Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 63, NWS Memphis, TN

October 17, 2012Lee County, Phillips County, Arkansas; Tunica County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Oct 17, 2012, 7:43 PM CDT for Lee County, Phillips County, Arkansas; Tunica County, Mississippi. It was in force for 32 min. 3 reports 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: Oct 17, 2012, 7:43 PM CDT (00:43 UTC)
Expired: Oct 17, 2012, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Memphis, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lee County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Tunica County, MS

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:45 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
Oct 17, 7:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Tunica, MS	LARGE TREE OVER ROAD AT INTERSECTION OF COBB AND HWY 61. POWERPOLES DOWN ON HWY 4.
Oct 17, 8:00 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 N Helena, AR	TREES DOWN ON COUNTY ROAD 300 IN HORNOR.
Oct 17, 8:05 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Tunica, MS	LARGE TREE OVER ROAD AT INTERSECTION OF COBB AND HWY 61. POWERPOLES DOWN ON HWY 4.

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
Oct 17, 5:21 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 57 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: 947 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1045 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 228 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 236 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.0
Supercell composite: 4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

764 
WFUS54 KMEG 180043
TORMEG
ARC077-107-MSC143-180115-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0063.121018T0043Z-121018T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
743 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LEE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...
  NORTHEASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...
  CENTRAL TUNICA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 743 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR WEST HELENA...MOVING
  EAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO HELENA...
  WEST HELENA AND ST FRANCIS NATIONAL PARK.

 THIS WARNING ALSO INCLUDES AREAS NEAR HORSESHOE LAKE AND MIDWAY
  LAKE.

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 3481 9029 3455 9028 3452 9056 3452 9057
      3451 9058 3450 9072 3463 9078
TIME...MOT...LOC 0043Z 256DEG 38KT 3455 9067

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 17, 7:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Cross, Poinsett, St. Francis	40 min
Oct 17, 7:11 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Lee	34 min
Oct 17, 7:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Mississippi	31 min
Oct 17, 7:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lee, St. Francis	42 min
Oct 17, 7:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lee, Phillips, St. Francis	40 min
Oct 17, 7:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Lee, Phillips	30 min
Oct 17, 7:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Mississippi, Poinsett	40 min
Oct 17, 7:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Mississippi, Poinsett	52 min
Oct 17, 8:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Mississippi	25 min
Oct 17, 8:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Lee, Phillips	22 min
Oct 17, 8:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Lee, Phillips	37 min
Oct 17, 9:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Cross, St. Francis	42 min
Oct 17, 9:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Cross, Lee, St. Francis	23 min
Oct 17, 9:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lee, Phillips	52 min
Oct 17, 8:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Panola, Tate, Tunica	35 min
Oct 17, 8:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Tate	38 min
Oct 17, 8:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Benton, DeSoto, Marshall	38 min
Oct 17, 8:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Tate, Tunica	26 min
Oct 17, 9:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Marshall, Tate	29 min
Oct 17, 9:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie	40 min
Oct 17, 9:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Tate, Tunica	23 min
Oct 17, 9:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Tallahatchie	51 min
Oct 17, 9:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica	42 min
Oct 17, 9:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Benton, Marshall	37 min
Oct 17, 9:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Tate	49 min
Oct 17, 9:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	DeSoto, Tate, Tunica	32 min
Oct 17, 9:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie	42 min
Oct 17, 9:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lafayette, Marshall, Panola	39 min
Oct 17, 9:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Benton, Marshall, Tate	29 min
Oct 17, 9:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MEG	Tallahatchie, Yalobusha	26 min
Oct 17, 9:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Alcorn, Benton, Marshall, Tippah	50 min
Oct 17, 10:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Alcorn, Benton, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Prentiss and 2 more	40 min
Oct 17, 10:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Calhoun, Lafayette, Panola, Yalobusha	49 min
Oct 17, 10:17 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	DeSoto, Marshall	28 min
Oct 17, 10:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Alcorn, Tippah, Tishomingo	64 min
Oct 17, 10:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah and 2 more	55 min
Oct 17, 10:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Lee, Pontotoc, Yalobusha	48 min
Oct 17, 10:44 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica	31 min
Oct 17, 10:46 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Benton, Marshall	44 min
Oct 17, 10:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Tallahatchie, Yalobusha	42 min
Oct 17, 11:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe	52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2012 Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 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.