Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 19, NWS Jackson, MS
NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Nov 16, 1987, 3:12 PM CST for Attala County, Madison County, Mississippi. It was in force for 48 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 16, 1987, 3:12 PM CST (21:12 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 16, 1987, 4:00 PM CST
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Jackson, MS
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Attala County, MS, Madison County, MS
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 3:24 PM CST | Tornado F1 | Attala, MS |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 65 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 166 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -109 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 707 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 412 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 733 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 0.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KJAN 162112
TORJAN
MSC007-089-162200-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
312 PM CST MON NOV 16 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
...ATTALA...MADISON
AT 310 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR CANTON MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH. THIS PATH WILL TAKE THE STORM NEAR
KOSCUISKO DURING THE NEXT 30 MINUTES. DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN
REPORTED WITH THIS STORM...SO PEOPLE IN ITS PATH SHOULD SEEK SHELTER.\
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.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, Nov 16, 11:09 AM CST, 4 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS 1100 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 550 WHICH INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI EXCEPT WAYNE COUNTY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM CST TODAY. AT 1105 AM NO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS INDICATED IN OR CLOSE TO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. HOWEVER...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER WESTERN MISSISSIPPI AND WERE MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD AND WILL BE APPROACHING EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 11:54 AM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 1135 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM... AT 1135 AM...RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI FROM NEAR YAZOO CITY SOUTHWARD TO NEAR UTICA. THE STRONGEST STORM IN THIS LINE IS LOCATED NEAR THE BIG BLACK RIVER NORTH OF FLORA...AND IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. RADAR INDICATES A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN THIS STORM...AND TORNADO WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MADISON AND YAZOO COUNTIES. THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM IS STILL TO THE WEST OF MISSISSIPPI...BUT IS MOVING SLOWLY IN OUR DIRECTION. AS A RESULT...THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...TORNADOES...AND FLAESH FLOODING WILL EXIST FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 12:02 PM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 1135 AM CST MON NOV 16 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM... AT 1135 AM...RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI FROM NEAR YAZOO CITY SOUTHWARD TO NEAR UTICA. THE STRONGEST STORM IN THIS LINE IS LOCATED NEAR THE BIG BLACK RIVER NORTH OF FLORA...AND IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. RADAR INDICATES A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN THIS STORM...AND TORNADO WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MADISON AND YAZOO COUNTIES. THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM IS STILL TO THE WEST OF MISSISSIPPI...BUT IS MOVING SLOWLY IN OUR DIRECTION. AS A RESULT...THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMRS...TORNADOES...AND FLASH FLOODING WILL EXIST FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 12:35 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS 1230 PM CST MON NOV 16 1987 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 551 WHICH INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST THIS EVENING. AT 1230 PM NO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS INDICATED IN OR CLOSE TO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. HOWEVER...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER WESTERN MISSISSIPPI AND WERE MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE EAST AND WILL BE APPROACHING EAS T CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI BY MID AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 2:11 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 200 PM CST MON NOV 16 1987 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF MISSISSIPPI TIL 8 PM... AT 200 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF OF MISSISSIPPI...GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE FROM KOSCIUSKO TO JACKSON TO AMITE COUNTY IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN CLAIBORNE AND SHARKEY COUNTIES AT THE PRESENT TIME...AND ARE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE LARGE AREA OF RAIN CONTAINING THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD...AND SHOULD AFFECT MORE OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND yTORNADOES... SOME FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY. A FEW SPOTS HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED NEARLY 6 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE 6 AM THIS MORNING...AND A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 2:22 PM CST, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS 220 PM CST MON NOV 16 1987 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 551 WHICH INCLUDES ALL COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST THIS EVENING. AT 215 PM SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED INTO PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THE THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE SPREADING RAPIDLY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THE AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS MOVED EASTWARD INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE HOURS. RESIDENTS OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL, STRONG GUSTY WINDS, DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Jackson, MS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 8:34 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne, Jefferson | 41 min |
| Nov 16, 9:14 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne | 31 min |
| Nov 16, 11:01 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Warren | 119 min |
| Nov 16, 11:15 AM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Hinds | 30 min |
| Nov 16, 11:27 AM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Madison, Yazoo | 48 min |
| Nov 16, 1:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Issaquena, Sharkey | 44 min |
| Nov 16, 1:35 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Claiborne, Jefferson, Warren | 115 min |
| Nov 16, 1:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne | 44 min |
| Nov 16, 2:29 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Hinds | 31 min |
| Nov 16, 2:41 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Hinds | 34 min |
| Nov 16, 2:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Holmes | 28 min |
| Nov 16, 2:52 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Rankin | 38 min |
| Nov 16, 3:32 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Rankin, Simpson | 28 min |
| Nov 16, 3:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Neshoba | 36 min |
| Nov 16, 4:10 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Winston | 30 min |
| Nov 16, 4:25 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Newton | 20 min |
| Nov 16, 4:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Kemper, Neshoba | 42 min |
| Nov 16, 4:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Noxubee | 42 min |
| Nov 16, 4:49 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lauderdale, Newton | 41 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.