01/08/08 NOW: AR / MS / TN / KY

[Heidi Farrar]

Tornado warnings in NE AR -- Live stream from KAIT-8

http://www.kait8.com/global/category.asp?c=4390

 

[Heidi Farrar]

I just came back from chasing this storm as it came through southern Izard Co. AR. I was on the wrong side of the storm so I couldn't see anything, and storm motion, roads (lack of), etc. prevented me from getting in the best position, but there was plenty of intense lightning in the cell.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

I was about to post a new NOW thread; I'm glad Heidi was on it. Anyway, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the NWS is confirming a fatality with the tornadic storms in Arkansas as they passed through eastern Pope County. The most significant of the damage appears to be near the hamlet of Appleton, near the border with Van Buren and Conway counties.

The SPC has a tornado watch in effect in an area from Paducah to Texarkana, effective until 22z, along with a SLGT risk and 10% tornado probs. Mesoanalysis reveals shear profiles very favorable for tornadic supercells(0-1km SRH >300m2/s2 and increasing the further north you go, and deep layer shear on the order of 50-60kts), although instability is currently minimal. Visible satellite imagery, however, shows a thinning of the cloud deck near the Mississippi River across far eastern AR/western MS, and this increased insolation/destabilization should further prime the region for possibly of significant severe weather. The thunderstorms, currently located along a SW-NE line extending from Lewisville to Pocahontas, should be closely monitored for an increase in intensity as they push a couple of counties further east and into the area of increasing instability values.

EDIT: KATV (Little Rock): "One Person Killed as Tornado Hits Pope County"

 

[beaudodson]

Socked in with clouds currently here in West KY. Very strong winds ahead of the front. We have had winds gusting over 40 mph in the last hour or two. Instability is a real question for this region. SPC has a long paragraph on the subjet. The second round of storms is in question...small window of opportunity. Certainly will be watching the event as it unfolds here in West KY.

Satellite shows a lot of clearing behind the first line of storms as well. Ahead of the front I believe. Looked like some CU trying to form behind the first line as well.

Storms that have been moving through this region have been racing northeast.

Might include other areas in the NOWcasting. Warnings have been issued in MO as well this morning. Watch covers several states.

Edit: New meso discussion just issued by SPC concerning tornado watch 8.

 

[Heidi Farrar]

Tornado warning for Cross Co. AR right now. Live stream is still up:
http://www.kait8.com/global/category.asp?c=4390

KAIT journalist Keith Boles reports damage in Jonesboro from non-tornado-warned storm(possibly straight-line winds) -- trees snapped 6-feet off the ground, some buildings damaged.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

Several bow echoes/LEWPs appear to have developed along the convective line, mainly in SErn AR, with a locally enhanced threat for damaging winds. As far as the Cross County tornado warning, the circulation appears to have tightened up pretty nicely in the last couple of scans; couplet now crossing HWY75 north of the Parkin area with radar-indicated velocities of -35kt/+45kt.

EDIT: Thru the 2037z scan, the circulation has maintained its intensity and is now crossing the county line into NWrn Crittenden County.
EDIT2: adding a reflectivity grab of the storms in SE AR. Large area affected:
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... SOUTHEASTERN MONROE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS..... ARKANSAS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... BRADLEY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... SOUTHEASTERN CLEVELAND COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS.... DESHA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... DREW COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... LINCOLN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS... SOUTHEASTERN CALHOUN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

 

[Sam Sagnella]

The KAIT feed that Heidi posted is reporting that there is in fact damage in Cross County from the cell that just passed thru. Apparently a 'shop' was damaged along HWY64 to the west of Parkin, which is the east-west road on that first velocity grab posted above. No word on the cause of the damage, but the circulation was obviously close by .

Storm crossing I-55 in Mississippi County, AR now.

EDIT: While the circulation still appears to be fairly broad, it has strengthened noticeably in the past two scans, so we may be gearing up for another possible touchdown here pretty quick. Above is 2103z; below 2111z.

 

[Heidi Farrar]

I just intercepted the gust front, which is visible on radar behind the main line. Temp. here is still 66, but the humidity dropped percipitiously (into the 70% range - when I left it was still in the 90s) and winds have shifted accordingly. I'll post photos of the gust front as soon as I get them uploaded.

