Alert archive / Mississippi / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 56, NWS Mobile, AL

May 5, 1989Lamar County, Pearl River County, Mississippi

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 6:28 AM CDT for Lamar County, Pearl River County, Mississippi. It was in force for 47 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 5, 1989, 6:28 AM CDT (11:28 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 7:15 AM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lamar County, MS, Pearl River 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 5, 6:45 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Lamar, 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 83 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 29 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -78 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
29 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-221 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1010 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 051129
SVRMOB
MSC073-109-051215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
628 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
          ...LAMAR...PEARL.RIVER
 
AT 620 AM THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
FROM 10 MILES WEST OF SUMRALL SOUTH SOUTHWEST ACROSS CENTRAL LAKE
PONCHARTRAIN IN LOUISIANA.  THE LINE IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT
55 MPH AND HAS PRODUCED DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF LOUISIANA.
 
RESIDENTS OF MOBILE HOMES IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD RELOCATE TO
STRONGER STRUCTURES.
 
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDEk A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 5, 3:49 AM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
345 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 181 IS IN EFFECT FOR LAMAR COUNTY OF
   MISSISSIPPPI UNTIL 1000 AM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH THAT COVERS A LARGE PART OF LOUISIANA AND CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM.  THE ONLY COUNTY IN
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI INCLUDED IN THE WATCH IS LAMAR COUNTY.

WEATHER SERVICE RADARS AT 330 AM SHOW INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN
LOUISIANA MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE EAST.  IN ADDITION...OTHER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
LIKELY TO MOVE TOWARD LAMAR COUNTY AND ARRIVE AFTER DAYBREAK.

RESIDENTS OF LAMAR COUNTY MISSISSIPPI SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE
APPROACH OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, May 5, 5:35 AM CDT, 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
535 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 181 IS IN EFFECT FOR LAMAR COUNTY OF
   MISSISSIPPPI UNTIL 1000 AM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH THAT COVERS A LARGE PART OF LOUISIANA AND CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM.  THE ONLY COUNTY IN
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI INCLUDED IN THE WATCH IS LAMAR COUNTY.

WEATHER SERVICE RADARS AT 530 AM SHOWED A LINE OF VERY INTENSE AND
RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR JACKSON TO MCCOMB IN MISSISSIPPI
EXTENDING SOUTHWARD ACROSS EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA INTO THE GULF OF
MEXICO.  THIS LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 50 TO 60 MPH AND
HAS PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER.  IF THE PRESENT MOVEMENT AND INTENSITY
CONTINUES...A WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED IN LAMAR COUNTY BEFORE 700 AM.

RESIDENTS OF ALL COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI SHOULD REMAIN ALERT
FOR THE POSSIBLITY OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS MORNING.  ALTHOUGH LAMAR IS)
THE ONLY COUNTY PRESENTLY IN A WATCH...ADDITIONAL WATCHES MAY BE
REQUIRED.  THIS IS A POTENT AND RAPIDLY MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT AS SEVERE WEATHER
MAY MOVE INTO THE AREA LATER THIS MORNING.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Mississippi, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.