Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Tulsa, OK

April 22, 1999Washington County, Arkansas

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this tornado warning at Apr 22, 1999, 8:23 PM CDT for Washington County, Arkansas. It was in force for 22 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued
Apr 22, 1999, 8:23 PM CDT (01:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 22, 1999, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Washington County, AR

The radar

The Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:26 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 22, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 88 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 1999-04-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 316 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 1999-04-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 326 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
316 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-172 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
823 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
326 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
336 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTSA 230126 COR
TORTUL
ARC143-230145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
823 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT

* AT 823 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG
  ROTATION OVER TONTITOWN. MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH...THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME.  SPOTTERS REPORTED A
  FUNNEL CLOUD OVER TONTITOWN AT 821 PM.

* SOME LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...  TONTITOWN...
  SPRINGDALE AND NORTHERN PARTS OF FAYETTEVILLE

NIGHTTIME TORNADOES ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS - TAKhE COVER NOW! IF YOU
WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A
SAFE PLACE!

LAT...LON 3626 9430 3609 9434 3600 9395 3620 9390

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Apr 22, 7:50 PM CDT, 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 22, 7:50 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
750 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

LINE OF SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES TO PUSH SE ALONG SURFACE BOUNDARY.
DONT EXPECT LINE TO CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTH AND SHOULD HANG UP
AFTER DARK. THREAT FOR FLOODING MAY DEVELOP IF STORMS DO NOT
DIE WITH HEATING. WILL COUNT ON STORMS DIMINISHING FOR NOW AND
TWEAK POPS UP A FEW COUNTIES AHEAD OF CURRENT PRECIP. WILL DROP
POPS OR REWORD TO LATE TONIGHT FOR POSSIBLE REDEVELOPMENT NORTH
OF ONGOING PRECIP. BOUNDARY EXPECTED TO STALL WITH VERY MOIST
AIR SET TO OVERRUN IT.

UPDATED ZONES TO ADJUST TORNADO WATCH HEADLINES AS WELL. ANOTHER
UPDATE LATER THIS EVE.
/13
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 22, 4:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED 2ND REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
430 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

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

0415 PM    2 E LENAPAH                OK  2.75 INCH HAIL
04/22/99   NOWATA
Special weather statement, Apr 22, 7:43 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-231100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
743 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

TORNADO WATCH 166 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE...WAGONER...CHEROKEE...ADAIR...DELAWARE AND MAYES

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
BENTON...WASHINGTON AND CRAWFORD

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WASHINGTON...NOWATA...CRAIG...OTTAWA...CREEK...TULSA AND ROGERS.

AT 740 PM...RADAR INDICATED THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
HAD MOVED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EASTCENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE
UNTIL 9AM IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Apr 22, 7:43 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-231100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
743 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

TORNADO WATCH 166 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE...WAGONER...CHEROKEE...ADAIR...DELAWARE AND MAYES

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
BENTON...WASHINGTON AND CRAWFORD

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WASHINGTON...NOWATA...CRAIG...OTTAWA...CREEK...TULSA AND ROGERS.

AT 740 PM...RADAR INDICATED THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
HAD MOVED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EASTCENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE
UNTIL 9AM IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Apr 22, 7:45 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-230200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED TIMES AND EXPIRATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
745 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

TORNADO WATCH 166 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE...WAGONER...CHEROKEE...ADAIR...DELAWARE AND MAYES

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
BENTON...WASHINGTON AND CRAWFORD

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WASHINGTON...NOWATA...CRAIG...OTTAWA...CREEK...TULSA AND ROGERS.

AT 740 PM...RADAR INDICATED THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
HAD MOVED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EASTCENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE
UNTIL 9PM IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, Apr 22, 7:45 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-230200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED TIMES AND EXPIRATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
745 PM CDT THU APR 22 1999

TORNADO WATCH 166 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE...WAGONER...CHEROKEE...ADAIR...DELAWARE AND MAYES

IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
BENTON...WASHINGTON AND CRAWFORD

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WASHINGTON...NOWATA...CRAIG...OTTAWA...CREEK...TULSA AND ROGERS.

AT 740 PM...RADAR INDICATED THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
HAD MOVED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO FAR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND EASTCENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE
UNTIL 9PM IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 22, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSABenton30 min
Apr 22, 8:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSABenton, Washington37 min
Apr 22, 8:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington46 min
Apr 22, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington28 min
Apr 22, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAWashington32 min
Apr 22, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford43 min
Apr 22, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAFranklin, Madison45 min
Apr 22, 10:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSACrawford30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.