Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Memphis, TN

April 28, 2002Randolph County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 2002, 12:36 AM CDT for Randolph County, Arkansas. It was in force for 39 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 28, 2002, 12:36 AM CDT (05:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 2002, 1:15 AM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Randolph County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 164 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:35 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 28, 12:38 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50 EWilliford, ARThunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and power lines.
Apr 28, 12:38 AM CDTHail 1.75Williford, 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 27, 11:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 2002-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1817 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2002-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 480 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1817 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
653 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
480 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
529 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
6.4
Supercell composite
25.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMEG 280536
TORMEM
ARC121-280615-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1236 AM CDT SUN APR 28 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 115 AM CDT.

* AT 1235 AM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 4
  MILES NORTHWEST OF RAVENDEN SPRINGS...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO THROUGH 115 AM CDT INCLUDE...
  RAVENDEN SPRINGS...
  DALTON...
  ATTICA...
  MAYNARD...
  BIGGERS...

.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.

LAT...LON 3643 9144 3624 9142 3625 9080 3649 9079

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 12:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGRandolph39 min
Apr 28, 1:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGClay42 min
Apr 28, 1:21 AM CDTTornado WarningMEGClay24 min
Apr 28, 1:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence52 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.