Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Jackson, MS

September 24, 1988Washington County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Sep 24, 1988, 9:49 PM CDT for Washington County, Mississippi. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 24, 1988, 9:49 PM CDT (02:49 UTC)
Expired
Sep 24, 1988, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Washington 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 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 134 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 1988-09-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1113 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 1988-09-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 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
1113 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1396 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 250250
TORJAN
MSC151-250315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
949 PM CDT  SEP 24 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
          ...SOUTHERN WASHINGTON
 
AT 945 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ABOUT 5 MILES
WEST OF HOLLANDALE. THIS STORM IS MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND
APPEARS IT WILL PASS JUST WEST OF HOLLANDALE AND MOVE TOWARD GLEN
ALLAN.
 
SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME
OR APARTMENT.  AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR HEAD FROM FLYING
DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS OR PILLOWS.
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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, Sep 24, 7:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
715 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

...PORTIONS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 436 CANCELLED...

THAT PORTION OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 416 HAS BEEN
CANCELLED FOR THOSE COUNTIES ALONG AND WEST OF A TUPELO-GREENWOOD
TO BELZONI LINE. THE WATCH CONTINUES FOR THAT PORTION OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI EAST OF THAT LINE.

AT 715 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED THAT INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
STRETCHED FROM NEAR LEXINGTON NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHEAST CARROLL
COUNTY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Sep 24, 7:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECT CHANGED 416 TO 436 FIRST LINE.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
715 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

...PORTIONS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 436 CANCELLED...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 436 HAS BEEN CANCELLED
FOR THOSE COUNTIES ALONG AND WEST OF A TUPELO-GREENWOOD
TO BELZONI LINE. THE WATCH CONTINUES FOR THAT PORTION OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI EAST OF THAT LINE.

AT 715 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED THAT INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
STRETCHED FROM NEAR LEXINGTON NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHEAST CARROLL
COUNTY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Sep 24, 8:01 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
 801 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 436 FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTH
MISSISSIPI CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM.

AT 758 PM MERIDIAN RADAR INDICATED ARE LARGE AREA OF STRONG THUNDER-
STORMS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM VICKSBURG TO ABERDEEM.
THE LINE HAS BEEN MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD WHILE INDIVIDUAL THUNDER-
STORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING EASTWARD AT 20 MPH.

PEOP@LE IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN WEATHER ALERT
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Sep 24, 8:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
805 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

AT 800 PM...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
CLEVELAND TO GREENWOOD TO NORTH OF COLUMBUS. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM
WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF RULEVILLE. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS
LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST CARROLL COUNTY.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI WEST OF
FLORA.

ALL STORMS WERE MOEVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Sep 24, 8:59 PM CDT, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
900 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI HAS BEEN CANCELLED. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS
PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI...BUT THE THUNDERSTORM INTENSITIES HAVE
DECREASED AND THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED.
Special weather statement, Sep 24, 9:42 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
940 PM CDT SAT SEP 24 1988

AT 935 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IN
SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF HOLLANDALE.
THIS STORM IS MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

ANOTHER CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR GRENADA
TO KOSCUISKO TO NEAR CARTHAGE. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT
20 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS OF LESSER INTENSITIES WERE SCATTERED ACROSS
NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 24, 7:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar32 min
Sep 24, 7:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSunflower30 min
Sep 24, 9:10 PM CDTTornado WarningJANSunflower17 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.