Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 251, NWS Tulsa, OK

June 4, 1998Franklin County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 4, 1998, 6:31 PM CDT for Franklin County, Arkansas. It was in force for 44 min. 6 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: Jun 4, 1998, 6:31 PM CDT (23:31 UTC)
Expired: Jun 4, 1998, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Whole counties

County Franklin County, AR

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 4, 6:40 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 61	Ozark, AR
Jun 4, 6:50 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Cass, AR	Trees and power lines were blown down in Cass. There was some structural damage to buildings in the area.
Jun 4, 6:50 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Ozark, AR	Thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and tree limbs all over the city of Ozark. The winds shattered windows in the Faith Addition on North 25th and 26th Streets, the city's second-largest subdivision. The Franklin County OES Director reported numerous trees
Jun 4, 6:55 PM CDT	Hail 2.75	Ozark, AR	Baseball-sized hail damged a house and its awnings.
Jun 4, 7:05 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Altus, AR	Several trees (3 ft. diameter) were blown down in Altus. One tree was blown onto a street, blocking the roadway.
Jun 4, 7:13 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Ozark, AR

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
Jun 4, 6:00 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 155 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: 160 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -374 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 575 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 388 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 377 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 7.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

579 
WUUS54 KTSA 042332 RRA
SVRTUL
ARC047-050015-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
631 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 630 PM... DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
  FROM CHESTER TO MOUNTAINBURG TO 5 MILES EAST OF ALMA. DAMAGING WIND
  GUSTS TO NEAR 60 WILL OCCUR WITH MANY OF THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE
  EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.  HAIL TO QUARTER SIZE IS ALSO LIKELY.

* THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...
  AREAS WEST OF OZARK AND CASS

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY
FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SEEK SHELTER NOW. GO TO THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. AVOID OUTSIDE WALLS AND
WINDOWS. MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A MORE SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER IF ONE IS NEARBY.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 4, 3:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 4, 3:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 1 minute before

FPUS3 KTUL 042042
AFDTUL

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
330 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

SFC BNDRY ACRS THE AREA HAS MOVD LTL THRU THE DAY.  AT 20Z BNDRY
STRETCHED FRM FAR NW CORNER OF AR...TO NEAR MKO...TO NORTH OF
MLC...THEN ON ACRS S-CNTL PART OF STATE.  TEMPS HAVE CLIMBED TO NEAR
90 SOUTH OF THE BNDRY WITH SFC DEWPTS IN THE M/U 70S...SO ATMOS HAS
BECM VRY UNSTABLE.  CAP HAS KEPT TSTM DVLPMNT OUT OF ERN OK/NW AR
THUS FAR...BUT WITH CAP CONTG TO WEAKEN...SHRA/TSRA WILL BE DVLPG
INTO THE AREA OVR THE NXT HR OR SO.  WL MENTION PSBL SVR FOR THIS
EVNG MAINLY IN ZNS ALONG AND AHD OF THE FNT.  FNT IS EXPECTED TO
BEGIN TO ONCE AGN PUSH SEWRD LATER TNGT AS S/WV MOVES OUT OF THE
SW...AND ALSO AS CONVCTN HELPS PULL BNDRY ON THRU THE AREA.

WL LIMIT POPS TO FAR SRN AND FAR ERN ZNS FOR FRI...THEN LOOKS DRY FOR
FRI NGT AND SAT WITH FNT ON TO THE SOUTH AND EAST...AND SFC HIGH
CONTG TO BUILD IN.  COOLER TEMPS WILL PROVIDE A NICE CHG FOR ALL OF
THE AREA OVR THE NXT FEW DAYS...AND LIKE THE COOLER FAN GUID.

FCSTID = 4
TUL   60  75  55  70 /  40  10   0   0
FSM   68  80  56  73 /  50  30  10   0
MLC   65  80  58  75 /  40  20  10   0
BVO   58  75  52  70 /  30  10   0   0
FYV   60  75  55  70 /  60  10   0   0
IDB   70  84  60  80 /  30  30  10   0
BYV   61  75  55  69 /  60  10   0   0
MIO   59  75  53  70 /  50  10   0   0
MKO   60  75  55  71 /  40  10   0   0
F10   60  75  55  70 /  40  10   0   0
HHW   69  82  59  78 /  30  30  10   0

.TUL...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 4, 1:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 1 minute before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-051200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
130 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND
EXTREME NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THIS AREA IS
EAST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI OKLAHOMA TO STIGLER OKLAHOMA AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM STIGLER TO ALTUS ARKANSAS.

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TO THE EAST OF A LINE FROM GRAINOLA TO
SEMINOLE AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM ASHLAND TO CLAYTON TO ZAFRA IN
LE FLORE COUNTY.

AT 1PM A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS THE REGION FROM WETUMKA TO
SILOAM SPRINGS AND ON EAST NEAR THE MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS BORDER.  AN
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM MORNING STORMS WAS PUSHING SOUTH ACROSS ARKANSAS
AND INTERSECTED THE FRONT JUST NORTH OF EUREKA SPRINGS.  THE FRONT AND
THAT PORTION OF THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WILL REMAIN
NEARLY STATIONARY INTO THE EVENING HOURS AND PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS WELL NORTH OF
THE FRONT AS A 30 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET IS BECOMING ESTABLISHED ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WAS LIFTING THE UNSTABLE OVER THE FRONT AND FORMING
STORMS ABOVE THE CAP IN KANSAS.  THESE STORMS WILL BUILD SOUTH WITH TIME
AND AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NORTH OF THE FRONT LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  THE ELEVATED NATURE OF THE STORMS WILL
LIMIT THE SEVERE THREAT TO LARGE HAIL.

