Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 63, NWS Jackson, MS

November 8, 1989Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Nov 8, 1989, 4:19 PM CST for Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 8, 1989, 4:19 PM CST (22:19 UTC)
Expired
Nov 8, 1989, 4:45 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Sumter County, AL

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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 100 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1989-11-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1989-11-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEI 082220
TORMEI
ALC119-082245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
419 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MERIDIAN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  445 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
          ...NORTHERN SUMTER
 
AT 415 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 20 MILES NORTH OF
LIVINGSTON, ALABAMA MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
 
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.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWqS...
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, Nov 8, 1:42 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
140 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 44 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 8 PM CST.

AT 1235 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL SHARKEY
COUNTY...5 MILES WEST OF HOLLY BLUFF MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN PORTIONS OF
ISSAQUENA AND SHARKEY COUNTIES.

ANORTHER VERY STRONG oTHUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
GREENWOOD MISSISSIPPI. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND
IT MAY REQUIRE A WARNING IF IT CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY.
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 1:44 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
140 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 44 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 8 PM CST.

AT 135 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL SHARKEY
COUNTY...5 MILES WEST OF HOLLY BLUFF MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.
THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN PORTIONS OF
ISSAQUENA AND SHARKEY COUNTIES.

ANORTHER VERY STRONG TqHUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
GREENWOOD MISSISSIPPI. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND
IT MAY REQUIRE A WARNING IF IT CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY.
Local storm report, Nov 8, 1:54 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
150 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

115 PM CST  ISSAQUENA CO. SHERIFF REPORTED DIME SIZED HAIL AT TALLULA
MS. (ISSAQUENA CO.)

125 PM CST SHARKEY CO. SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED DIME SIZED HAIL AT
CARY MS. (SHARKEY CO.)
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 2:15 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
215 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 744 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 8 PM CST.

AT 210 PM JACKSON RADAR SHOWED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTH
OF HOLLY BLUFF MISSISSIPPI. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED HAIL UP TO
ONE INCH IN DIAMETER DURING THE PAST HOUR. THE THUNDERSTORM HAD DECREASED
IN INTENSITY BUT AT THIS TIME APPEARED TO BE INTENSIFYING. THE STORM WAS
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND PEOPLE IN YAZOO COUNTY NEED
TO KEEP A WATCHFULL EYE ON THE SKY.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED JUST SOUTH OF GREENWOOD AND 10
MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREENWOOD.
Special weather statement, Nov 8, 2:38 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
238 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 744 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 8 PM CST.
...INTENSE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING WEST-CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...

AT 235 PM...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 10 MILES
WEST OF LAKE PROVIDENCE LOUISIANA...OR ABOUT 40 MILES WEST OF HOLLY
BLUFF.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.  THIS STORM WAS
PRODUCING HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE OVER NORTHEAST LOUISIANA.

THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO ISSAQUENA COUNTY AROUND 3 PM.  A WARNING
WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED AS THESE STORM MOVES INTO WESTERN MISSISSIPPI.
Local storm report, Nov 8, 3:37 PM CST, 42 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
340 PM CST WED NOV 8 1989

330PM CST    WINSTON COUNTY C.D. REPORTS GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 5
             MILES NORTHWEST OF LOUISVILLE

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 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.