Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 38

February 18, 200034 counties in Arkansas; 5 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 18, 2000, 11:00 AM CST for 34 counties in Arkansas; 5 counties in Texas. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 18, 2000, 11:00 AM CST (17:00 UTC)
Expired
Feb 18, 2000, 4:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 39 counties

Calhoun County, AR, Clark County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Columbia County, AR, Conway County, AR, Cross County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Faulkner County, AR, Garland County, AR, Grant County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Howard County, AR, Independence County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lafayette County, AR, Little River County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Miller County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Perry County, AR, Pike County, AR, Poinsett County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Saline County, AR, Sevier County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Bowie County, TX, Cass County, TX, Franklin County, TX, Morris County, TX, Titus County, TX

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:04 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.

Warnings issued inside it

20 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 18, 11:19 AM CSTTornado WarningLZKGarland36 min
Feb 18, 11:40 AM CSTTornado WarningLZKSaline50 min
Feb 18, 11:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHempstead, Nevada31 min
Feb 18, 12:11 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKPulaski49 min
Feb 18, 12:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKClark50 min
Feb 18, 12:37 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKLonoke48 min
Feb 18, 12:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKWhite50 min
Feb 18, 12:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKJackson48 min
Feb 18, 1:08 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKPrairie47 min
Feb 18, 1:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPoinsett33 min
Feb 18, 1:33 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKMonroe47 min
Feb 18, 1:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKPulaski, Saline35 min
Feb 18, 1:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKOuachita51 min
Feb 18, 1:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKLonoke47 min
Feb 18, 1:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKCleveland49 min
Feb 18, 1:59 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGLee, St. Francis61 min
Feb 18, 2:15 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKLonoke35 min
Feb 18, 2:23 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKPrairie47 min
Feb 18, 2:44 PM CSTTornado WarningLZKMonroe51 min
Feb 18, 2:55 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGSt. Francis20 min

The nearest sounding before it

Shreveport, LA (KSHV), launched 12:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 187 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2000-02-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 110 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, Shreveport, LA at 12:00Z on 2000-02-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 365 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
110 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-329 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
830 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
365 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
401 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

693 
WWUS9 KMKC 181645
SEL8  
MKC WW 181645
ARZ000-TXZ000-182200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 38
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1045 AM CST FRI FEB 18 2000

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   MUCH OF ARKANSAS                           
   EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS                              

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1100 AM UNTIL 400
PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF TEXARKANA ARKANSAS TO
100 MILES NORTHEAST OF LITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 37.  WATCH NUMBER 37 WILL NOT BE IN
EFFECT AFTER 1100 AM CST.

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED STRONG/SEVERE ARE INTENSIFYING ALONG SURFACE
COLD FRONT OVER WESTERN AR AND NORTHEAST TX.  THESE STORMS ARE
FORECAST TO TRACK EASTWARD WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.  SHEAR PROFILES ARE ALSO MARGINALLY FAVORABLE FOR
ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040.

...HART

325,0952 354,0921 354,0894 325,0930

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 9:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBenton, Carroll5 hr
Feb 18, 5:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCArkansas, Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay and 52 more6 hr
Feb 18, 2:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha and 13 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 2000Tornado Watches in Texas, 2000Every tornado watch in 2000

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.