Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 59, NWS Jackson, MS

November 19, 1988Amite County, Franklin County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Nov 19, 1988, 8:20 PM CST for Amite County, Franklin County, Mississippi. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 19, 1988, 8:20 PM CST (02:20 UTC)
Expired
Nov 19, 1988, 8:45 PM CST
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Amite County, MS, Franklin 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 132 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 1988-11-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1353 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 1988-11-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1353 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
653 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
8.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 200221
TORJAN
MSC005-037-200245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
820 PM CST  NOV 19 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
          ...NORTHERN AMITE...FRANKLIN
 
AT 817 PM CST...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS DEVELOPING NEAR CROSBY OVER
NORTHWEST AMITE COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35
MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE AFFECTING NORTHERN AMITE AND A GOOD PART OF
FRANKLIN COUNTY DURING THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.
 
 
 
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF A TORNADO...`LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF
NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
<

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, 4:02 PM CST, 4 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
400 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

...SEVERE WEATHER TO INCREASE ACROSS MISSISSIPPI THIS EVENING AND
   TONIGHT...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN
   MISSISSIPPI GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 UNTIL 800 PM...

NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS ACROSS
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE BEEN PRODUCING HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS AND TORNADOES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN NUMBER AND REMAIN VERY
STRONG AS THEY MOVE INTO MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN MISSISSIPPI...BUT ARE
NOT VERY STRONG AT THIS TIME. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO NOW DEVELOPING OVER
PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. THESE STORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY AND MOVE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH INTO THE
MISSISSIPPI DELTA BETWEEN VICKSBURG AND MEMPHIS DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2
HOURS.

ALL MISSISSIPPIANS SHOULD LISTEN TO THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION
THROUGHOUT THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION
WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF VERY DAMAGING TORNADOES. ALL PEOPLE ARE! ADVISED
TO SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES.

TORNADO WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TONIGHT THAT WILL PROBABLY
INCLUDE MORE OF MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 4:37 PM CST, 3 hours 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
435 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

...THUNDERSTORM INCREASING ACROSS LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...
   TONIGHT...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN
   MISSISSIPPI GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 UNTIL 800 PM...

INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED IN SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS FROM
SOUTHEAST OF PINE BLUFF TO NEAR CROSSETT. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN LOUISIANA
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS EASTERN AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
...BUT ARE NOT VERY STRONG AT THIS TIME. TGHIS PRECIPITATION IS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 4:55 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
450 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS HEADING TOWARD NORTH-
   WEST MISSISSIPPI...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF
    WESTERN MISSISSIPPI GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 UNTIL
    800 PM...

AT 450 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER THE
EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF ARKANSAS.  THESE STORMS WERE STILL 10 TO 20
MILES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF GREENVILLE.

THESE STORMS WERE NOT SEVERE AT THE PRESENT TIME...BUT ARE CAPABLE OF
BECOMING SEVERE AS THEY HEAD INTO PARTS OF NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI DURING
THE NEXT HOUR.  PEOPSLE OVER NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI ARE ADVISED TO BE
READY TO TAKE COVER IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED OR IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 6:35 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
635 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

AT 630 PM...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SOUTHEAST
ARKANSAS INTO EASTERN LOUISIANA. SOME OF THESE STORMS ARE SEVERE AND
WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.

SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE AS THEY MOVE INTO WESTERN MISSISSIPPI.

TORNADOES HAVE ALREADY OCCURRED IN THE DELTA AND MORE WILL BE POSSIBLE
AS THIS LINE MOVES EAST AND MORE STORMS DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE LINE.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 7:25 PM CST, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
725 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

AT 720 PM...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM WEST OF
BOLIVAR COUNTY TO 20 MILES EAST OF MONROE AND THEN EXTENDS SOUTH-
SOUTHWEST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THIS LINE IS MOVING EAST AT
25 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO MISSISSIPPI IN THE DELTA DURING THE NEXT
AND IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED FROM WEST OF VICKSBURG TO WEST
OF NATCHEZ. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED NEAR MONTICELLO
...MADISON...CANTON...LEXINGTON AND NEAR MARKS. THESE ST.ORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 19, 7:28 PM CST, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECT LINE 5
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
725 PM CST SAT NOV 19 1988

AT 720 PM...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM WEST OF
BOLIVAR COUNTY TO 20 MILES EAST OF MONROE AND THEN EXTENDS SOUTH-
SOUTHWEST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. THIS LINE IS MOVING EAST AT
25 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO MISSISSIPPI IN THE DELTA DURING THE NEXT
30 MINUTES AND IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED FROM WEST OF VICKSBURG TO WEST
OF NATCHEZ. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED NEAR MONTICELLO
...MADISON...CANTON...LEXIN0GTON AND NEAR MARKS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 19, 6:04 PM CSTTornado WarningJANSunflower26 min
Nov 19, 6:09 PM CSTTornado WarningJANYazoo36 min
Nov 19, 6:46 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHinds29 min
Nov 19, 6:46 PM CSTTornado WarningJANCopiah, Rankin19 min
Nov 19, 6:47 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHolmes, Yazoo28 min
Nov 19, 7:32 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWarren43 min
Nov 19, 7:38 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLeake37 min
Nov 19, 8:02 PM CSTTornado WarningJANSharkey43 min
Nov 19, 8:16 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLeake29 min
Nov 19, 8:18 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWinston42 min
Nov 19, 8:34 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHumphreys26 min
Nov 19, 9:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLawrence28 min
Nov 19, 10:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJasper53 min
Nov 19, 10:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale42 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.