Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Memphis, TN

May 9, 1998Randolph County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 9, 1998, 6:00 PM CDT for Randolph County, Arkansas. It was in force for 50 min. 2 reports 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 9, 1998, 6:00 PM CDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 1998, 6:50 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Randolph County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 9, 6:11 PM CDTHail 0.75Ravenden Spgs, AR
May 9, 6:25 PM CDTThunderstorm WindNoland, ARAn unoccupied trailer was turned over in Noland. A trailer home was destroyed in Shannon. Several other mobile homes and several houses were damaged. Several trees were knocked 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 12:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 9, 1:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 9, 2:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 9, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 12:00Z on 1998-05-09Temperature 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1998-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1496 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
74 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
323 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.

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 092300 RRA
TORMEM
ARC121-092350-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
600 PM CDT SAT MAY 9 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 650 PM CDT

* AT 558 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ALONG
  THE LAWRENCE-RANDOLPH COUNTY LINE..NORTH OF BLACK ROCK. THE STORM
  WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL MOVE NEAR POCAHONTAS AT
  620 PM CDT.


.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
CLOSRET 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
May 9, 12:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead34 min
May 9, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence, Randolph46 min
May 9, 6:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence49 min
May 9, 6:27 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGGreene, Lawrence48 min
May 9, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead62 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.