Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 36, NWS Memphis, TN

October 18, 2004Craighead County, Greene County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Oct 18, 2004, 6:00 PM CDT for Craighead County, Greene County, Arkansas. It was in force for 45 min. 10 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
Oct 18, 2004, 6:00 PM CDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Oct 18, 2004, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Craighead County, AR, Greene County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:02 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
Oct 18, 6:22 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Walcott, ARPENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Oct 18, 6:22 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Walcott, ARPENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Oct 18, 6:22 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Walcott, ARPENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Oct 18, 6:22 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Walcott, ARPENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Oct 18, 6:22 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Walcott, ARPENNY SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Oct 18, 6:55 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Paragould, AR2 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER 2.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HWYS 412 AND 135.
Oct 18, 6:55 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Paragould, AR2 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER 2.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HWYS 412 AND 135.
Oct 18, 6:55 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Paragould, AR2 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER 2.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HWYS 412 AND 135.
Oct 18, 6:55 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Paragould, AR2 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER 2.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HWYS 412 AND 135.
Oct 18, 6:55 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 Ne Paragould, AR2 FUNNEL CLOUDS REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER 2.5 MILES NORTHEAST OF HWYS 412 AND 135.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 18, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 12:00Z on 2004-10-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1504 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2004-10-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 390 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
1504 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
520 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
390 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
482 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.3
Supercell composite
16.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMEG 182300
TORMEM
ARC031-055-182345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
600 PM CDT MON OCT 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CRAIGHEAD COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS
  GREENE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 600 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF   
  BONO...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SIMILAR STORMS HAVE ALREADY PRODUCED 
  TORNADOES OVER NORTHEAST ARKANSAS THIS EVENING.

* CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM THROUGH 645 PM CDT INCLUDE...
  WALCOTT...BROOKLAND...
  PARAGOULD...

.IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM...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.

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

LAT...LON 3601 9088 3584 9082 3590 9029 3616 9029

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 18, 11:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden39 min
Oct 18, 12:17 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGPhillips43 min
Oct 18, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence, Randolph43 min
Oct 18, 4:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGRandolph40 min
Oct 18, 4:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGRandolph51 min
Oct 18, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGClay, Greene49 min
Oct 18, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGClay46 min
Oct 18, 5:37 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGGreene8 min
Oct 18, 6:12 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGClay18 min
Oct 18, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLawrence12 min
Oct 18, 6:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGGreene31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.