Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Jackson, MS
NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 20, 1989, 8:42 PM CST for Copiah County, Mississippi. It was in force for 48 min. 2 reports 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, 8:42 PM CST (02:42 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 20, 1989, 9:30 PM CST
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Jackson, MS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Copiah 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 9:00 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Copiah, MS | |
| Feb 20, 9:15 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Copiah, 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, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 61 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KJAN 210242
TORJAN
MSC029-210330-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
842 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
...COPIAH
AT 840 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THAT MAY
CONTAIN A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST COPIAH COUNTY.
THE STORM IS LOCATED NEAR PLEASANT HILL AND IS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST
AT 50 MPH. ON ITS CURRENT MOVEMENT...THE STORM WILL MOVE NEAR
HAZLEHURST AROUND 900 PM.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN
INTERIOR ROOGM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE.
USE PILLOWS OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR HEAD.
<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, 4:47 PM CST, 3 hours 55 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, 3 hours 19 minutes 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, 3 hours 7 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.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 6:24 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 625 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 620 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF MISSISSIPPI. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WAS ALONG AND WEST OF A NEW ALBANY...JACKSON...WOODVILLE LINE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS AREA WERE IN MADISON...HOLMES AND ATTALA COUNTIES. ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE DELTA IN THE VICINITY OF GREENVILLE AND GREENWOOD. TO THE SOUTHEAST...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE STATE. THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 6:50 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS 645 PM SCT MON FEB 20 1989 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 6 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST-CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI EXCEPT WAYNE COUNTY UNTIL 1000 PM CST. AT 640 PM CST MERIDIAN WEATHER RADAR INDICATES A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM JACKSON TO LOUISVILLE TO TUPELO. SCATTERED RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO OCCURRING SOUTH OF A LAUREL TO WAYNESBORO LINE. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. SEVERE WEATHER CONTINUES TO BE REPORTED IN WEST-CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. IF YOU LIVE IN THE WATCH AREA YOU SHOULD REMAIN WEATHER ALERT AND TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IF THEATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. STAY, TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. <<
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 7:33 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 725 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 6 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF MISSISSIPPI GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A CLARKSDALE TO FULTON LINE... AT 725 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM NEAR NATCHEZ TO CANTON TO ACKERMAN. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE BETWEEN NATCHEZ AND VICKSBURG AND SOUTHWEST OF ACKERMAN. A LARGE AREA OF RAIN COVERED MOST OF NORTH AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... WHILE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED NEAR COASTAL MISSISSIPPI. INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP BACK OVER CENTRAL LOUISIANA AND THIS STORMS WILL LIKELY BE AFFECTING CE`NTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS EVENING. THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Jackson, MS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20, 6:23 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Attala, Madison | 37 min |
| Feb 20, 6:23 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Holmes | 37 min |
| Feb 20, 6:50 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Yazoo | 25 min |
| Feb 20, 7:00 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Attala | 30 min |
| Feb 20, 7:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne | 39 min |
| Feb 20, 7:27 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Choctaw | 33 min |
| Feb 20, 7:50 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Hinds | 40 min |
| Feb 20, 8:18 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Hinds | 27 min |
| Feb 20, 8:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Copiah, Jefferson | 39 min |
| Feb 20, 8:28 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Rankin | 32 min |
| Feb 20, 8:32 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Winston | 43 min |
| Feb 20, 8:34 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Madison | 26 min |
| Feb 20, 8:46 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Hinds | 14 min |
| Feb 20, 8:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Rankin | 18 min |
| Feb 20, 9:04 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lincoln | 31 min |
| Feb 20, 9:07 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Winston | 53 min |
| Feb 20, 9:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Smith | 30 min |
| Feb 20, 9:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Leake | 38 min |
| Feb 20, 9:50 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Neshoba, Newton | 40 min |
| Feb 20, 10:07 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Smith | 38 min |
| Feb 20, 10:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Jones | 36 min |
| Feb 20, 11:06 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Jasper | 39 min |
| Feb 20, 11:20 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Clarke | 25 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.