Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Watches in 1998
Tornado Watch 415
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 25, 1998, 12:30 AM CDT for 21 counties in Arkansas; 8 counties in Missouri; Adair County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 25, 1998, 12:30 AM CDT (05:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 25, 1998, 6:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 30 counties
Baxter County, AR, Benton County, AR, Boone County, AR, Carroll County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Crawford County, AR, Franklin County, AR, Fulton County, AR, Independence County, AR, Izard County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Johnson County, AR, Madison County, AR, Marion County, AR, Newton County, AR, Pope County, AR, Searcy County, AR, Sharp County, AR, Stone County, AR, Van Buren County, AR, Washington County, AR, Barry County, MO, Howell County, MO, McDonald County, MO, Newton County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Ozark County, MO, Stone County, MO, Taney County, MO, Adair County, OK
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:33 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.
Warnings issued inside it
8 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1:18 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | SGF | McDonald, Newton | 47 min |
| May 25, 2:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Benton | 37 min |
| May 25, 3:07 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Carroll, Madison | 38 min |
| May 25, 3:15 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TSA | Madison | 45 min |
| May 25, 3:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Carroll | 36 min |
| May 25, 3:47 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Washington | 58 min |
| May 25, 5:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TSA | Franklin | 44 min |
| May 25, 5:58 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LZK | Cleburne | 32 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 82 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 895 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -85 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1916 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 117 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 247 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
236
WWUS9 KMKC 250506
SEL5
MKC WW 250506
ARZ000-MOZ000-251100-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 415
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1206 AM CDT MON MAY 25 1998
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHWESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI
EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING FROM 1230 AM UNTIL 600 AM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 55 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF FAYETTEVILLE
ARKANSAS TO 60 MILES SOUTHEAST 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... CONTINUE...WW 412...WW 413...WW 414...
DISCUSSION...CONVECTIVE CLUSTER ADVANCING SOUTHEASTWARD INTO WATCH
AREA ALONG SURFACE BOUNDARY WHERE CAPES FROM 2500 TO 3500 J/KG.
REGIONAL WIND PROFILES INDICATE SUFFICIENT SHEAR FOR A FEW TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS...ALONG WITH SCATTERED LARGE HAIL AND DOWNBURSTS.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035.
...ROGASH
365,0943 365,0910 352,0910 352,0943SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Barton, Bates, Benton, Camden, Cedar, Christian and 22 more | 7 hr |
| May 25, 3:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Iron, Madison and 11 more | 6 hr |
| May 24, 8:15 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Alfalfa, Blaine, Cherokee, Craig, Creek and 25 more | 7 hr |
| May 25, 2:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Adair, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cherokee and 47 more | 6 hr |
| May 25, 4:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Carter, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Jefferson, Love and 3 more | 6 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 1998Tornado Watches in Missouri, 1998Tornado Watches in Oklahoma, 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.