Alert archive / Mississippi / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Jackson, MS

March 26, 1988Simpson County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 26, 1988, 4:49 AM CST for Simpson County, Mississippi. It was in force for 23 min. 2 reports 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
Mar 26, 1988, 4:49 AM CST (10:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 1988, 5:12 AM CST
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Simpson 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 26, 4:50 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Simpson, MS
Mar 26, 5:00 AM CSTHail 0.75Simpson, 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 00:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 48 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, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 1988-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 1988-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -65 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
131 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 261049
SVRJAN
MSC127-031-065-261130-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
449 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...SIMPSON
IN SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...COVINGTON...NORTHERN JEFFERSON.DAVIS
 
JACKSON RADAR WAS DETECTING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN PINOLA AND
MAGEE.  THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH IN
THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF COLLINS.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAN
D BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Mar 26, 2:58 AM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
255 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

AT 255 AM...AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF RAYMOND
IN HINDS COUNTY. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL
PRODUCE...TORRENTIAL RAINS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY PEA
SIZED HAIL.

THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS STORM IS THE RAINFALL. THIS LARGE STORM
WILL PRODUCE UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS IT
MOVES THROUGH SOUTHERN HINDS AND INTO RANKIN COUNTY DURING THE NEXT
HOUR. PERSONS DRIVING THROUGH LOW AREAS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION AS
SOME MINOR LOCALIZED FLOODING IS LIKELY.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR MORE STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Local storm report, Mar 26, 3:19 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
315 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

0255C...MERIDIAN POLICE REPORTED APROX 1/4 INCH HAIL AT SEVERAL
LOCATIONS IN MERIDIAN.
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 3:34 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
335 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

AT 330 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED
IN A 25 MILE WIDE CLUSTER FROM NEAR JACKSON TO UTICA. THESE STORMS
ARE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH INTO RANKIN COUNTY AND WILL PRODUCE
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR BAY SPRINGS AND QUITMAN.

OTHER LESSER INTENSITY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED SCATTERED
ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING
EAST AT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 3:34 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
 330 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

 THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR LAUDERDALE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED.
HOWEVER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER SOUTHERN LAUDERDALE
AND NORTHERN CLARKE COUNTIES EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRIENTIAL RAIN...SMALL HAIL
AND GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS AN
RAINSHOWERS STRETCHING ACROSS CENTRAL SECTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI AND INTO
WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. <<
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 4:07 AM CST, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
405 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

AT 400 AM...A VERY LARGE AND INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN
NORTHWEST SIMPSON COUNTY JUST NORTHWEST OF PINOLA. THE STORM IS MOVING
EAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...
AND PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 INCH ARE POSSIBLE AS THIS STORM PASSES THROUGH
SIMPSON COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 4:39 AM CST, 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
435 AM CST SAT MAR 26 1988

AT 430 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED
IN A 25 MILE WIDE BAND WHICH STRETCHED FROM CRYSTAL SPRINGS EAST TO
THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA BORDER ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MERIDIAN.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS AREA WERE LOCATED BETWEEN CRYSTAL
SPRINGS AND MAGEE.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN LAUREL AND WAYNESBORO.

ALL OF THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST
AT 30 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 2:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale64 min
Mar 26, 4:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington, Jefferson Davis41 min
Mar 26, 5:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Mississippi, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.