Alert archive / Arkansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 65, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 3, 1999Crawford County, Franklin County, Sebastian County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 1999, 2:47 AM CST for Crawford County, Franklin County, Sebastian County, Arkansas. It was in force for 43 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 3, 1999, 2:47 AM CST (08:47 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1999, 3:30 AM CST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

Counties Crawford County, AR, Franklin County, AR, Sebastian County, AR

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:49 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 3, 3:20 AM CSTHail 0.75Mountainburg, 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 nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 1999-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 862 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 1999-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 135 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
862 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1523 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
4.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

999 
WUUS54 KTSA 030848 RRA
SVRTUL
ARC033-047-131-030930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
247 AM CST SAT APR 3 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CRAWFORD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  FRANKLIN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
  NORTHERN SEBASTIAN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 330 AM CST

* AT 247 AM CST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF
  FORT SMITH...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  RUDY...
  FIGURE FIVE...DYER...ALMA...VAN BUREN...FORT SMITH...WIEDERKEHR
  VILLAGE...CASS...FERN...ALTUS...DENNING...BRANCH...MULBERRY AND
  OZARK

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKLES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THE WARNED AREA.

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 Apr 3, 12:53 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 12:53 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1253 AM CST SAT APR 3 1999

JUST UPDATED ZONES TO ADD NEW WW HEADLINE TO APPROPRIATE ZONES.  ALSO
INCREASED OVERNIGHT LOWS AND INCREASED POPS IN THE ZONES WITH THE
WATCH GIVEN SOLID NATURE OF THE LINE WHICH WILL APPROACH FROM THE
WEST BEFORE SUNRISE. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS LARGEST PRESSURE
FALLS AND THE LOWEST LIFTED INDICES SOUTH ALONG THE RED
RIVER...THOUGH MODERATE INSTABILITIES AND PRESSURE FALLS EXTEND
NORTHEASTWARD ALL THE WAY INTO CENTRAL MO.

MORE BETWEEN 400 AND 500 AM.

FCSTID = 22

.TUL...
OK...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 600 AM CST SATURDAY FOR ZONES
OKZ054>056...OKTZ059>061...OKZ064>066.

AR...NONE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 3:10 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford, Madison, Washington65 min
Apr 3, 3:37 AM CSTTornado WarningTSACrawford, Washington23 min
Apr 3, 3:53 AM CSTTornado WarningTSAMadison52 min
Apr 3, 4:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMadison31 min
Apr 3, 6:39 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningTSACrawford, Madison, Washington2 hr
Apr 3, 6:39 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningTSACrawford, Madison, Washington66 min
Apr 3, 6:59 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningTSASebastian3 hr
Apr 3, 7:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSASebastian48 min
Apr 3, 7:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAFranklin43 min
Apr 3, 1:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACarroll40 min
Apr 3, 1:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMadison35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.