Alert archive / Mississippi / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Mobile, AL

January 18, 1988Harrison County, Jackson County, Mississippi

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 18, 1988, 5:25 AM CST for Harrison County, Jackson County, Mississippi. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jan 18, 1988, 5:25 AM CST (11:25 UTC)
Expired
Jan 18, 1988, 6:30 AM CST
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Harrison County, MS, Jackson 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

Boothville, LA (KBVE), launched 00:00Z, 11.4 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, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1988-01-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1268 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, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1988-01-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 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
1268 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
625 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 181125
SVRMOB
MSC047-059-181230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
525 AM CST MON JAN 18 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
          ...HARRISON...JACKSON
 
THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED HAIL THE SIZE OF A NICKEL
2 MILES NORTH OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 10 NORTH OF GULFPORT JUST A
FEW MINUTES AGO.  THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING THE HAIL IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL MOVE INTO JACKSON COUNTY
DURING THE NEXT HALF HOUR.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.
 HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 18, 3:59 AM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
400 AM CST MON JAN 18 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO ESCAMBIA COUNTY ALABAMA...

AT 355 AM THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS
LOCATED OVER EASTERN BALDWIN COUNTY ALABAMA EXTENDING INTO NORTHWEST
FLORIDA.  A STONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF
ATMORE ALABAMA.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST
AT 30 MPH.

RESIDENGTS OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY ALABAMA CAN EXPECT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL
AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jan 18, 4:36 AM CST, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
435 AM CST MON JAN 18 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING OVER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA...

THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATED AT 430 AM THAT THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING
IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OVER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA.  THEY WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

RESIDENTS OF THE AREA CAN EXPECT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY
wRAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS.  IN ADDITION...SOME HAIL MAY FALL FROM THE
STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS.  PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY AN OFF-DUTY
FAA CONTROLLER 6 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE MOBILE AIRPORT AT 426 AM.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Mississippi, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.