Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Paducah, KY

April 15, 1998Perry County, Missouri; Jackson County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1998, 8:34 PM CDT for Perry County, Missouri; Jackson County, Illinois. It was in force for 56 min. 3 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: Apr 15, 1998, 8:34 PM CDT (01:34 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 1998, 9:30 PM CDT
In force: 56 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Whole counties

Counties Jackson County, IL, Perry County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:33 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 15, 8:50 PM CDT	Tornado F0	Crosstown, MO	Storm spotters reported a brief tornado near Crosstown. No damage was reported.
Apr 15, 9:20 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60	Murphysboro, IL	Thunderstorm winds overturned a camping trailer onto a truck. A storage shed and TV tower were damaged at the same residence.
Apr 15, 9:36 PM CDT	Tornado F0	De Soto, IL	A weak short-lived tornado was observed by storm spotters. The tornado apparently did little or no damage.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 15, 4:30 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 281 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 426 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 919 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 190 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPAH 160134 RRA
TORPAH
ILC077-MOC157-160230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
834 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
  PERRY COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 832 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 35 MILES NORTH OF CAPE GIRARDEAU NEAR
  PERRYVILLE... MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  CROSSTOWN AT 845 PM CDT
  MURPHYSBORO AT 915 PM CDT

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN
THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELO`W GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS AND DOORS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR
A STURDIER BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. BEWARE OF
RISING WATER.

NADOLSKI

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 15, 2:15 PM CDT, 6 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 2:15 PM CDT, 6 hours 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
115 PM CST WED APR 15 1998

STORMS BEGINNING TO REFIRE IN MISSOURI BOOTHEEL MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST
KENTUCKY SO THIS WILL BE QUICK. 17Z SURFACE CHART SHOWS LOW PRESSURE
OVER LOWER MICHIGAN WITH A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTH SOUTHWEST THROUGH
TERRE HAUTE TO PADUCAH TO SHREVEPORT. DEW POINTS DROPPING WEST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI.

MODELS BRING FRONT THROUGH THE ENTIRE FA BY 00Z. UNTIL THEN EVERYTHING
STILL IN PLACE FOR THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE ACROSS WEST
KENTUCKY. ADAP SHOWS NEGATIVE LIS EAST OF THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES.
MODIFIED CAPES AT BNA THIS MORNING EXCEED 2400 J/KG WITH FORECASTED
HIGHS. THREAT MOVES EAST WITH FRONT WITH ONLY THE POSSIBILITY FOR
LINGERING SHOWERS THIS EVENING. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ABUNDANT OVERNIGHT
FOR CLOUDS.

WITH THREAT FOR STORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...SUGGEST KEEPING FLASH
FLOOD WATCH FOR WEST KENTUCKY THROUGH THIS EVENING.

(SPC JUST CALLED AND LOOKING AT TOR WATCH FOR WEST KENTUCKY/SOUTHWEST
INDIANA)

ML

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 15, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
653 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

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

0651 PM    SWANWICK                  IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/15/98   PERRY                          REPORTED BY STATE POLICE
                                          ON WASHINGTON... PERRY AND
                                          RANDOLPH COUNTY LINES.

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:52 PM CDT, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
752 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

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

0748 PM    CRAVAT                    IL   TORNADO
04/15/98   JEFFERSON                      TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST
                                          NORTH OF CRAVAT

Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:06 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
806 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

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

0756 PM    CRAVAT                    IL   TORNADO
04/15/98   JEFFERSON                      TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          KNOCKED DOWN NEAR CRAVAT

Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:12 PM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
812 PM CDT WED APR 15 1998

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

0805 PM    CRAVAT                    IL   TORNADO
04/15/98   JEFFERSON                      DAMAGE TO RESIDENCE 1 MILE
                                          EAST OF US HWY 51 ON
                                          DIX/IRVINGTON ROAD...OR
                                          HWY 177

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 15, 8:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Perry	57 min
Apr 15, 8:35 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Perry	3 hr
Apr 15, 9:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Bollinger	49 min
Apr 15, 9:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Bollinger	44 min
Apr 15, 9:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Perry	49 min
Apr 15, 11:30 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Bollinger, Perry	3 hr
Apr 15, 11:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Cape Girardeau	40 min
Apr 15, 11:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Cape Girardeau	35 min
Apr 16, 12:17 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Cape Girardeau	3 hr
Apr 16, 7:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Butler	37 min
Apr 16, 7:39 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	New Madrid	36 min
Apr 15, 7:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Jefferson	52 min
Apr 15, 9:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Jackson, Williamson	45 min
Apr 15, 9:38 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Jackson	2 hr
Apr 15, 9:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Franklin	48 min
Apr 15, 10:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Jackson	58 min
Apr 15, 10:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Jackson	63 min
Apr 15, 10:20 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Franklin, Williamson	3 hr
Apr 15, 10:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Hamilton, White	54 min
Apr 15, 11:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Franklin	50 min
Apr 15, 11:15 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Edwards, Wabash, White	4 hr
Apr 15, 11:15 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Hamilton	4 hr
Apr 15, 11:30 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Perry	3 hr
Apr 15, 11:46 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Jackson	3 hr
Apr 16, 1:14 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Franklin, Williamson	4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 1998 Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1998 Every tornado warning in 1998 Tornadoes 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.