OF GREATER CONCERN IS THAT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER 3PM AS THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND
FRONT MAXIMIZE LIFT AND BREAK THE CAP.  WITH EXTREME INSTABILITY IN
PLACE AND INCREASING WIND FLOW ALOFT THE STORMS WILL QUICKLY BECOME
SEVERE.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP SOUTHWEST ALONG THE FRONT
AS AN UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE PLAINS...HOWEVER A STRONG CAP
IS IN PLACE OVER OKLAHOMA AND THE CAP IS NOT EXPECTED TO WEAKEN MUCH.
THEREFORE THE WESTERN EXTENT OF STORM DEVELOPMENT MAY BE LIMITED TO
EXTREME EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  WIND PROFILES ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY
FAVORABLE FOR STORM ROTATION AND SUPERCELLS STORMS ARE LIKELY WITH A
THREAT OF TORNADOES.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IN PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA IS BASED
SOLELY ON THE STRENGTH OF THE CAP.  ANY STORMS THAT DO FORM IN SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA WOULD ALSO HAVE FAVORABLE WIND FIELDS AND INSTABILITY TO
SUPPORT SEVERE STORMS...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME THERE IS CONSIDERABLE
QUESTION ABOUT THE CAP BREAKING.

AN ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE IS POSSIBLE IN EXTREME NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...INCLUDING
THE RISK OF TORNADOES.  EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER
GROUPS IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA SHOULD BE READY FOR
ACTIVATION AT ANY TIME...AGENCIES IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA SHOULD MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION THIS EVENING.

Special weather statement, Jun 4, 1:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 1 minute before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-051200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
130 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND
EXTREME NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THIS AREA IS
EAST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI OKLAHOMA TO STIGLER OKLAHOMA AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM STIGLER TO ALTUS ARKANSAS.

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TO THE EAST OF A LINE FROM GRAINOLA TO
SEMINOLE AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM ASHLAND TO CLAYTON TO ZAFRA IN
LE FLORE COUNTY.

AT 1PM A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ACROSS THE REGION FROM WETUMKA TO
SILOAM SPRINGS AND ON EAST NEAR THE MISSOURI AND ARKANSAS BORDER.  AN
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM MORNING STORMS WAS PUSHING SOUTH ACROSS ARKANSAS
AND INTERSECTED THE FRONT JUST NORTH OF EUREKA SPRINGS.  THE FRONT AND
THAT PORTION OF THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WILL REMAIN
NEARLY STATIONARY INTO THE EVENING HOURS AND PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS WELL NORTH OF
THE FRONT AS A 30 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET IS BECOMING ESTABLISHED ACROSS
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND WAS LIFTING THE UNSTABLE OVER THE FRONT AND FORMING
STORMS ABOVE THE CAP IN KANSAS.  THESE STORMS WILL BUILD SOUTH WITH TIME
AND AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA NORTH OF THE FRONT LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  THE ELEVATED NATURE OF THE STORMS WILL
LIMIT THE SEVERE THREAT TO LARGE HAIL.

OF GREATER CONCERN IS THAT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AFTER 3PM AS THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AND
FRONT MAXIMIZE LIFT AND BREAK THE CAP.  WITH EXTREME INSTABILITY IN
PLACE AND INCREASING WIND FLOW ALOFT THE STORMS WILL QUICKLY BECOME
SEVERE.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP SOUTHWEST ALONG THE FRONT
AS AN UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE PLAINS...HOWEVER A STRONG CAP
IS IN PLACE OVER OKLAHOMA AND THE CAP IS NOT EXPECTED TO WEAKEN MUCH.
THEREFORE THE WESTERN EXTENT OF STORM DEVELOPMENT MAY BE LIMITED TO
EXTREME EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  WIND PROFILES ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY
FAVORABLE FOR STORM ROTATION AND SUPERCELLS STORMS ARE LIKELY WITH A
THREAT OF TORNADOES.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IN PARTS OF SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA IS BASED
SOLELY ON THE STRENGTH OF THE CAP.  ANY STORMS THAT DO FORM IN SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA WOULD ALSO HAVE FAVORABLE WIND FIELDS AND INSTABILITY TO
SUPPORT SEVERE STORMS...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME THERE IS CONSIDERABLE
QUESTION ABOUT THE CAP BREAKING.

AN ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE IS POSSIBLE IN EXTREME NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...INCLUDING
THE RISK OF TORNADOES.  EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES AND STORM SPOTTER
GROUPS IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA SHOULD BE READY FOR
ACTIVATION AT ANY TIME...AGENCIES IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA SHOULD MONITOR
THE LATEST FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION THIS EVENING.

Local storm report, Jun 4, 6:22 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
622 PM CDT THU JUN 04 1998

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

0620 PM    ROLAND                    OK   .75 INCH HAIL
06/04/98   SEQUOYAH

Local storm report, Jun 4, 6:26 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
626 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

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

0625 PM    2 NE ROLAND               OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/04/98   SEQUOYAH

Local storm report, Jun 4, 6:26 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
626 PM CDT THU JUN 4 1998

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

0625 PM    2 NE ROLAND               OK   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/04/98   SEQUOYAH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 4, 6:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Crawford	48 min
Jun 4, 6:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Madison, Washington	43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 1998 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.