Alert archive / Tennessee / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Memphis, TN

March 16, 2012Shelby County, Tennessee; Crittenden County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at Mar 16, 2012, 11:00 AM CDT for Shelby County, Tennessee; Crittenden County, Arkansas. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 16, 2012, 11:00 AM CDT (16:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Crittenden County, AR, Shelby County, TN

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:00 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 nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 37 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 2012-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1631 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2012-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -16 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
1631 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
718 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
4 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.

069 
WGUS54 KMEG 161600
FFWMEG
ARC035-TNC157-161800-
/O.NEW.KMEG.FF.W.0005.120316T1600Z-120316T1800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1100 AM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 100 PM CDT

* AT 1100 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES 2 TO 3 INCHES OF          
  RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST 3 HOURS. 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...
  WEST MEMPHIS...BARTLETT...COLLIERVILLE...GERMANTOWN...MIDTOWN
  MEMPHIS...MILLINGTON...CORDOVA...MEEMAN SHELBY FOREST STATE PARK
  AND T O FULLER STATE PARK.

 THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES AREAS NEAR BRANDYWINE LAKE...CORONEE LAKE
  AND WAPANOCCA LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.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 3504 8965 3503 9038 3532 9042 3537 8965

$$
2 follow-up statements
824 
WGUS74 KMEG 161712
FFSMEG

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1212 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

ARC035-TNC157-161800-
/O.CON.KMEG.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120316T1800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CRITTENDEN AR-SHELBY TN-
1212 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CDT FOR
SHELBY AND CENTRAL CRITTENDEN COUNTIES...

AT 1211 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAINFALL 
HAS OCCURRED OVER THE PAST 4 HOURS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS 
DEVELOPING TO THE WEST WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE WARNED AREA AND 
PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT HOUR.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MARION...WEST
MEMPHIS...BARTLETT...COLLIERVILLE...GERMANTOWN...MIDTOWN MEMPHIS...
MILLINGTON...CORDOVA...MEEMAN SHELBY FOREST STATE PARK AND T O FULLER
STATE PARK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.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 SEVERE WEATHER ONLY...CALL 1 800 4 3 2 0 8 7 5.

&&

LAT...LON 3504 8965 3503 9038 3532 9042 3537 8965

$$
377 
WGUS74 KMEG 161807
FFSMEG

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
107 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

ARC035-TNC157-161817-
/O.EXP.KMEG.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120316T1800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CRITTENDEN AR-SHELBY TN-
107 PM CDT FRI MAR 16 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR SHELBY AND CENTRAL
CRITTENDEN COUNTIES...

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

.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 3504 8965 3503 9038 3532 9042 3537 8965

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 1:51 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGLake39 min
Mar 16, 4:07 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGGibson23 min
Mar 16, 8:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGFayette, Hardeman, Shelby2 hr
Mar 16, 2:14 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMEGClay3 hr
Mar 16, 5:59 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningMEGClay, Greene40 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Tennessee, 2012Flash 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.