Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Jackson, MS

February 20, 1989Choctaw County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 20, 1989, 7:27 PM CST for Choctaw County, Mississippi. It was in force for 33 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Feb 20, 1989, 7:27 PM CST (01:27 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 1989, 8:00 PM CST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Choctaw County, MS

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 20, 7:40 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Choctaw, MS

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 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 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°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 210129
TORJAN
MSC019-210200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
727 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...CHOCTAW
 
AT 725 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDCIATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A
POSSIBLE TORNADO NOW MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST CHOCTAW COUNTY ABOUT 10
MILES WEST OF ACKERMAN. THIS STORM IS NOW MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH
AND IS HEADED TOWARD LITTLE MOUNTAN. HOWEVER...THIS STORM CAN SUDDENLY
TAKE A RIGHT TURN TO THE EAST...SO ALL RESIDENTS SHOULD TAKE COVER.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORN[ADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE.
USE PILLOWS OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR HEAD.
<

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 20, 6:23 PM CSTTornado WarningJANAttala, Madison37 min
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, 7:50 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.