Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 57, NWS Morristown, TN

April 19, 1998Greene County, Unicoi County, Washington County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this flash flood warning at Apr 19, 1998, 7:03 AM EDT for Greene County, Unicoi County, Washington County, Tennessee. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 19, 1998, 7:03 AM EDT (11:03 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 1998, 10:00 AM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Greene County, TN, Unicoi County, TN, Washington County, TN

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 242 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1998-04-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 1998-04-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 260 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
584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
76 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
260 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
474 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 KMRX 191104
FFWMRX
NCC043-TNC019-059-091-163-171-179-VAC167-191-191400-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
703 AM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CARTER COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  GREENE COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  JOHNSON COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  SULLIVAN COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  UNICOI COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE

  CLAY COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

  RUSSELL COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 1000 AM EDT

* AT 700 AM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE RAINFALL WITH EMBEDDED HEAVIER SHOWERS OVER
EAST TENNESSEE... SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...AND SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA... MOVING SLOWLY EAST.

* EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AT THE RATE OF AS MUCH AS ONE INCH PER HOUR WILL
  PRODUCE FLOODING ANYWHERE IN THE WARNING AREA THROUGH 1000 AM EDT.

*DON'T DRIVE ACROSS FLOODED ROADS! MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN
AUTOMOBILES.  THIS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION.
THIS STORM SYSTEzM HAS ALREADY CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND A POSSIBLE
FATALITY.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Apr 19, 3:30 AM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 3:30 AM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
330 AM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

SURFACE LOW FORMED OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.  KHTX AND
KMRX 88DS STILL SHOWING MODERATE RAIN OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE CWA.
FLOOD WARNINGS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR ALL COUNTIES EXCEPT EXTREME
NORTHEAST TN...CLAY COUNTY IN NORTH CAROLINA...AND RUSSELL AND
WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST VA.  MAY HAVE TO INCLUDE THOSE
COUNTIES LATER.  WITH THE SATURATED GROUND...THINK THE FLOOD WATCH
SHOULD BE CONTINUED FOR ENTIRE CWA THROUGH SUNDAY.  PROBABLY CAN TAKE
THE FLASH OUT...JUST A FLOOD WATCH.

MODELS FAIRLY SIMILAR ON TRACK OF SURFACE LOW.  LOW SHOULD REACH
NORTHERN VA BY SUNDAY EVENING THEN CONTINUE UP THE EAST COAST.  RAIN
IS EXPECTED TO END FROM WEST TO EAST THIS MORNING EXCEPT IN THE
NORTHERN VALLEY (TRI)...NORTHERN APPALACHIANS AND SOUTHWEST VA WHERE
RAIN WILL PROBABLY LINGER INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON.  LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE AT 90+ THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING SO THE SKY SHOULD REMAIN MOSTLY
CLOUDY THROUGH SUNDAY.  DRIER AIR IS PUSHING IN FROM WEST BY SUNDAY
NIGHT...SO CLOUDS SHOULD START SCATTERING BEGINNING OVER THE WESTERN
COUNTIES.  NEXT TROF MOVING IN ON TUESDAY.

FAIRLY GOOD COLD AIR ADVECTION IN THE LOW LEVELS AS THE 850MB LOW
MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST TODAY.  GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES ARENT TOO
DIFFERENT...WOULD LEAN TOWARD THE COOLER FAN FOR SUNDAY.

GH

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 19, 1:10 AM EDT, 5 hours 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
110 AM EDT SUN APR 19 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1025 PM    NEAR CLEVELAND            TN   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/18/98   BRADLEY                        DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY HAM OPERATOR

900 PM     CHATTANOOGA               TN   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/18/98   HAMILTON                       NICKEL SIZE HAIL. POLICE CAR DAMAGED.
                                          REPORT FROM SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

1150 PM    CLAIRFIELD COMMUNITY      TN   FLOODING
04/18/98   CLAIBORNE                      NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED AND
                                          WATER UP TO SOME HOMES

840 PM     COUNTY WIDE               TN   FLOODING
04/18/98   HAMILTON                       ROADS FLOODED ACROSS THE
                                          COUNTY REPORTED BY SHERIFF'S
                                          OFFICE

1125 PM    COKER CREEK               TN   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/18/98   MONROE                         NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WINDS
                                          35-45 MPH

1125 PM    SOUTHEAST COUNTY          TN   FLOODING
04/18/98   BRADLEY                        2 TO 3 INCHES OF WATER
                                          ACROSS ROADS OVER SOUTHEAST
                                        ,  PART OF COUNTY ESPECIALLY
                                          BATES PIKE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 18, 8:07 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXRhea4 hr
Apr 18, 8:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXHamilton, Meigs6 hr
Apr 18, 8:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXRoane6 hr
Apr 18, 8:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRoane47 min
Apr 18, 8:35 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHamilton, Meigs, Rhea65 min
Apr 18, 8:50 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXAnderson, Campbell, Scott5 hr
Apr 18, 8:50 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXClaiborne5 hr
Apr 18, 9:01 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMcMinn34 min
Apr 18, 9:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson51 min
Apr 18, 9:13 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXBradley, McMinn, Polk6 hr
Apr 18, 9:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXKnox, Union47 min
Apr 18, 9:46 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXKnox, Union5 hr
Apr 18, 9:46 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXLoudon, Monroe5 hr
Apr 18, 9:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton, Polk51 min
Apr 18, 10:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXClaiborne, Grainger31 min
Apr 18, 10:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe46 min
Apr 18, 10:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHancock35 min
Apr 18, 10:41 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXMonroe49 min
Apr 18, 10:48 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXPolk32 min
Apr 18, 10:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXGrainger, Hamblen, Jefferson32 min
Apr 18, 11:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson5 hr
Apr 18, 11:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCumberland, Morgan5 hr
Apr 18, 11:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXHancock5 hr
Apr 18, 11:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXRhea5 hr
Apr 18, 11:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXBlount, Sevier5 hr
Apr 18, 11:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe34 min
Apr 18, 11:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount34 min
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXGrainger, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, Polk8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXBlount, Loudon, Monroe8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCumberland, Rhea, Roane8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Scott, Union8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXFentress, Morgan8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXJefferson, Knox, Sevier8 hr
Apr 19, 1:47 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCocke8 hr
Apr 19, 3:19 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXSevier61 min
Apr 19, 7:03 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCarter, Johnson, Sullivan3 hr
Apr 19, 9:39 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXBlount, Sevier8 hr
Apr 19, 9:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXKnox, Loudon, McMinn, Monroe8 hr
Apr 19, 9:45 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXClaiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Union8 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 1998Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.