Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Morristown, TN

April 16, 1998Cumberland County, Fentress County, Morgan County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 16, 1998, 9:02 AM CDT for Cumberland County, Fentress County, Morgan County, Tennessee. It was in force for 63 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 16, 1998, 9:02 AM CDT (14:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 16, 1998, 10:05 AM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cumberland County, TN, Fentress County, TN, Morgan County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 16, 9:50 AM CDTThunderstorm WindWartburg, 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 16, 7:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 76 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 13 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
76 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
585 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 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.

614 
WFUS01 KMRX 161403 RRA
TORMRX
TNC035-049-129-161505-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
1002 AM EDT (902 AM CDT) THU APR 16 1998

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

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  SOUTHERN FENTRESS COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE
  MORGAN COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 1005 AM CDT (1105 AM EDT)

* AT 1000 AM EDT (900 AM CDT)... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER
  RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 2 MILES SOUTH OF GRIMESLEY IN SOUTHERN
  FENTRESS COUNTY... MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  DEERLODGE AT 1015 AM EDT
  SUNBRIGHT AT 1020 AM EDT
  WARTBURG BY 1030 AM EDT

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR

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.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 16, 1:40 AM CDT, 7 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 1:40 AM CDT, 7 hours 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
240 AM EDT THU APR 16 1998

TDA...LOOKS LIKE AN ACTIVE DAY AHEAD. ACCRDG TO JUST ISSUED
SWODY1..CURRENT STRONG TO SVR CONVEC FM OH THRU SRN IND/IL INTO AR WL
LIKELY CREATE OUTFLOW BNDRYS WHICH WL HELP FOCUS AFTN CONVEC ACRS CWA.
WOULD SUGGEST SVR WORDING FOR PLATEAU/SE IN LINE W/94O GRAPHIC. FWCS
CHC POPS OUT TO LUNCH..BUT FANS CATEGORICAL POPS LOOK TOO HIGH.
WOULD SUGGEST SPLITTING THE DIFF AND GOING 50-60 PCT AS IN CURRENT
ZFP.  WOULD LIKE TO SEE WINDY WORDING FOR MTS AND BREEZY FOR THE
VALLEY CONTINUED IN UPCOMING ZFP.

TON...ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND GOOD DYNAMICS WL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD
SHWR/TSTM COVERAGE. FCST SNDGS SHOW WIND PROFILES BECMG INCRSNGLY
UNIDIRECTIONAL DURING THE NGT & NEARLY SATURATED FM SFC ON UP. LOOKS
LIKE FLASH FLOODING WL BECM A THREAT DURING THE NGT AS ECHOES MOVE NE
AHEAD OF SLOW-MOVG FRONT. DAY SHIFT MAY WANT TO CONSIDER FLASH FLOOD
WATCH.  CATEGORICAL POPS SEEM IN LINE.

FRI...FRONT WL CREEP THRU THE CWA UNDERNEATH WSW FLOW ALOFT. PRECIP WL
SLOWLY END FM THE W AS FRNT MOVES THRU THE CWA..AND BETTER DYNAMICS
AND MOISTURE SHIFT E. WOULD CONT LIKELY POPS.

FWC TEMPS LOOK GOOD FOR TDA/TON. FWC/FAN CLOSE ON FRI BUT SEEM TOO
HIGH GIVEN CLDS AND ONGOING PRECIP. WOULD DROP BY AT LEAST A CATEGORY.

WL ISSUE AREA TSTM OUTLOOK SHORTLY DUE TO SVR THREAT.

HSA

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 16, 4:25 AM CDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
525 AM EDT THU APR 16 1998

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

440 PM     POUND AREA                VA   0.75 INCH HAIL
04/15/98   WISE                           HAIL CAUSED SERIOUS TRAFFIC
                                          PROBLEMS.  SOME HAIL POSSIBLY
                                          LARGER BUT COULD NOT BE VERIFIED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 9:30 AM CDTTornado WarningMRXAnderson, Scott65 min
Apr 16, 9:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMRXClaiborne, Grainger, Hancock4 hr
Apr 16, 9:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMRXCumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Scott4 hr
Apr 16, 9:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMRXAnderson, Campbell, Union4 hr
Apr 16, 11:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRhea33 min
Apr 16, 12:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe46 min
Apr 16, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXClaiborne47 min
Apr 16, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHancock46 min
Apr 16, 3:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHamilton61 min
Apr 16, 4:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBradley, McMinn, Meigs63 min
Apr 16, 4:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXRhea63 min
Apr 16, 4:22 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXMeigs, Rhea33 min
Apr 16, 4:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXSullivan46 min
Apr 16, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXLoudon, Roane64 min
Apr 16, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMcMinn, Polk61 min
Apr 16, 4:47 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXPolk63 min
Apr 16, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson, Knox65 min
Apr 16, 5:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXMonroe45 min
Apr 16, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCumberland1 min
Apr 16, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCumberland57 min
Apr 16, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXGrainger, Union58 min
Apr 16, 5:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXFentress, Morgan63 min
Apr 16, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXCumberland62 min
Apr 16, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe31 min
Apr 16, 5:49 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXMorgan66 min
Apr 16, 5:53 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXClaiborne67 min
Apr 16, 6:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXHancock48 min
Apr 16, 6:12 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXCampbell33 min
Apr 16, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBradley, Hamilton62 min
Apr 16, 6:13 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXUnion37 min
Apr 16, 6:15 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXAnderson35 min
Apr 16, 6:21 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXGrainger34 min
Apr 16, 6:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXScott32 min
Apr 16, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXCampbell65 min
Apr 16, 6:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXAnderson, Union47 min
Apr 16, 6:53 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXGrainger47 min
Apr 16, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningMRXClaiborne47 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.