Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Memphis, TN

November 9, 2002Crittenden County, Mississippi County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Nov 9, 2002, 9:44 PM CST for Crittenden County, Mississippi County, Arkansas. It was in force for 31 min. 3 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
Nov 9, 2002, 9:44 PM CST (03:44 UTC)
Expired
Nov 9, 2002, 10:15 PM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Crittenden County, AR, Mississippi County, AR

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Nov 9, 9:50 PM CSTTornado F2Frenchmans Bayou, ARThe tornado moved into Mississippi county from Crittenden county and continued northeast and eventually moved into Tipton county in Tennessee. Some trees were knocked down near the Crittenden county border.
Nov 9, 10:00 PM CSTHail 0.75Blytheville, AR
Nov 9, 10:05 PM CSTThunderstorm WindJoiner, ARNumerous trees and power lines were knocked down in the towns of Joiner, Bassett and Wilson.

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
Nov 9, 6:20 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 76 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 2002-11-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1221 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2002-11-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 349 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
1221 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
892 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
349 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
448 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.9
Supercell composite
12.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMEG 100344
TORMEM
ARC035-093-100415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
944 PM CST SAT NOV 9 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CRITTENDEN COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS
  SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 1015 PM CST.

* AT 940 PM CST...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 3 MILES WEST OF
  GILMORE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO THROUGH 1015 PM CST INCLUDE...
  BIRDSONG...GILMORE...
  JOINER...

.IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IN AN INTERIOR
ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

.STAY TUNED TO THIS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROADCAST FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES AND INFORMATION. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER ONLY...CALL 1 800 4
3 2 0 8 7 5.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 9, 6:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGClay, Greene36 min
Nov 9, 8:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCross26 min
Nov 9, 9:09 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCross51 min
Nov 9, 9:23 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Cross22 min
Nov 9, 10:00 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGMississippi30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.