Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 82, NWS Memphis, TN

May 2, 2008Cross County, St. Francis County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 2, 2008, 1:49 PM CDT for Cross County, St. Francis County, Arkansas. It was in force for 41 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
May 2, 2008, 1:49 PM CDT (18:49 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2008, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cross County, AR, St. Francis County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:53 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 2, 8:49 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 2008-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1314 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 2008-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 532 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1314 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-56 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
609 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
532 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
505 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.8
Supercell composite
15.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMEG 021849
TORMEG
ARC037-123-021930-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0082.080502T1849Z-080502T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
149 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN CROSS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...
  NORTHWESTERN ST. FRANCIS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 149 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES NORTH OF
  WHEATLEY...OR 7 MILES EAST OF COTTON PLANT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50
  MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CALDWELL...COLT...WYNNE AND VANNDALE.

.IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

.THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS A STORM SHELTER. IF NO
STORM SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE
BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

.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 AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

.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 3537 9071 3512 9061 3490 9115 3500 9116
      3502 9113 3502 9107 3503 9106 3517 9106
TIME...MOT...LOC 1849Z 238DEG 43KT 3502 9112

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 3:29 AM CDTWind AdvisoryMEGClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lawrence and 6 more17 hr
May 2, 10:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGLawrence, Randolph2 hr
May 2, 11:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead, Greene36 min
May 2, 12:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead, Poinsett47 min
May 2, 12:42 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGCraighead93 min
May 2, 12:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCraighead, Greene21 min
May 2, 12:59 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGGreene91 min
May 2, 1:01 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCraighead, Greene44 min
May 2, 1:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGLawrence64 min
May 2, 2:18 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCross, Mississippi, Poinsett42 min
May 2, 2:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCross, Lee, St. Francis50 min
May 2, 2:54 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMississippi51 min
May 2, 2:56 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Cross, St. Francis49 min
May 2, 2:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGCross, St. Francis93 min
May 2, 3:03 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLee, Phillips, St. Francis57 min
May 2, 3:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Cross, Mississippi52 min
May 2, 3:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGCrittenden, Mississippi89 min
May 2, 3:55 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMississippi50 min
May 2, 4:03 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Lee29 min
May 2, 4:05 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMississippi40 min
May 2, 4:35 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMississippi40 min
May 2, 4:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGMississippi95 min
May 2, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPhillips39 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.