Alert archive / Tennessee / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 169, NWS Memphis, TN

May 25, 2011Obion County, Weakley County, Tennessee

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2011, 7:58 PM CDT for Obion County, Weakley County, Tennessee. It was in force for 17 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 25, 2011, 7:58 PM CDT (00:58 UTC)
Expired: May 25, 2011, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 17 min
Issued by: NWS Memphis, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Obion County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:59 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 25, 12:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 202 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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2470 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

423 
WFUS54 KMEG 260058
TORMEG
TNC131-183-260115-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0169.110526T0058Z-110526T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
758 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN OBION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TENNESSEE...
  NORTHWESTERN WEAKLEY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TENNESSEE...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 758 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR UNION CITY...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO UNION CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3650 8862 3630 8898 3640 8920 3650 8913
TIME...MOT...LOC 0058Z 226DEG 49KT 3643 8897

$$

1 follow-up statement

224 
WWUS54 KMEG 260109
SVSMEG

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
809 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

TNC131-183-260119-
/O.EXP.KMEG.TO.W.0169.000000T0000Z-110526T0115Z/
WEAKLEY TN-OBION TN-
809 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN OBION AND NORTHWESTERN
WEAKLEY COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 815 PM CDT...

AT 809 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3650 8862 3630 8898 3640 8920 3650 8913
TIME...MOT...LOC 0109Z 226DEG 49KT 3653 8883

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 25, 7:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Crockett, Dyer, Haywood, Lauderdale, Tipton	39 min
May 25, 7:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Dyer, Lake, Obion, Weakley	51 min
May 25, 7:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Fayette, Shelby, Tipton	50 min
May 25, 7:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Fayette, Shelby	47 min
May 25, 7:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Fayette, Haywood, Lauderdale, Shelby, Tipton	46 min
May 25, 8:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Fayette, Hardeman, Shelby	40 min
May 25, 8:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Tipton	53 min
May 25, 9:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Chester, Decatur, Hardin, Henderson, McNairy	44 min
May 25, 9:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Chester, Decatur, Henderson	49 min
May 25, 10:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Hardin	41 min
May 25, 10:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Hardin, McNairy	26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.