Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 65, NWS Memphis, TN

October 17, 2012Lee County, Phillips County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Oct 17, 2012, 8:08 PM CDT for Lee County, Phillips County, Arkansas. It was in force for 22 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
Oct 17, 2012, 8:08 PM CDT (01:08 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 2012, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Lee County, AR, Phillips County, AR

The radar

The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:08 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 17, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 00:00Z on 2012-10-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 947 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 00:00Z on 2012-10-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 228 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
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.

120 
WFUS54 KMEG 180108
TORMEG
ARC077-107-180130-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0065.121018T0108Z-121018T0130Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN LEE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...
  NORTHWESTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 807 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A TORNADO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AUBREY...OR 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  MARVELL...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

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

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 3478 9111 3487 9066 3462 9064 3455 9105
      3459 9107 3460 9106 3473 9106 3473 9110
      3474 9111
TIME...MOT...LOC 0107Z 263DEG 34KT 3465 9101

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden, Cross, Poinsett, St. Francis40 min
Oct 17, 7:11 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGLee34 min
Oct 17, 7:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGMississippi31 min
Oct 17, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, St. Francis42 min
Oct 17, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, Phillips, St. Francis40 min
Oct 17, 7:30 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLee, Phillips30 min
Oct 17, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden, Mississippi, Poinsett40 min
Oct 17, 7:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Mississippi, Poinsett52 min
Oct 17, 7:43 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLee, Phillips32 min
Oct 17, 8:05 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCrittenden, Mississippi25 min
Oct 17, 8:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLee, Phillips37 min
Oct 17, 9:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCross, St. Francis42 min
Oct 17, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCrittenden, Cross, Lee, St. Francis23 min
Oct 17, 9:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, Phillips52 min

Nearby

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