Alert archive / Arkansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Memphis, TN

May 20, 2012Crittenden County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at May 20, 2012, 6:40 PM CDT for Crittenden County, Arkansas. It was in force for 84 min. 1 report 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 20, 2012, 6:40 PM CDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2012, 8:04 PM CDT
In force
84 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Crittenden County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:42 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 20, 7:02 PM CDTFLASH FLOODWest Memphis, ARREPORTS OF MINOR STREET FLOODING FROM SPOTTERS AND MSPOTTER.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 41 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 2012-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 296 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 2012-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -47 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
296 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1577 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-29 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

885 
WGUS54 KMEG 202340
FFWMEG
ARC035-210245-
/O.NEW.KMEG.FF.W.0023.120520T2340Z-120521T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
640 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL CRITTENDEN COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...

* UNTIL 945 PM CDT

* AT 640 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAINFALL
  HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST HOUR. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
  PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT 2 HOURS.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MARION AND
  WEST MEMPHIS.

 THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES AREAS NEAR WAPANOCCA LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

.MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE
INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE
USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS
POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING
FLOODED ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

.STAY TUNED TO THIS BROADCAST FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND INFORMATION.
TO REPORT FLASH FLOODING ONLY...CALL 1 800 4 3 2 0 8 7 5.

&&

LAT...LON 3530 9032 3530 9023 3520 9011 3517 9011
      3515 9007 3512 9008 3512 9011 3514 9014
      3512 9017 3504 9020 3502 9021 3504 9027
      3503 9030

$$


RRH
1 follow-up statement
686 
WGUS74 KMEG 210104
FFSMEG

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
804 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2012

ARC035-210114-
/O.CAN.KMEG.FF.W.0023.000000T0000Z-120521T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CRITTENDEN AR-
804 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL CRITTENDEN
COUNTY...

THE HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS
THE WARNED AREA. THUS THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

.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 3530 9032 3530 9023 3520 9011 3517 9011
      3515 9007 3512 9008 3512 9011 3514 9014
      3512 9017 3504 9020 3502 9021 3504 9027
      3503 9030

$$


RRH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMississippi17 min
May 20, 4:57 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCrittenden33 min
May 20, 5:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden51 min
May 20, 5:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCrittenden25 min
May 20, 5:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCrittenden32 min
May 20, 5:55 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCrittenden35 min
May 20, 6:31 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCrittenden29 min
May 20, 6:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGMississippi25 min
May 20, 6:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGGreene32 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arkansas, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.