Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 43, NWS Jackson, MS

November 19, 1988Smith County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Nov 19, 1988, 12:02 PM CST for Smith County, Mississippi. It was in force for 28 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 19, 1988, 12:02 PM CST (18:02 UTC)
Expired
Nov 19, 1988, 12:30 PM CST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Smith 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
Nov 19, 12:20 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Smith, 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, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 12:00Z on 1988-11-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 154 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 12:00Z on 1988-11-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 245 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
154 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
594 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
245 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 19, 6:12 AM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Nov 19, 7:58 AM CST, 4 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
755 AM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

          ...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE JACKSON AREA...

AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH
THE JACKSON AREA DURING THE LAST 2 HOURS. CLINTON HAS REPORTED 2.60
INCHES OF RAIN IN THAT TIME PERIOD WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES COMMON ACROSS
JACKSON. IN RANKIN COUNTY...AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN LITTLE LESS...BUT STILL
AROUND 1 INCH.

THIS VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAS CAUSED SOME STREETS TO FLOOD. PERSONS
OUT DRIVING AROUND THIS MORNING SHOULD BE EXTRA CAREFUL. IF YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO DRIVE...THEN WAIT MAYBE AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE LEAVING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DECREASING IN THE JACKSON AR EA BY 815 AM.
THE WATER WILL RECEDE QUICKLY...BUT MORE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 9:37 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
915 AM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
   AND TONIGHT...

A VERY POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM NOW OVER TEXAS IS MOVING EASTWARD TOWARD
MISSISSIPPI. THIS SYSTEM AS INTENSIFIED EVEN MORE THAN EXPECTED
DURING THE PAST 12 HOURS.

THIS SYSTEM CAUSED SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS
MUCH OF THE STATE THIS MORNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE NOT BEEN
SEVERE...BUT HAVE PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. BOTH CLINTON AND
SOUTHWEST JACKSON RECEIVED ABOUT 2 AND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH
BETWEEN 600 AND 800 AM THIS MORNING. D'LO RECEIVED 4.00 INCHES OF RAIN
AS OF 900 AM. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED ACROSS THE STATE FOR
THE REST OF THE MORNING...BUT SHOULD STAY BELOW SEVERE LIMITS.

INTENSE THUNERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED CLOSER TO THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM
IN TEXAS. THIS STORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD INTO LOUISIANA
THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO MISSISSIPPI LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED INTO THE STATE UNTIL
AFTER 400 PM.

THE VERY MOIST WARM AIRMASS LOCATED OVER THE STATE COMBINED WITH
THE STRENGTH OF THE APPROACHING SYSTEM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
LOOK MORE LIKELY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOME TORNADOES
MAY EVEN BE POSSIBLE.

ALL MISSISSIPPIANS SHOULD LISTEN TO THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION
THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON THIS POTENIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.
ALL RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE A TORNADO PLAN FOR THEIR HOME AND BE
PREPARED TO POSSIBLY USE THEM LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT IF THE WEATHER
BECOMES THREATENING OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 9:45 AM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
945 AM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

...HEAVY RAINFALL STILL OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF SOUTH AND EAST
MISSISSIPPI...

AT 940 AM...AN AREA OF RAIN AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO
CAUSE MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS FROM NEAR MCCOMB NORTHEAST TO THE DLO
AND RALEIGH AREA OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.  THIS AREA OF HEAVY RAINFALL
EXTENDED FURTHER NORTHEAST UP TO NEAR MACON.

STREET FLOODING WAS RECENTLY REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 51 NEAR SUMMIT IN PIKE
COUNTY.  2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN FELL EARLIER IN THE JACKSON METROPOLITAN
AREA AND ALSO IN THE DLO AREA.

THE HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES
AN HOUR AND THEY HAVE SHOWN NO SIGNS OF WEAKENING.  MORE PERIODS OF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SOME MINOR FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED OVER SOUTH AND
EASTERN MISSISSIPPI THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 11:51 AM CST, 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1150 AM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

AT 1147 AM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN WESTERN SMITH COUNTY
ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHWEST FO RALEIGH. THIS STORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY
RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS AS IT MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS
STORM WILL PASS THROUGH RALEIGH AND THEN HEAD FOR SOUTHEAST SCOTT
COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF :1 INCH OR MORE AS IT
MOVES THROUGH SMITH COUNTY AND INTO SOUTHEAST SCOTT COUNTY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 19, 9:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLawrence34 min
Nov 19, 10:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANSimpson2 hr
Nov 19, 11:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSmith34 min
Nov 19, 12:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNewton45 min
Nov 19, 1:25 PM CSTTornado WarningJANNeshoba, Newton50 min
Nov 19, 1:52 PM CSTTornado WarningJANKemper53 min
Nov 19, 5:19 PM CSTTornado WarningJANBolivar, Washington41 min
Nov 19, 5:35 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWarren25 min
Nov 19, 5:57 PM CSTTornado WarningJANBolivar33 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.