Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 56, NWS Morristown, TN

June 2, 1998Johnson County, Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at Jun 2, 1998, 7:23 PM EDT for Johnson County, Tennessee. It was in force for 32 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
Jun 2, 1998, 7:23 PM EDT (23:23 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 1998, 7:55 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Johnson County, TN

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 12:00Z on 1998-06-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 252 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 12:00Z on 1998-06-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 97 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
252 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-182 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1079 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

783 
WFUS01 KMRX 022324 RRA
TORMRX
TNC091-022355-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
723 PM EDT TUE JUN 2 1998

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

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN JOHNSON COUNTY IN EASTERN TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 755 PM EDT

* AT 722 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO NEAR BAKERS GAP...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MILL CREEK AT 730 PM EDT

GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM 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.

NWS Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jun 2, 2:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 2, 2:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 53 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
230 PM EDT TUE JUN 2 1998

A WET AND STORMY PATTERN SHAPING UP FOR MY CWA THRU 48 HRS.

ATMOS VERY UNSTABLE ATTM BUT NOTHING SO FAR HAS FIRED UP. VIS
SATELLITE PIX SHOW BUILDING LINE OF CU FM CNTRL KY INTO NW TN MOVG E.
ADAP SHOWS GOOD INSTAB W/NO CAP..BUT POOR CONVRG SO FAR. WL NEED TO
KEEP AN EYE ON THIS FOR PSBL TSTM DVLPMT AS LINE MOVES INTO INCRSGLY
UNSTABLE AREA.

STNRY FRNT ACRS THE REGION WL WASH OUT TON WHILE AT THE SAME TIME COLD
FRONT DIVES SE. ONCE ANY EVENING TSTMS DIE OUT..SKIES SHLD BE PTLY
CLDY. FOR NOW WOULD FCST CHC EVE POPS.

COLD FRNT WL BECM STNRY E-W ACRS TN DURING THE DAY WED. GOOD LOW-LVL
CONVRG SEEN ALONG THE BNDRY. 500 VORT MVG ACRS NRN PORTION OF CWA DURG
THE AFTN. INSTAB INDICES IMPRSV. IN ADDITION..PRONOUNCED THKNS
DIFFLUENCE..HIGH PW VALUES AND UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR POINT TWD TRAINING
HVY PRECIP ECHOES.  WOULD GO FOR LIKELY POPS ACRS NE TN/SW VA AND
40-50 PCT ELSW.  WED NGT INTO THU LOOKING VERY WET FOR MY CWA.  E-W
ORIENTED FRNT ACRS TN.  DIGGING UPPER TROF OVER W COAST WL ENHANCE
MOISTURE FLOW INTO BNDRY. ELONGATED VORT AXIS BEGINS TO EXTEND FM TX
UP INTO TN VALLEY. BELIEVE MODEL POPS ARE TOO LOW.  WOULD FCST GOOD
CHC TO LIKELY POPS FOR ALL OF CWA WED NGT/THU.

PREFER A MIX OF FWC/FAN FOR TEMPS.

HSA

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 2, 7:15 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-
002-005-006-008-030000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
715 PM EDT TUE JUN 2 1998

...TORNADO WATCH 491 CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR LEE...WISE...SCOTT...
RUSSELL...AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE ATMOSPHERIC
CONDITIONS THAT LED TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA HAVE SHIFTED EASTWARD.

HENCE...THE LIKLIHOOD OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER HAS DECREASED.
ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE AREA
SO STAY TUNED TO RADIO AND TV WEATHER...AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
MORE INFORMATION.

BB/DD
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 7:15 PM EDT, 8 minutes before
NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-066>074-083>087-099>102-VAZ001-
002-005-006-008-030000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOXVILLE/TRI-CITIES TN
715 PM EDT TUE JUN 2 1998

...TORNADO WATCH 491 CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR LEE...WISE...SCOTT...
RUSSELL...AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE ATMOSPHERIC
CONDITIONS THAT LED TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA HAVE SHIFTED EASTWARD.

HENCE...THE LIKLIHOOD OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER HAS DECREASED.
ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE AREA
SO STAY TUNED TO RADIO AND TV WEATHER...AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
MORE INFORMATION.

BB/DD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 4:54 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXFentress, Morgan66 min
Jun 2, 4:57 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXJefferson, Knox, Sevier63 min
Jun 2, 5:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson, Scott62 min
Jun 2, 5:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXHamilton63 min
Jun 2, 5:58 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount, Knox, Sevier62 min
Jun 2, 6:02 AM EDTFlash Flood WarningMRXAnderson, Knox3 hr
Jun 2, 6:05 AM EDTTornado WarningMRXBlount50 min
Jun 2, 6:08 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBradley62 min
Jun 2, 6:10 AM EDTTornado WarningMRXSevier65 min
Jun 2, 7:13 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXMonroe47 min
Jun 2, 7:16 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXAnderson, Knox64 min
Jun 2, 7:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXGreene, Washington62 min
Jun 2, 7:36 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount, Loudon49 min
Jun 2, 8:14 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXBlount, Loudon66 min
Jun 2, 7:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMRXJohnson30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.