Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Memphis, TN

January 17, 1999Hardeman County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 17, 1999, 6:28 PM CST for Hardeman County, Tennessee. It was in force for 47 min. 2 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
Jan 17, 1999, 6:28 PM CST (00:28 UTC)
Expired
Jan 17, 1999, 7:15 PM CST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Hardeman County, TN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jan 17, 6:40 PM CSTTornado F1Grand Jct, TNThe tornado started in extreme southeast Fayette county and moved northeast. Fourteen homes including several mobile homes were destroyed and another 27 homes were damaged near Saulsbury. More than thirty power poles were knocked down.
Jan 17, 7:15 PM CSTThunderstorm WindMiddleton, TNA church steeple was damaged. Numerous trees were blown down.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jan 17, 2:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 97 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1999-01-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1999-01-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 74 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2449 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WUUS1 KMEM 180027 RRA
SVRMEM
TNC069-180115-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
628 PM CST SUN JAN 17 1999


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HARDEMAN COUNTY IN WESTERN TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 715 PM CST

* AT 626 PM CST... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS FROM MERCER TO
  MOSCOW MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  HICKORY VALLEY BY 640 PM CST
  BOLIVAR BY 650 PM CST
  POCAHONTAS BY 700 PM CST

.A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 17, 2:00 PM CST, 4 hours 28 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>054-088>092-180300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
200 PM CST SUN JAN 17 1999

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..INCLUDING NORTHEAST
ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL..WEST TENNESSEE..AND NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI.

RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE INCREASED IN THE MIDSOUTH. MODERATE
RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS NOW CENTERED OVER MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..WITH
THIS RISK EXTENDING OUT AROUND 75 MILES. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXITS FOR THE REST OF THE MIDSOUTH.

AN AREA OF STORMS IS DEVELOPING FROM NORTH CENTRAL TO SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS WILL INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE EAST THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VERY STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE FILLING
THE ATMOSPHERE WITH INCREASINGLY MOIST UNSTABLE AIR. ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ALONG WITH DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL UNTIL A COLD FROM PASSES THIS EVENING.

STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS
EVENING. MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO..COMMERCIAL RADIO..TV AND CABLE
TELEVISION OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 17, 6:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette64 min
Jan 17, 6:08 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGMadison47 min
Jan 17, 6:14 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCrockett, Gibson36 min
Jan 17, 6:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGWeakley48 min
Jan 17, 6:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCarroll, Henry49 min
Jan 17, 6:33 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGFayette37 min
Jan 17, 6:35 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGHenderson50 min
Jan 17, 6:38 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCarroll47 min
Jan 17, 6:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester35 min
Jan 17, 6:43 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGHardeman47 min
Jan 17, 6:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGShelby50 min
Jan 17, 6:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMcNairy62 min
Jan 17, 7:01 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGChester, McNairy49 min
Jan 17, 7:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin62 min
Jan 17, 7:38 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGHardeman, McNairy3 hr
Jan 17, 7:38 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGFayette3 hr
Jan 17, 7:48 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGHardin47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 1999Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.