Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 47, NWS Memphis, TN

May 6, 1998Greene County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 6, 1998, 11:07 PM CDT for Greene County, Arkansas. It was in force for 48 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
May 6, 1998, 11:07 PM CDT (04:07 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 1998, 11:55 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Greene County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 6, 11:10 PM CDTHail 0.75Delaplaine, AR

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
May 6, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 4.1 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1998-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2412 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1998-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
2412 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
918 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 070407 RRA
TORMEM
ARC055-070455-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1107 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  GREENE COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 1155 PM CDT

* AT 1105 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
  NEAR EVENING STAR MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MARMADUKE BY 1125 PM...

.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.

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, May 6, 7:59 PM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-MOZ113-115-TNZ001-002-
019-048>050-088-089-070300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
759 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 297 IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT FOR RANDOLPH AND
LAWRENCE COUNTIES IN ARKANSAS...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 294 CANCELLED FOR REMAINDER OF EASTERN
ARKANSAS...THE BOOTHEEL OF MISSOURI AND PARTS OF WEST TENNESEE...

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR RANDOLPH AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES IN
NORTHEAST ARKASAS UNTIL 2 AM CDT. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS
SOUTHERN MISSORI AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN
DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF EASTERN ARKANSAS...THE
BOOTHEEL OF MISSOURI AND PARTS OF WEST TENNESSEE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER MAY FLARE UP LATER TONIGHT AS THE
STORMS DEVELOPING TO THE WEST OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND NORTHERN
ARKANSAS TREK TOWARD THE BOOTHEEL...EASTERN ARKANSAS AND WEST
TENNESSEE.
Special weather statement, May 6, 7:59 PM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-MOZ113-115-TNZ001-002-
019-048>050-088-089-070300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
759 PM CDT WED MAY 6 1998

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 297 IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT FOR RANDOLPH AND
LAWRENCE COUNTIES IN ARKANSAS...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 294 CANCELLED FOR REMAINDER OF EASTERN
ARKANSAS...THE BOOTHEEL OF MISSOURI AND PARTS OF WEST TENNESEE...

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR RANDOLPH AND LAWRENCE COUNTIES IN
NORTHEAST ARKASAS UNTIL 2 AM CDT. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS
SOUTHERN MISSORI AND NORTHERN ARKANSAS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN
DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF EASTERN ARKANSAS...THE
BOOTHEEL OF MISSOURI AND PARTS OF WEST TENNESSEE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER MAY FLARE UP LATER TONIGHT AS THE
STORMS DEVELOPING TO THE WEST OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND NORTHERN
ARKANSAS TREK TOWARD THE BOOTHEEL...EASTERN ARKANSAS AND WEST
TENNESSEE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 9:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGClay47 min
May 6, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGreene20 min
May 6, 9:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence, Randolph36 min
May 6, 10:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGRandolph47 min
May 6, 10:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGGreene48 min
May 6, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence48 min
May 7, 12:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPoinsett49 min
May 7, 1:14 AM CDTTornado WarningMEGPoinsett51 min
May 7, 2:03 AM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden37 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.