Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 102, NWS Memphis, TN

April 5, 1999Randolph County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 5, 1999, 6:45 PM CDT for Randolph County, Arkansas. It was in force for 35 min. 1 report 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 5, 1999, 6:45 PM CDT (23:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 5, 1999, 7:20 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Randolph County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 5, 7:08 PM CDTTornado F2Pocahontas, ARThe tornado touched down on the east side of Paragould and moved northeast. The tornado hit a commercial area with several restaurants and other businesses damaged or destroyed. Several trees and power lines were blown down as well.

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
Apr 5, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 194 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 12:00Z on 1999-04-05Temperature 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 12:00Z on 1999-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1263 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 052345 RRA
TORMEM
ARC121-060020-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
645 PM CDT MON APR 5 1999


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 720 PM CDT

* AT 643 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AND SPOTTERS REPORTED A
  TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF POCAHONTAS... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  POCAHONTAS BY 650 PM CDT
  MAYNARD BY 700 PM CDT

.THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.



&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 5, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPoinsett32 min
Apr 5, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead, Greene34 min
Apr 5, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes 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.