Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 47, NWS Memphis, TN

May 9, 2021Lee County, St. Francis County, Arkansas

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at May 9, 2021, 4:28 PM CDT for Lee County, St. Francis County, Arkansas. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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: May 9, 2021, 4:28 PM CDT (21:28 UTC)
Expired: May 9, 2021, 5:00 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Memphis, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Lee County, AR, St. Francis County, AR

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:29 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
May 9, 4:30 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Palestine, AR	ROOF OFF HOUSE. POWER POLES AND BARN BLOWN IN.
May 9, 4:30 PM CDT	TORNADO	4 Nne New Salem, AR	A BRIEF TORNADO DAMAGED A BARN AND STORAGE BUILDING. A HOME SUSTAINED MINOR ROOF DAMAGE AND SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED.

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
May 9, 2:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 93 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: 203 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -439 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 759 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 446 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 571 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

410 
WFUS54 KMEG 092128
TORMEG
ARC077-123-092200-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0047.210509T2128Z-210509T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Memphis TN
428 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021

The National Weather Service in Memphis has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Western Lee County in eastern Arkansas...
  Southwestern St. Francis County in eastern Arkansas...

* Until 500 PM CDT.
    
* At 428 PM CDT, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm
  producing a tornado was located near Palestine, moving southeast at
  25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Forrest City, Marianna, Palestine, Wheatley, Haynes, New Salem,
  Cody, Oak Forest, Slonikers Mill, Westor, Soudan, Goodwin,
  Heustess, Ball Point, Tongin, Gill, Bonair, Dansby, Four Forks and
  Four Gums.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a storm shelter or an interior room on the
lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are
outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest
substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3500 9106 3500 9104 3503 9105 3507 9101
      3489 9057 3466 9074 3492 9113
TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 303DEG 22KT 3494 9098 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

SWB

2 follow-up statements

801 
WWUS54 KMEG 092151
SVSMEG

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Memphis TN
451 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021

ARC077-123-092200-
/O.CON.KMEG.TO.W.0047.000000T0000Z-210509T2200Z/
Lee AR-St. Francis AR-
451 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR WESTERN
LEE AND SOUTH CENTRAL ST. FRANCIS COUNTIES...
    
At 451 PM CDT, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm
producing a tornado was located near Haynes, or 7 miles northwest of
Marianna, moving southeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

Locations impacted include...
Forrest City, Marianna, Palestine, Haynes, Cody, Gill, Oak Forest,
Bonair, Westor, Dansby, Four Forks, Soudan, Felton, Dodsons Corner,
Heustess, Ball Point, Scott Valley, Tongin and Mississippi River
State Park.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a storm shelter or an interior room on the
lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are
outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest
substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3489 9057 3466 9074 3483 9100 3501 9086
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 303DEG 22KT 3486 9083 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

SWB

894 
WWUS54 KMEG 092155
SVSMEG

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Memphis TN
455 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021

ARC077-123-092205-
/O.EXP.KMEG.TO.W.0047.000000T0000Z-210509T2200Z/
Lee AR-St. Francis AR-
455 PM CDT Sun May 9 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WESTERN LEE AND SOUTH CENTRAL ST. FRANCIS
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 500 PM CDT...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for
eastern Arkansas.

Remember, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning still remains in effect.

LAT...LON 3489 9057 3466 9074 3483 9100 3501 9086
TIME...MOT...LOC 2155Z 303DEG 22KT 3485 9081 

$$

SWB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 9, 7:28 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Clay, Greene	32 min
May 9, 3:35 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Craighead	25 min
May 9, 3:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Craighead, Mississippi, Poinsett	36 min
May 9, 3:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Mississippi	28 min
May 9, 3:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Cross, Poinsett	35 min
May 9, 4:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Cross, St. Francis	29 min
May 9, 4:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Craighead, Mississippi, Poinsett	28 min
May 9, 4:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Cross, Lee, St. Francis	40 min
May 9, 4:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Crittenden, Cross, Lee, St. Francis	40 min
May 9, 5:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lee	24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes in 2021

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.