Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Morristown, TN

May 8, 20094 counties in Tennessee

NWS Morristown, TN issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2009, 8:49 PM EDT for 4 counties in Tennessee. It was in force for 43 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
May 8, 2009, 8:49 PM EDT (00:49 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2009, 9:32 PM EDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Morristown, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Carter County, TN, Johnson County, TN, Sullivan County, TN, Washington County, TN

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 141 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:49 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
May 8, 9:05 PM EDTFUNNEL CLOUD3 Sw Bluff City, TNPUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR PINEY FLATS.
May 8, 9:10 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 Sw Bluff City, TNTREES DOWN IN PINEY FLATS AREA. REPORTED BY DISPATCH.

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
May 8, 6:32 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 180 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2009-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 216 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2009-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 155 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
216 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1148 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
212 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMRX 090049
TORMRX
TNC019-091-163-179-090145-
/O.NEW.KMRX.TO.W.0021.090509T0049Z-090509T0145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
849 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MORRISTOWN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CARTER COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ELIZABETHTON...
  JOHNSON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MOUNTAIN CITY...
  SULLIVAN COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST TENNESSEE...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF JOHNSON CITY...

* UNTIL 945 PM EDT

* AT 845 PM EDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
  NEAR GRAY...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF JOHNSON CITY...MOVING EAST AT
  35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  JOHNSON CITY BY 855 PM EDT...
  ELIZABETHTON BY 905 PM EDT...
  MOUNTAIN CITY BY 945 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT OR STORM
SHELTER. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF
NO BASEMENT 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.

A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM EDT SATURDAY 
MORNING FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

&&

LAT...LON 3653 8170 3648 8169 3640 8174 3636 8173
      3634 8170 3633 8172 3633 8182 3630 8189
      3631 8256 3649 8257 3662 8168 3657 8167
TIME...MOT...LOC 0048Z 267DEG 31KT 3640 8244

$$

DH
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KMRX 090132
SVSMRX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
932 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

TNC019-091-163-179-090142-
/O.CAN.KMRX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090509T0145Z/
WASHINGTON TN-SULLIVAN TN-JOHNSON TN-CARTER TN-
932 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CARTER...JOHNSON...SULLIVAN AND WASHINGTON
COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORMS THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD EXITED THE WARNED AREA.
THEREFORE...THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3653 8170 3648 8169 3640 8174 3636 8173
      3634 8170 3633 8172 3633 8182 3630 8189
      3631 8256 3649 8257 3662 8168 3657 8167
TIME...MOT...LOC 0132Z 267DEG 31KT 3642 8197

$$

GM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 8:09 PM EDTTornado WarningMRXGreene, Hawkins, Sullivan, Washington51 min
May 9, 9:42 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMRXBledsoe3 hr
May 9, 10:45 AM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMRXRhea2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.