Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Jackson, MS

February 20, 1989Jasper County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 20, 1989, 11:06 PM CST for Jasper County, Mississippi. It was in force for 39 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, 11:06 PM CST (05:06 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 1989, 11:45 PM CST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Jasper 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, 11:25 PM CSTTornado F1Jasper, MS
Feb 20, 11:25 PM CSTHail 0.75Jasper, 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, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 KMEI 210505
TORMEI
MSC061-210545-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1106 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MERIDIAN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1145 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...SOUTHERN JASPER
 
AT 1105 PM CST MERIDIAN RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 10 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF BAY SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI IN JASPER COUNTY.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  US,E BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

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, 10:02 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1005 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

AT 1000 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM NEAR STARKVILLE TO PRENTISS TO MCCOMB. THE LINE IS MOVING
EAST AT 30 MPH.

A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS COVER MUCH OF SOUTHWEST..CENTRAL
AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. THE RAIN IS GRADUALLY ENDING IN THE EXTREME
NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 10:16 PM CST, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1015 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 7 REMAINS IN EFFECT IN MISSISSIPPI EAST OF
A TUPELO-WEST POINT-FOREST-MCCOMB LINE...

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED THE DAMAGE IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI EARLIER THIS EVENING HAVE NOW SHIFTED INTO EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.
Local storm report, Feb 20, 10:20 PM CST, 46 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1019 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

AT 1005 PM CST THE UNION FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
NEAR UNION MISSISSIPPI MOVING NORTHEAST.
Local storm report, Feb 20, 10:23 PM CST, 43 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1019 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

AT 1005 PM CST THE UNION FIRE DEPARTMENT IN NORTHERN NEWTON COUNTY REPORTED
A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR UNION MISSISSIPPI MOVING NORTHEAST.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 10:29 PM CST, 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED ARE NORTH OF WEST POINT NO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS       LONGER IN WATCH
1030 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 7 REMAINS IN EFFECT IN MISSISSIPPI EAST OF
A WEST POINT-FOREST-MCCOMB LINE...

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED THE DAMAGE IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
MISSISSIPPI EARLIER THIS EVENING HAVE NOW SHIFTED INTO EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.
Local storm report, Feb 20, 11:00 PM CST, 6 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1100 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

AT 1052 PM CST JASPER COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL
2 MILES WEST OF BAY SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI.

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, 7:27 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, 11:20 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.