Alert archive / Arkansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2004

Mesoscale Discussion 2321

October 18, 20046 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Oct 18, 2004, 7:44 AM CDT for 6 states. It was in force for 61 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 18, 2004, 7:44 AM CDT (12:44 UTC)
Expired
Oct 18, 2004, 8:45 AM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 101 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Calhoun County, AR, Clark County, AR, Clay County, AR, Cleburne County, AR, Cleveland County, AR, Conway County, AR, Craighead County, AR, Crittenden County, AR, Cross County, AR, Dallas County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Faulkner County, AR, Fulton County, AR, Garland County, AR, Grant County, AR, Greene County, AR, Hempstead County, AR, Hot Spring County, AR, Independence County, AR, Izard County, AR, Jackson County, AR, Jefferson County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Lee County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Lonoke County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Montgomery County, AR, Nevada County, AR, Ouachita County, AR, Perry County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Pike County, AR, Poinsett County, AR, Prairie County, AR, Pulaski County, AR, Randolph County, AR, Saline County, AR, Sharp County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, Stone County, AR, Van Buren County, AR, White County, AR, Woodruff County, AR, Yell County, AR, Alexander County, IL, Massac County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Butler County, MO, Carter County, MO, Dunklin County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Pemiscot County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Wayne County, MO, Benton County, MS, Bolivar County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, DeSoto County, MS, Lafayette County, MS, Marshall County, MS, Panola County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tunica County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Carroll County, TN, Chester County, TN, Crockett County, TN, Dyer County, TN, Fayette County, TN, Gibson County, TN, Hardeman County, TN, Haywood County, TN, Henry County, TN, Lake County, TN, Lauderdale County, TN, Madison County, TN, Obion County, TN, Shelby County, TN, Tipton County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:47 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.

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 0.7 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, 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°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.

371 
ACUS11 KWNS 181244
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 181244 
KYZ000-TNZ000-ILZ000-MSZ000-MOZ000-ARZ000-181345-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2321
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0744 AM CDT MON OCT 18 2004

AREAS AFFECTED...AR/SERN MO EWD INTO WRN KY TO NRN MS

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL 

VALID 181244Z - 181345Z

ADDITIONAL SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS AR INTO SRN MO THIS
MORNING.  AREA TO BE MONITORED FOR POTENTIAL WW.

UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION ASSOCIATED WITH HEIGHT FALLS OVER AR/SRN MO
AS THE SRN PLAINS SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVES EWD...AND LIFT WITHIN THE
LEFT EXIT REGION OF A 60 KT WSWLY MID-LEVEL JET NOSING INTO AR ATTM
WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS.  ONGOING ACTIVITY IS
ORIENTED WITHIN WAA REGIME ALONG A 50 KT SWLY LLJ WHICH EXTENDED
FROM ERN OK TO THE MID MS VALLEY.  DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS MORE THAN
SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS...WITH LOW-LEVEL SHEAR SUPPORTIVE OF
TORNADOES.  HOWEVER...12Z LIT SOUNDING SHOWED A SMALL SURFACE
INVERSION /LESS THAN 1 KM IN DEPTH/ WHICH IS LIKELY INHIBITING THE
STORMS FROM REALIZING THE STRONGER LOW-LEVEL SHEAR/TORNADO POTENTIAL
ATTM.  WARM TEMPERATURES ALOFT ARE EXPECTED TO LIMIT THE HAIL
POTENTIAL...THOUGH ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE
STRONGEST ACTIVITY.

AS SURFACE HEATING COMMENCES THIS MORNING IN THE WAKE OF THE ONGOING
ACTIVITY...THE POTENTIAL FOR SURFACE STORMS AND SUBSEQUENT TORNADO
THREAT WILL INCREASE.  A FEW STORMS HAVE THUS FAR SHOWN LITTLE STORM
ROTATION...BUT ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED FOR A
POTENTIAL WW ISSUANCE THIS MORNING.

..PETERS.. 10/18/2004

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...PAH...MEG...JAN...LSX...LZK...SGF...SHV...

36739192 37338977 37228792 35298861 34058957 33439146
33409313 33829385 34499392 35669276

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaxter, Clay, Fulton, Greene, Marion, Randolph and 1 more6 hr
Oct 18, 2:19 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay and 42 more56 min
Oct 18, 4:40 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClay, Greene, Randolph, Sharp35 min
Oct 18, 9:45 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew and 12 more5 hr
Oct 18, 11:29 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew and 12 more91 min
Oct 18, 2:18 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Calhoun, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew and 12 more57 min
Oct 18, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBaxter, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross and 15 more5 hr
Oct 18, 5:21 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark and 22 more114 min
Oct 18, 5:50 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark and 20 more5 hr
Oct 17, 10:01 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMonroe, Randolph3 hr
Oct 18, 10:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Bond, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Effingham and 27 more85 min
Oct 18, 12:04 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Jackson, Monroe, Pulaski, Randolph, Union86 min
Oct 18, 12:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlexander, Clinton, Jackson, Monroe, Perry, Randolph and 2 more5 hr
Oct 18, 1:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGallatin, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and 2 more95 min
Oct 18, 3:41 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Clinton, Jackson, Monroe, Perry, Randolph and 3 more94 min
Oct 18, 5:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin and 17 more5 hr
Oct 18, 6:05 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham and 23 more115 min
Oct 18, 3:20 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCFranklin, Giles, Lincoln5 hr
Oct 18, 6:02 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFranklin, Giles, Lawrence, Lincoln, Moore, Wayne88 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Arkansas, 2004Mesoscale Discussions in Tennessee, 2004Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2004Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.