Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Jackson, MS

February 20, 1989Attala County, Madison County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 20, 1989, 6:23 PM CST for Attala County, Madison County, Mississippi. It was in force for 37 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 20, 1989, 6:23 PM CST (00:23 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 1989, 7:00 PM CST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Attala County, MS, Madison 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, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 65 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 1989-02-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 550 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 1989-02-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 305 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
550 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1115 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
305 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
410 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
6.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 210025
TORJAN
MSC007-051-089-210100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
623 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...ATTALA...SOUTHERN HOLMES...NORTHERN MADISON
 
AT 620 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WHICH IS STILL LIKELY PRODUCING
A TORNADO WAS INDICATED NEAR PICKENS. THE STORM HAS ACCELERATED TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 50 MILES AN HOUR OVER THE PAST 10 MINUTES...AND WILL BE
MOVING INTO ATTALA COUNTY SHORTLY.
 
THE STORM COULD BE IN THE KOSCIUSKO AREA WITHIN 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, Feb 20, 2:05 PM CST, 4 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
205 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 5 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR A SMALL PART OF
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

AT 200 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM
OVER EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...NEAR JONESVILLE IN CATAHOULA PARISH.
THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF BEING TORNADIC AND THE WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN BATON ROUGE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 250 PM FOR
CATAHOULA AND NORTHERN CONCORDIA PARISHES.

THE STORM WAS STILL ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS
IT MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.  THE PRESENT TRACK
WOULD TAKE THE STORM TO NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER JUST WEST OF
PORT GIBSON AROUND 3 PM.  IF THE STORM CONTINUES TO BE INTENSE...
A WARNING WILL BE NECESSARY AS IT APPROACHES SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 4:47 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
445 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 6 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI
ALONG AND SOUTH OF A CLARKSDALE TO FULTON LINE...

AT 440 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WEST
OF INTERSTATE 55.  TO THE EAST...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE SLDO BEING
REPORTED MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE.

THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 5:23 PM CST, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
 525 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 6 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST
FOR A LARGE PART OF MISSISSIPPI INCLUDING ALL COUNTIES IN EAST
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI EXCEPT WAYNE.

AT 520 PM RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

TORNADOES WARNINGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
AND WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THIS STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
EASTWARD TONIGHT... SO PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN
WEATHER ALERT AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES. <<
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 5:35 PM CST, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
535 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 6 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI
ALONG AND SOUTH OF A CLARKSDALE TO FULTON LINE...

AT 535 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WEST
OF A NEW ALBANY...JACKSON...NATCHEZ LINTE.  TO THE SOUTHEAST...THUNDER-
STORMS CONTINUED SCATTERED SOUTHEAST OF HATTIESBURG.

THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 20, 6:23 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHolmes37 min
Feb 20, 6:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANYazoo25 min
Feb 20, 7:00 PM CSTTornado WarningJANAttala30 min
Feb 20, 7:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne39 min
Feb 20, 7:27 PM CSTTornado WarningJANChoctaw33 min
Feb 20, 7:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds40 min
Feb 20, 8:18 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHinds27 min
Feb 20, 8:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah, Jefferson39 min
Feb 20, 8:28 PM CSTTornado WarningJANRankin32 min
Feb 20, 8:32 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWinston43 min
Feb 20, 8:34 PM CSTTornado WarningJANMadison26 min
Feb 20, 8:42 PM CSTTornado WarningJANCopiah48 min
Feb 20, 8:46 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHinds14 min
Feb 20, 8:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin18 min
Feb 20, 9:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLincoln31 min
Feb 20, 9:07 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWinston53 min
Feb 20, 9:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSmith30 min
Feb 20, 9:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeake38 min
Feb 20, 9:50 PM CSTTornado WarningJANNeshoba, Newton40 min
Feb 20, 10:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSmith38 min
Feb 20, 10:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJones36 min
Feb 20, 11:06 PM CSTTornado WarningJANJasper39 min
Feb 20, 11:20 PM CSTTornado WarningJANClarke25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

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.