105 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN WESTERN TENNESSEE

   ...WEAKLEY COUNTY


AT 1231 PM CST... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 14
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARTIN OR 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GLEASON MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WILL PASS NEAR GLEASON BY 1235 PM CST.

.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 3, 12:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGibson, Weakley47 min
Apr 3, 12:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCarroll51 min
Apr 3, 12:49 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGHenry31 min
Apr 3, 2:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLauderdale45 min
Apr 3, 2:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTipton48 min
Apr 3, 2:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette, Haywood33 min
Apr 3, 3:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette, Hardeman, Haywood30 min
Apr 3, 3:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDyer, Gibson34 min
Apr 3, 3:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester, Henderson34 min
Apr 3, 4:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin, McNairy44 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.