Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Jackson, MS

May 18, 1986Warren County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1986, 11:40 AM CDT for Warren County, Mississippi. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 18, 1986, 11:40 AM CDT (16:40 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 1986, 12:15 PM CDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Jackson, MS
Area: Whole counties

County Warren County, MS

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 73 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: 286 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 680 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAAOO KJAN 181639
TORJAN
MSC149-181715-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1140 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

IN WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ..SOUTHERN WARREN...

AT 1140 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER ABOUT HALF WAY BETWEEN VICKSBURG AND PORT GIBSON. THE STORM THAT
CONTAINS THIS TORNADO IS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO, THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE, SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS, PILLOWS, OR
CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT, SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST
PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET TO A BASEMENT3
IF ONE IS AVAILABLE.  AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM
FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS, BLANKETS OR PILLOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 18, 11:10 AM CDT, 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
1110AM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986

 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
UNTIL 500PM CDT...
 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 400PM CDT...

AT 1110AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI SOUTHEAST ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
INTO ALABAMA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED NEAR SARDIS
RESERVOIR ANDJUST EAST OF FULTON. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER WEST
MISSISSIPPI. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTHE0AST
MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON.

PERSONS IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI SHOULD REMAIN HIGHLY ALERT FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPEMENT AND STAY
TUNE FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, MS issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 11:04 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	JAN	Issaquena, Warren	56 min
May 18, 11:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Madison, Yazoo	55 min
May 18, 2:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Neshoba, Newton	42 min
May 18, 2:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Kemper, Lauderdale	53 min
May 18, 2:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Jefferson Davis	37 min
May 18, 2:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Covington	40 min
May 18, 2:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Jones	63 min
May 18, 3:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Marion	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1986 Every tornado warning in 1986 Tornadoes in 1986

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.