Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 148

March 30, 199842 counties in Arkansas; 8 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 30, 1998, 11:00 PM CST for 42 counties in Arkansas; 8 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 30, 1998, 11:00 PM CST (05:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 1998, 4:00 AM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 50 counties

Baxter County, AR, Boone County, AR, Clark County, AR, Clay County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Conway County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Faulkner County, AR, Fulton County, AR, Garland County, AR, Grant County, AR, Greene County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Independence County, AR, Izard County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Johnson County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Logan County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Marion County, AR, Montgomery County, AR, Newton County, AR, Perry County, AR, Pike County, AR, Pope County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Randolph County, AR, Saline County, AR, Searcy County, AR, Sevier County, AR, Sharp County, AR, Stone County, AR, Van Buren County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Yell County, AR, Butler County, MO, Carter County, MO, Douglas County, MO, Howell County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Ozark County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Taney County, MO

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:04 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.

Warnings issued inside it

9 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 11:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPike62 min
Mar 31, 12:23 AM CSTTornado WarningLZKVan Buren47 min
Mar 31, 1:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKFaulkner50 min
Mar 31, 1:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPulaski, Saline46 min
Mar 31, 1:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKCleburne51 min
Mar 31, 2:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLonoke47 min
Mar 31, 2:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKWhite48 min
Mar 31, 3:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLonoke35 min
Mar 31, 4:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPrairie50 min

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 224 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1998-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 368 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1998-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 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
368 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1388 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
389 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
5.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

702 
WWUS9 KMKC 310429
SEL8  
MKC WW 310429
MOZ000-ARZ000-311000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 148
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1029 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHERN MISSOURI                           
   CENTRAL ARKANSAS                           

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 1100 PM UNTIL
400 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES SOUTH OF HOT SPRINGS ARKANSAS TO 30 MILES
NORTHEAST OF WEST PLAINS MISSOURI.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 145.  WATCH NUMBER 145 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1100 PM
CST.  CONTINUE...WW 146...WW 147...

DISCUSSION...LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAS ACCELERATED EAST
DURING THE PAST HOUR. SEVERAL BOW STRUCTURES ARE EVIDENT... 
SUGGESTING A THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. SHEAR PROFILES ARE
FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED SUPERCELLS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23040.


...VESCIO

334,0942 370,0925 370,0900 334,0914

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 7:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBenton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Garland and 17 more6 hr
Mar 30, 7:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCLittle River6 hr
Mar 31, 12:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAshley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Drew, Hempstead and 6 more4 hr
Mar 30, 9:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAudrain, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Crawford and 28 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 1998Tornado Watches in Missouri, 1998Every tornado watch 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.