Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Jackson, MS

February 20, 1989Yazoo County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 20, 1989, 5:58 PM CST for Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was in force for 32 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, 5:58 PM CST (23:58 UTC)
Expired
Feb 20, 1989, 6:30 PM CST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Yazoo 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, 6:15 PM CSTHail 0.75Yazoo, 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, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 59 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 1989-02-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-02-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 210001
TORJAN
MSC163-210030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
558 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
          ...NORTHEASTERN YAZOO
 
AT 555 PM CST...A TORNADO WAS STILL POSSIBLY ON THE GROUND OVER
NORTHWEST MADISON COUNTY JUST NORTH OF FLORA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO
THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR AND MAY MOVE UP INTO NORTHEASTERN
YAZOO COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. THE STORM APPEARS TO BE
MOVING BETWEEN YAZOO CITY AND CANTON.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  MOVE QUICKLY TO UNDERGROUND SHELTER IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.
AVOID WINDOWS.  LEAVE CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDY BUILDING.
<

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, 2:05 PM CST, 3 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
205 PM CST MON FEB 20 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 5 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR A SMALL PART OF
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

AT 200 PM CST...JACKSON RADAR INDICATED A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM
OVER EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA...NEAR JONESVILLE IN CATAHOULA PARISH.
THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF BEING TORNADIC AND THE WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN BATON ROUGE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING UNTIL 250 PM FOR
CATAHOULA AND NORTHERN CONCORDIA PARISHES.

THE STORM WAS STILL ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS
IT MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.  THE PRESENT TRACK
WOULD TAKE THE STORM TO NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER JUST WEST OF
PORT GIBSON AROUND 3 PM.  IF THE STORM CONTINUES TO BE INTENSE...
A WARNING WILL BE NECESSARY AS IT APPROACHES SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Feb 20, 4:47 PM CST, 1 hour 11 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, 35 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, 23 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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 20, 2:25 PM CSTTornado WarningJANAdams, Jefferson50 min
Feb 20, 3:06 PM CSTTornado WarningJANClaiborne, Jefferson54 min
Feb 20, 3:47 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWarren43 min
Feb 20, 4:19 PM CSTTornado WarningJANIssaquena41 min
Feb 20, 4:29 PM CSTTornado WarningJANWarren46 min
Feb 20, 5:15 PM CSTTornado WarningJANHinds, Warren, Yazoo45 min
Feb 20, 5:45 PM CSTTornado WarningJANMadison30 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.