 

[Justin E. Reed]

Very strong rotation crossing the MS River into Lauderdale County, just north of Memphis in Shelby County. Its moving at 50-55mph! its a broad area, but very strong. Middle TN is sitting in mostly cloudy to overcast skies. Temps 67-72. The storm moving into City of Memphis is quite strong, very good chance of damaging winds over 70mph. Live, streaming on WMC in Memphis.

WMC-TV Memphis
http://www.wmcstations.com/

 

[Sam Sagnella]

wow, as of 2115z, it is looking very intense; check out this couplet!

They've got helicopter footage of the Jonesboro damage on that stream by the way.

EDIT: damage reports from KAIT
-damage to houses in Dryner(sp)
-hwy 46 shed damage, powerlines down in/near Parkin
-roof off shed in Birdsong
-25 houses w/o power in Jonesboro, near Matthews (?) street.

EDIT2: Looks like the town of Grider got whaled by the worst of this storm; this may be the town they were speaking of on the stream (Dryner/Grider?). Looks like it went right up that SW-NE segment of US 61.
2020z:

EDIT3: FWIW, that KAIT8 stream is no longer up, as the tornado-warned storms have exited their viewing area.
EDIT4 (lol): WREG-TV in Memphis is streaming live here, as is Action News 5 here, though I cannot get that to work for some reason.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

Hmm. Decent little couplet on that storm near the Dyersburg area in Dyer County TN; looks to pass south of the main population center, crossing US51 and US412 in the next 10 minutes. Reflectivity values are not particularly high, although there seems to be some beam blockage at roughly 30deg, which is right through the area of concern.

EDIT: WREG-TV is reporting confirmed tornadoes and tornado damage from this cell in the Lauderdale County TN and Dyer County TN areas. This is the same cell that has tracked across Cross, Crittenden, and Mississippi Counties in AR before crossing the river.

EDIT2: Tornado warning extended N and E of the Dyersburg TN area, with a public report of a tornado near Roellen (ROW-ellen), which is ~10E Dyersburg.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

"Homes completely destroyed" along HWY 51 near the Dyer/Lauderdale county line, per WREG. Also "cars floating" in the Memphis metro area; I missed the specific location.

New cell really getting going in SW Mississippi; areas near the Fayette area in Jefferson County now under a tornado warning.

EDIT: TORs flying out of the Paducah area as well, with, just at a quick glance, the strongest areas of rotation located a) near the Shawneetown IL area of Gallatin County; should ride the tri-state lines for the next little while. b) near the Mayfield KY area along the tail end of a long convective line; this one may looks like it was a little bit more intense a scan or two ago as it passed northwest of town in Graves County.

 

[Justin E. Reed]

Yeah, just started noticing the storm just north of Natchez. It developed near Alexandria, LA and has rapidly intensified and it starting to get a notch/developing hook on it. They may issue a new watch or extend the current watch for LA and MS areas south of the current watch area, specificly for the storm near Natchez, and developing ones near Monroe, LA and near Leesville, LA. Flash Flood Warning for Memphis/Shelby County. Storms around Paducah have really started to fire off, lightning count on LPATS beside me is rapidly increasing and they are starting to isolate themselves. I definetly would keep my eye on LA and Southern MS for a new watch within an hour or so.

 

[Sam Sagnella]

Lol, Justin, that's the second time we've been posting about the same thing at the same time.

No surprise in either of the following cases, but law enforcement did report a funnel cloud in the Shawneetown IL area as the storm came thru; will post a radar grab in a few min. Also, the SVS for the MS storm indicates that "AT 341 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A TORNADO." Hopefully, the citizens of Fayette were heeding the warnings, as they appear to be very nearly underneath the most dangerous part of the storm.

EDIT:
2235z, cell just E of Shawneetown.

2247z, right over Fayette (pop. 2000).

 

[Justin E. Reed]

As I predicted earlier, Tornado Watch #10 has been issued. It covers the currently warned storm near Natchez, and over to the Alabama border. It does include Jackson, Meridian, and Columbus. Pretty much, 2/3 of the state is under a watch now. Also, the storm near Natchez, I can confirm, is a right mover. It does appear to be losing strength, but I expect this area to be a night time event with storms currently over Fort Polk, LA. Shear is favorable, as evident by the storm movement history, and its been partly cloudy most of the day in this area, outside of high couds and scattered cumulus. Other heavy showers are trying to become something more in the McComb area, only one strik so far in the past 20 minutes there, as well as Marksville, LA.