Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Memphis, TN

February 29, 2012Clay County, Randolph County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Feb 29, 2012, 4:25 AM CST for Clay County, Randolph County, Arkansas. It was in force for 50 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: Feb 29, 2012, 4:25 AM CST (10:25 UTC)
Expired: Feb 29, 2012, 5:15 AM CST
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Memphis, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Clay County, AR, Randolph County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:25 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 29, 5:00 AM CST	HAIL 1.75	2 W Corning, AR	SPOTTER MENTIONED HAIL COULD HAVE BEEN BIGGER.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 29, 3:20 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 189 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: 61 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -316 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 578 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 70 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 335 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 421 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

602 
WFUS54 KMEG 291025
TORMEG
ARC021-121-291115-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0020.120229T1025Z-120229T1115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
425 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...
  NORTHEASTERN RANDOLPH COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...

* UNTIL 515 AM CST

* AT 425 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MAYNARD...OR 10 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF DONIPHAN...MOVING EAST AT 65 MPH.

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

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE GOLFBALL SIZE 
HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.

.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.

.TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3650 9029 3640 9030 3637 9097 3650 9100
TIME...MOT...LOC 1025Z 270DEG 58KT 3650 9084

$$

1 follow-up statement

065 
WWUS54 KMEG 291107
SVSMEG

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
507 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

ARC121-291116-
/O.CAN.KMEG.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-120229T1115Z/
RANDOLPH AR-
507 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL RANDOLPH COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

AT 506 AM CST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE 
THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA 
AND NO LONGER POSE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY. 
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED.

.A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ALERT AREA.

LAT...LON 3643 9075 3645 9060 3648 9029 3640 9030
      3638 9074
TIME...MOT...LOC 1106Z 263DEG 56KT 3636 9057

$$

ARC021-291115-
/O.CON.KMEG.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-120229T1115Z/
CLAY AR-
507 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 AM CST FOR
NORTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY...

AT 506 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR TWIN OAKS...OR 6
MILES SOUTHWEST OF CORNING...MOVING EAST AT 65 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CORNING AND
TWIN OAKS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 
70 MPH.

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.

.TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

.A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ALERT AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 3643 9075 3645 9060 3648 9029 3640 9030
      3638 9074
TIME...MOT...LOC 1106Z 263DEG 56KT 3636 9057

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 29, 12:34 AM CST	Wind Advisory	MEG	Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Lawrence and 6 more	10 hr
Feb 29, 3:51 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MEG	Randolph	39 min
Feb 29, 4:22 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MEG	Lawrence, Randolph	38 min
Feb 29, 4:56 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MEG	Clay, Randolph	49 min
Feb 29, 5:30 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Clay	30 min
Feb 29, 5:48 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lawrence, Randolph	42 min
Feb 29, 6:25 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Clay, Greene, Lawrence, Randolph	50 min
Feb 29, 6:43 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lawrence	47 min
Feb 29, 6:51 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Clay, Greene	39 min
Feb 29, 7:25 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lawrence	33 min
Feb 29, 7:43 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Craighead, Greene	23 min
Feb 29, 2:32 PM CST	Red Flag Warning	MEG	Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi and 2 more	3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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.