Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Morristown, TN

April 3, 1998Morgan County, Roane County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1998, 4:02 PM EST for Morgan County, Roane County, Tennessee. It was in force for 28 min. 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 3, 1998, 4:02 PM EST (21:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1998, 4:30 PM EST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Morgan County, TN, Roane County, TN

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 3, 2:00 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 182 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°0°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.

000 
TTAA00 KMRX 032105 RRA
SVRMRX
TNC129-145-032130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE TRI CITIES TN
402 PM EST (302 PM CST) FRI APR 3 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KNOXVILLE TRI CITIES HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM EST (330 PM CST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN EAST TENNESSEE

   ...SOUTHERN MORGAN COUNTY...NORTHERN ROANE COUNTY

AT 402 EST DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM ALONG THE
MORGAN - ROANE COUNTY LINE 2 MILES NORTH OF ROCKWOOD. THIS STORM WILL
BE IN HARRIMAN BY 415 PM EST.  IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM TAKE
ACTION IMMEDIATELY.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN "EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 3, 2:25 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 2:25 PM EST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
225 PM EST FRI APR 3 1998

WL NEED TO BE BRIEF AS TSTMS ARE QUICKLY FIRING UP AND SITUATION WL
CONT TO DVLP RAPIDLY. TOR WATCH NOW IN EFFECT TIL 01Z FOR PLATEAU/SE
TN/WRN VALLEY COUNTIES. SVR WX LIKELY AS NMRS INGREDIENTS COMING TGTHR
FOR LARGE OUTBREAK. NOT MUCH CHG FM 00Z MODELS XCPT THAT ETA IS NOW A
BIT FASTER AND MORE IN LINE W/NGM. SFC LOW WL RACE DUE E ALONG KY/TN
BRDR THIS EVE W/COLD FNT XTNDG S FM LOW. XPCT FROPA IN CWA ARND
03-06Z.  SOME LINGERING LGT RAIN PSBL IN NE TN/SW VA THRU SAT
MORN..AND INTO EARLY AFTN IN SW VA. FCST SNDGS INDICATE SOME BRKS
PSBL IN SE TN/SW NC. RIDGING SFC & ALOFT SAT NGT & SUN ACRS CWA WL DRY
THINGS OUT AND CLR OUT THE CLDS.  XPCTG MSTLY CLR SAT NGT..MSTLY SUNNY
SUNDAY.

FWC TEMPS LOOK GOOD THRU THE PD.

HSA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 3, 10:54 AM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-034>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-040000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
1054 AM EST FRI APR 3 1998

...VIOLENT TORNADOES POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE...

...SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF EAST TENNESSEE..AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

A WARM FRONT OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA AND GEORGIA WILL LIFT NORTH
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW WARM..MOIST AND EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPREAD INTO MUCH OF EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THUNDERSTORMS
WILL ERUPT IN THIS AIRMASS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE MAIN
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE VIOLENT TORNADOES. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AND URBAN
FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN HEAVY RAIN-PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.

THE BEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE GENERALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA..ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A CROSSVILLE TO
KNOXVILLE LINE. HOWEVER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN
NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT..ENDING THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER TO FORM AND IS ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA. A WARNING MEANS SEVERE
WEATHER IS OCCURRING AND IS ISSUED FOR A SPECIFIC COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS A THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCES DIME-SIZE
HAIL OR LARGER AND/OR PRODUCES WINDS 58 MPH OR HIGHER.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER GROUPS WILL LIKELY BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON. AREA
RESIDENTS NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL TV AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND
WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THIS AFTERNOON.

HSA
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 10:54 AM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-034>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-040000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
1054 AM EST FRI APR 3 1998

...VIOLENT TORNADOES POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE...

...SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF EAST TENNESSEE..AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

A WARM FRONT OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA AND GEORGIA WILL LIFT NORTH
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW WARM..MOIST AND EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPREAD INTO MUCH OF EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THUNDERSTORMS
WILL ERUPT IN THIS AIRMASS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE MAIN
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE VIOLENT TORNADOES. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AND URBAN
FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN HEAVY RAIN-PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.

