Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Memphis, TN

April 20, 2003Henry County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 2003, 5:34 PM CDT for Henry County, Tennessee. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 2003, 5:34 PM CDT (22:34 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 2003, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Henry County, TN

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 20, 1:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 137 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2003-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 2003-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 255 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
706 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
255 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

045 
WFUS54 KMEG 202234
TORMEM
TNC079-202300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
533 PM CDT SUN APR 20 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HENRY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT.

* AT 529 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO OVER HENRY
  COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO THROUGH 600 PM CDT INCLUDE 
PARIS...PURYEAR...BETHLEHEM...BUCHANAN.

.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.

.IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT.

.HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

.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.

LAT...LON 3646 8833 3628 8828 3637 8769 3659 8776

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 3:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGShelby40 min
Apr 20, 3:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette49 min
Apr 20, 3:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGFayette52 min
Apr 20, 3:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHaywood, Lauderdale62 min
Apr 20, 4:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman42 min
Apr 20, 4:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrockett, Gibson38 min
Apr 20, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette16 min
Apr 20, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHaywood38 min
Apr 20, 4:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMcNairy52 min
Apr 20, 5:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCarroll, Weakley30 min
Apr 20, 5:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin38 min
Apr 20, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCarroll37 min
Apr 20, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTipton48 min
Apr 20, 6:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLauderdale23 min
Apr 20, 6:47 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLauderdale28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.