Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Jackson, MS

January 19, 1988Montgomery County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Jan 19, 1988, 11:43 AM CST for Montgomery County, Mississippi. It was in force for 16 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 19, 1988, 11:43 AM CST (17:43 UTC)
Expired
Jan 19, 1988, 11:59 AM CST
In force
16 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Montgomery 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 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 1988-01-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1224 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 1988-01-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 296 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1224 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
660 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
296 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
349 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.1
Supercell composite
10.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 191755 COR
TORJAN
MSC097-155-191830-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING...CORRECT...WEBSTER COUNTY IN N. CENTRAL MS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1143 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...MONTGOMERY
IN NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...WEBSTER

AT 1141AM...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 15 MILES NORTH OF
KOSCUISKO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED FROM THIS
STORM IN ATTALA COUNTY. THE PATH OF THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL BE
CLOSE TO OR JUST WEST OF EUPORA.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DI2TCH OR CULVERT.

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, Jan 19, 8:34 AM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
825 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL
              AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 1 PM...

AT 825 AM...A 20 MILE WIDE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
MEMPHIS TENNESSEE...SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH EASTERN ARKANSAS...CENTRAL
LOUISIANA.

THE STRONGEST STORMS IN MISSISSIPPI WERE IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE
STATE.
ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS OF LESSER INTENSITY WERE
NUMEROUS OVER MOST OF MISSISSIPPI AND EXTENDED INTO ADJACENT STATES.

THE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM MEMPHIS TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS WAS MOVING
ONLY VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE RACING NORTHEAST AT OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 8:54 AM CST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
852 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL
              AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 1 PM...

AT 849 AM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN BOLIVAR COUNTY
SOUTHWEST OF ROSEDALE. THIS STORM IS MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST AT
50 TO 60 MPH AND WILL PASS THROUGH ROSEDALE AND SHELBY.

AS THE STORM MOVES THROUGH NORTHWEST BOLIVAR COUNTY DURING THE NEXT
30 MINUTES...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH...PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND
VERY HEAVY RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED. THE STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO
COAHOMA COUNTY AROUND 915 AM.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 9:47 AM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
935 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL
              AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 1 PM...

AT 930 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM EAST OF VICKSBURG
TO NEAR FAYETTE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH
AND WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN HINDS AND YAZOO COUNTIES DURING THE
NEXT HOUR. WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL..AND
TORRENTIAL RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE DELTA FROM GREENVILLE TO
EAST OF MEMPHIS. THE STORMS HAVE WEAKENED SLIG'HTLY DURING THE LAST
HALF HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 10:44 AM CST, 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1035 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL
              AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 1 PM...

AT 1030 AM...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM HOLMES COUNTY
SOUTHWARD TO AMITE COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 55 MPH. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
YAZOO CITY...NEAR FLORA...AND BETWEEN VICKSBURG AND EDWARDS.

ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR CLARKSDALE SOUTHWEST-
WARD INTO NORTHEAST LOUISIANA.

ANY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING STRONG
GUSTY WIN|DS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND HAIL. PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK
ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 11:24 AM CST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1120 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI...

AT 1015 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR DURANT...NEAR
FLORENCE AND CRYSTAL SPRINGS...8 MILES NORTH OF ROLLING FORK...NEAR
BOYLE...AND 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF TUTWILER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

ANY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND HAIL. PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK
ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 11:25 AM CST, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT....CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1120 AM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

        ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI...

AT 1115 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR DURANT...NEAR
FLORENCE AND CRYSTAL SPRINGS...8 MILES NORTH OF ROLLING FORK...NEAR
BOYLE...AND 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF TUTWILER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

ANY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND HAIL. PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK
ACTION IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 19, 9:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar30 min
Jan 19, 9:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington44 min
Jan 19, 9:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar25 min
Jan 19, 9:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds, Yazoo50 min
Jan 19, 10:09 AM CSTTornado WarningJANHinds21 min
Jan 19, 10:20 AM CSTTornado WarningJANMadison40 min
Jan 19, 10:48 AM CSTTornado WarningJANHolmes, Yazoo42 min
Jan 19, 11:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar, Sunflower26 min
Jan 19, 11:10 AM CSTTornado WarningJANAttala35 min
Jan 19, 11:36 AM CSTTornado WarningJANSunflower, Tallahatchie24 min
Jan 19, 11:43 AM CSTTornado WarningJANWebster47 min
Jan 19, 12:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANScott30 min
Jan 19, 1:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJasper, Newton35 min
Jan 19, 2:54 PM CSTTornado WarningJANJasper51 min
Jan 19, 3:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale39 min
Jan 19, 3:40 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLauderdale40 min
Jan 19, 3:50 PM CSTTornado WarningJANKemper25 min
Jan 19, 4:31 PM CSTTornado WarningJANJones29 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.