Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Jackson, MS

January 19, 1988Lauderdale County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Jan 19, 1988, 3:40 PM CST for Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It was in force for 40 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 19, 1988, 3:40 PM CST (21:40 UTC)
Expired
Jan 19, 1988, 4:20 PM CST
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Lauderdale 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, 9.7 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 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 KMEI 192140
TORMEI
ALC119-MSC075-192230-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
340 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN EXTEREME WEST CENTRAL  ALABAMA
          ...SUMTER
IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...LAUDERDALE
 
AT 338 PM CST A TORNDAO WAS REPORTED BY WEATHER PERSONAL AT THE
NAVAL AIR STATION 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF MERIDIAN MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 60  MPH.
 
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 IN`TERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH 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, 1:50 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
135 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

   ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
      SOUTHEAST OF A TUPELO TO JACKSON TO WOODVILLE LINE...

AT 135 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN A CLUSTER BETWEEN
JACKSON AND PHILADELPHIA...AND ALSO BETWEEN RALEIGH AND COLUMBIA. THE
STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR EDINBURG...WALNUT GROVE...RALEIGH AND
BASSFIELD.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALL BELOW SEVERE LIMITS AT THE PRESENT TIME...BUT
ANY OF THE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE.

WEAKER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN
MISSISSIPPI.

ALL OF THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.
Local storm report, Jan 19, 2:12 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
200 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

1000-1030 AM...POWER LINES DOWN, TWO BARNS DESTROYED 2 MILES WEST OF
    CLEVELAND. TRAILER PARK DAMAGED 1/2 MILES WEST OF CLEVELAND.

1024 AM...POSSIBLE TORNADO CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE IN SOUTHAVEN AREA AND
    SOUTH OF GREENBROOK. APPARENT TORNADO DERAILED 11 CARS OF A FREIGHT
    TRAIN 2 MILES SOUTH OF HORN LAKE. PIECES OF RAILROAD CARS FOUND UP
    TO 1/4 MILE NORTH AND EAST OF SITE OF DERAILMENT.

1043 AM...STORE AND HORSE BARN DAMAGED JUST WEST OF CLEVELAND.

1120 AM...TREES DOWN ALONG NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY 5 MILES SOUTH OF
    KOSCIUSKO.

1135 AM...TREES DOWN ACROSS NATCHEZ TRACE 7 MILES NORTH OF KO(SCIUSKO.
    ALSO...IN LIBERTY CHAPEL COMMUNITY NE OF KOSCIUSKO...SEVERAL HOUSES
    DAMAGED WITH ONE INJURY REPORTED.

1205 PM...MORE TREES DOWN ALONG NATCHEZ TRACE AT DANCY IN EASTERN
    WEBSTER COUNTY.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 2:18 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
215 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

   ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF MCCOMB-
      BRANDON-KOSCUISKO-TUPELO LINE UNTIL 600 PM...

PORTIONS OF THE TORNADO WATCH HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. THE AREA STILL IN THE TORNADO
WATCH IS THAT AREA EAST OF A MCCOMB-BRANDON-KOSCUISKO-EUPORA-TUPELO
LINE. THE J,ACKSON AREA IS NO LONGER IN THE WATCH.

AT 212 PM...THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN A BAND FROM
EAST OF MCCOMB TO WEST OF MERIDIAN. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 55 TO 60 MPH WHILE THE AREA GRADUALLY SHIFTS EASTWARD.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 2:27 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
225 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 5 CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI AND EXTREME WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 600 PM CST.

AT 220 PM CST RADAR INDICATED AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IN EXTREME
NORTHWEST LAUDERDALE COUNTY ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF COLLINSVILLE.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH AND ALL INTERESTS
IN KEMPER COUNTY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBILE SEVERE WEATHER.

IN THE REMAINDER OF EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND EXTREME WEST CENTRAL
ALABAMA AN AREA OF RAIN WITH THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM JUST WEST OF
LAUREL NORTHEAST TO NEAR TUSCALOOSA ALABAMA. THE AREA OF >PRECIPITATION
WAS MOVING SLOWLY EAST.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 2:36 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
230 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

   ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF MCCOMB-
      BRANDON-KOSCUISKO-TUPELO LINE UNTIL 600 PM...

AT 230 PM CST...A NEAR SOLID LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI TO LOUISVILLE TO COLUMBIA TO HAMMOND
LOUISIANA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF
MERIDIAN...NEAR RALLEIGH...AND 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BASSFIELD.

THE INTENSITY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAS ONCE AGAIN SLOWLY INCREASED.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 19, 3:33 PM CST, 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
326 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

   ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF MCCOMB-
      BRANDON-KOSCUISKO-TUPELO LINE UNTIL 600 PM...

AT 326 PM CST...A NEAR SOLID LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM NORTH ALABAMA TO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI TO HATTIESBURG TO
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. THE HEAVIEST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE 15 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF MERIDIAN...15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MERIDIAN...AND 15 MILES
WEST OF LAUREL.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS...SOME VERY HEAVY...AND LIGHT RAIN WERE SCATTERED
OVER NORTHEAST...EAST CENTRAL ANDE SOUTHEAST MISSISIPPI.

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, 11:43 AM CSTTornado WarningJANMontgomery16 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, 3:50 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.