Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 60, NWS Nashville, TN

April 13, 2009Van Buren County, Tennessee

NWS Nashville, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 2009, 9:53 PM CDT for Van Buren County, Tennessee. It was in force for 22 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 13, 2009, 9:53 PM CDT (02:53 UTC)
Expired: Apr 13, 2009, 10:15 PM CDT
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Nashville, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Van Buren County, TN

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:56 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 119 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 703 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 752 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 159 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KOHX 140253
TOROHX
TNC175-140315-
/O.NEW.KOHX.TO.W.0060.090414T0253Z-090414T0315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
953 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN AND EASTERN VAN BUREN COUNTY IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT

* AT 950 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER EXTREME
  SOUTHWESTERN VAN BUREN COUNTY...OR 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPENCER...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM HAS SHOWN AN INCREASE IN
  INTENSITY OVER THE LAST 10 MINUTES.

* THE TORNADO WILL MOVE ACROSS...
  RURAL PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN VAN BUREN COUNTY BY 1010 PM CDT

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3561 8542 3556 8553 3563 8557 3577 8532
      3569 8529
TIME...MOT...LOC 0252Z 239DEG 30KT 3559 8553

$$

19

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KOHX 140310
SVSOHX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1010 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

TNC175-140315-
/O.CON.KOHX.TO.W.0060.000000T0000Z-090414T0315Z/
VAN BUREN TN-
1010 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
VAN BUREN COUNTY...

AT 1010 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL VAN BUREN
COUNTY...OR 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SPENCER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35
MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
INDICATED COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

&&

LAT...LON 3561 8542 3556 8553 3563 8557 3577 8532
      3569 8529
TIME...MOT...LOC 0310Z 239DEG 30KT 3566 8537

$$

ROSE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 13, 2:40 PM CDT, 7 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 13, 2:40 PM CDT, 7 hours 13 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
240 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

.SHORT TERM...(THRU WED NITE)
CURRENT...LINE OF TSTMS MOVING ACROSS CNTRL PORTIONS OF CWA. SOME
PEA-SIZED HAIL REPORTS BUT NOTHING SEVERE YET. AM RELUCTANT TO
CLEAR COUNTIES FROM W JUST YET...AS ANOTHER LINE POSSIBLE W/ FRONT
MOVING ACROSS W TN.

CONVECTION WILL END TONITE AS FRONT REACHES BNA 04-06Z AND CSV
10Z-12Z. SEVERE LIKELY TO BE OVER BY EXPIRATION TIME.

H925 WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE/CLOUDINESS TO BE RULE INTO WED WITH LO
POPS MAINLY NCNTRL AND NE. CLEARING TAKES PLACE WED NITE.

.LONG TERM...
PLENTY OF CLEAR SKIES AND PLEASANT TEMPS THU INTO FRI. SAT AND SAT
NITE WAA AND H5 IMPULSES EJECTING OUT OF CNTRL PLAINS TROF W/
30-50 POPS. SAME GOES FOR SUN AND SUN NITE AS FRONT PUSHES DOWN
FROM THE N.
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
NASHVILLE      48  52  41  57 /  70  30  20  10
CLARKSVILLE    45  51  39  56 /  50  20  10  10
CROSSVILLE     47  52  38  55 /  70  50  30  10
COLUMBIA       47  54  40  59 /  70  20  10  10
LAWRENCEBURG   48  55  40  60 /  50  20  10  10
WAVERLY        47  52  39  57 /  50  20  10  10
&&

.OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

17/MAG

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 13, 4:47 PM CDT, 5 hours 6 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
447 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-141200-
STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON-
HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE-
SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS-
WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DEKALB-WHITE-
CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-
GILES-
447 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

13

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 13, 8:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
842 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0840 PM     HAIL             MANCHESTER              35.47N 86.08W
04/13/2009  E1.00 INCH       COFFEE             TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

ROSE

Local storm report, Apr 13, 9:09 PM CDT, 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
909 PM CDT MON APR 13 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0849 PM     TORNADO          10 ENE MANCHESTER       35.52N 85.92W
04/13/2009                   COFFEE             TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTED A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN ABOUT 3 MILES
            SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 55 BETWEEN SUMMITVILLE AND VIOLA

&&

ROSE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 13, 7:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Clay	29 min
Apr 13, 7:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Clay, Overton	24 min
Apr 13, 7:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Pickett	24 min
Apr 13, 8:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Coffee	34 min
Apr 13, 8:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Coffee, Warren	26 min
Apr 13, 9:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Grundy	29 min
Apr 13, 9:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Warren	33 min
Apr 13, 9:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Grundy	32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.