Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 56, NWS Jackson, MS

May 4, 1989Issaquena County, Sharkey County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at May 4, 1989, 10:42 AM CDT for Issaquena County, Sharkey County, Mississippi. It was in force for 48 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
May 4, 1989, 10:42 AM CDT (15:42 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 1989, 11:30 AM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Issaquena County, MS, Sharkey 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
May 4, 10:56 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Issaquena, 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 12:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 12:00Z on 1989-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 174 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 12:00Z on 1989-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 330 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
174 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
563 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
330 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
315 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 041544
TORJAN
MSC055-125-041630-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1042 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...ISSAQUENA...SHARKEY
 
AT 1040 AM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING INTO CENTRAL
ISSAQUEENA COUNTY TOWARD SOUTHERN SHARKEY COUNTY. THERE WAS
WIND DAMAGE AND SOME INJURIES REPORTED WEST OF EUDORA,AR WITH
THIS STORM.
 
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE.
USE PILLOWS OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR HEAD.
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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, May 4, 5:36 AM CDT, 5 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
430 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

AT 425 AM CDT THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND EXTENDING ACROSS NORTH RANKIN...
SOUTH MADISON AND YAZOO COUNTIES.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HAIL AS THEY= MOVE
TO THE NORTH AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 4, 6:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
600 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

AT 555 AM CDT THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND EXTENDING ACROSS SCOTT...
NORTH RANKIN...MADISON AND EASTERN YAZOO COUNTIES.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO _GROUND LIGHTNING AND HAIL AS THEY MOVE
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 4, 6:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
630 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

AT 625 AM CDT THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SCOTT...MADISON AND
SOUTHERN LEAKE COUNTIES.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND HAIL AS THEY MOVE
TO THE NORTHEAST AT j20 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTOMS WERE OVER YAZOO AND COPIA COUNTIES. PATCHES OF RAIN
AND SHOWERS COVERED MUCH OF THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE STATE.
Special weather statement, May 4, 9:44 AM CDT, 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
930 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

...TORNADO WATCH 173 IN EFFECT UNTIL 400PM CDT...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.

AT 930 AM CDT A BAND OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUED OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI IN A 50 MILE WIDE BAND FROM DEKALB
WESTWARD ACROSS MADISON COUNTY INTO NORTHERN LOUISIANA.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINFALL WERE INDICATED IN
EASTERN RANKIN AND SCOTT COUNTIES AND WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME
HAIL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

OTHER KTHUNDERSTOMS WERE CONTINUING TO INCREASE OVER NORTH LOUISIANA AND
WILL BE AFFECTING ISSAQUEENA...WARREN AND CLAIBORNE COUNTIES SHORTLY.
Special weather statement, May 4, 10:13 AM CDT, 29 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1005 AM CDT THU MAY 4 1989

...TORNADO WATCH 173 IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST PORTIONS UNTIL 400PM CDT...

AT 1005 AM CDT A BAND OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUED OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI IN A 50 MILE WIDE BAND FROM MERIDIAN
NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS SCOTT AND MADISON COUNTIES INTO SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
NORTHERN LOUISIANA.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINFALL WERE INDICATED NEAR
CANTON AND 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF FOREST AND WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME
HAIL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

A LINE OF VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN LOUISIANA EXTENDED FROM
30 MILES NORTHEAST OF MONROE...ACROSS MONROE AND ON TO THE SOUTHWEST.
WINDS UP TO 52 MILES AN HOUR OCCURRED IN MONROE AT 1000AM. THIS LINE WAS
TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD AFFECT ISSAQoUEENA...
WARREN AND CLAIBORNE COUNTIES BEFORE 11AM.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 8:49 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANRankin116 min
May 4, 10:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWarren43 min
May 4, 11:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne, Hinds59 min
May 4, 11:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison, Rankin40 min
May 4, 12:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSimpson49 min
May 4, 12:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANScott32 min
May 4, 12:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSmith35 min
May 4, 12:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJasper, Newton48 min
May 4, 1:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke, Lauderdale52 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.