THE BEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE GENERALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA..ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A CROSSVILLE TO
KNOXVILLE LINE. HOWEVER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN
NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT..ENDING THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER TO FORM AND IS ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA. A WARNING MEANS SEVERE
WEATHER IS OCCURRING AND IS ISSUED FOR A SPECIFIC COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS A THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCES DIME-SIZE
HAIL OR LARGER AND/OR PRODUCES WINDS 58 MPH OR HIGHER.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER GROUPS WILL LIKELY BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON. AREA
RESIDENTS NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL TV AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND
WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THIS AFTERNOON.

HSA
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 10:55 AM EST, 5 hours 7 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-034>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-040000-

AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
1055 AM EST FRI APR 3 1998

...VIOLENT TORNADOES POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE...

...SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF EAST TENNESSEE..AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

A WARM FRONT OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA AND GEORGIA WILL LIFT NORTH
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW WARM..MOIST AND EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPREAD INTO MUCH OF EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THUNDERSTORMS
WILL ERUPT IN THIS AIRMASS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE MAIN
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE VIOLENT TORNADOES. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AND URBAN
FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN HEAVY RAIN-PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.

THE BEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE GENERALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA..ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A CROSSVILLE TO
KNOXVILLE LINE. HOWEVER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN
NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT..ENDING THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER TO FORM AND IS ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA. A WARNING MEANS SEVERE
WEATHER IS OCCURRING AND IS ISSUED FOR A SPECIFIC COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS A THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCES DIME-SIZE
HAIL OR LARGER AND/OR PRODUCES WINDS 58 MPH OR HIGHER.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER GROUPS WILL LIKELY BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON. AREA
RESIDENTS NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL TV AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND
WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THIS AFTERNOON.

HSA
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 10:55 AM EST, 5 hours 7 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-034>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-040000-

AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
1055 AM EST FRI APR 3 1998

...VIOLENT TORNADOES POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE...

...SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF EAST TENNESSEE..AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...
AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

A WARM FRONT OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA AND GEORGIA WILL LIFT NORTH
THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW WARM..MOIST AND EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR TO
SPREAD INTO MUCH OF EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. THUNDERSTORMS
WILL ERUPT IN THIS AIRMASS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE MAIN
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE VIOLENT TORNADOES. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ARE ALSO LIKELY. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AND URBAN
FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN HEAVY RAIN-PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS.

THE BEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE GENERALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA..ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A CROSSVILLE TO
KNOXVILLE LINE. HOWEVER..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN
NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT..ENDING THE SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE WEATHER WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER TO FORM AND IS ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA. A WARNING MEANS SEVERE
WEATHER IS OCCURRING AND IS ISSUED FOR A SPECIFIC COUNTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS A THUNDERSTORM THAT PRODUCES DIME-SIZE
HAIL OR LARGER AND/OR PRODUCES WINDS 58 MPH OR HIGHER.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICIALS AND SPOTTER GROUPS WILL LIKELY BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON. AREA
RESIDENTS NEED TO CLOSELY MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL TV AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND
WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THIS AFTERNOON.

HSA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 4:16 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXMeigs, Rhea44 min
Apr 3, 4:17 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson43 min
Apr 3, 4:45 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXKnox, Union45 min
Apr 3, 5:00 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton45 min
Apr 3, 5:08 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXClaiborne, Grainger67 min
Apr 3, 5:37 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHamblen, Hancock, Hawkins53 min
Apr 3, 5:37 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount, Knox38 min
Apr 3, 5:46 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXFentress44 min
Apr 3, 5:47 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXBlount, Knox28 min
Apr 3, 5:52 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXFentress53 min
Apr 3, 5:55 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXSevier35 min
Apr 3, 5:56 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe34 min
Apr 3, 6:08 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXJefferson37 min
Apr 3, 6:08 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCumberland52 min
Apr 3, 6:23 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXHamilton, Meigs, Rhea52 min
Apr 3, 6:25 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCocke, Greene65 min
Apr 3, 6:25 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXSullivan65 min
Apr 3, 6:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXScott44 min
Apr 3, 6:31 PM ESTTornado WarningMRXCocke29 min
Apr 3, 6:35 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMcMinn40 min
Apr 3, 6:45 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXWashington60 min
Apr 3, 6:47 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMorgan, Roane58 min
Apr 3, 6:47 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCampbell58 min
Apr 3, 6:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCumberland26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1998Every severe thunderstorm 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.