Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Jackson, MS

February 15, 1990Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Feb 15, 1990, 1:57 PM CST for Sumter County, Alabama. 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
Feb 15, 1990, 1:57 PM CST (19:57 UTC)
Expired
Feb 15, 1990, 2:45 PM CST
In force
48 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 15, 2:20 PM CSTTornado F0Sumter, AL

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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 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 1990-02-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 8 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1990-02-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 257 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
8 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-132 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
608 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
257 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
402 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 KMEI 151958
TORMEI
ALC119-152045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
157 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MERIDIAN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
          ...SUMTER
 
AT 157 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 15 NORTHWEST OF
LIVINGSTON ALABAMA MOVING NORTHEAST 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...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

Local storm report, Feb 15, 12:07 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1205 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

940 AM CST...NESHOBA COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED NUMEROUS
             TREES DOWN IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF NESHOBA4
             COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 12:11 PM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
MSZALL-151900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1210 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...

AT 1205 PM CST RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN
OVER THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE FROM LIBERTY MISSISSIPI TO NORTHEAST OF BROOKHAVEN...NEAR
CARTHAGE AND JUST NORTHWEST OF CRYSTAL SPRINGS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

A THUNDERSTORM OVER ST LANDRY PARRISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA MAY HAVE
PRODUCED A TORNADO. THIS THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
WILL MOVE INTO WILKINSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AROUND 1230 PM.
PERSONS IN WILKINSON COUNTY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED.
ALL OF THE STATE TODAY AND MOST OF TONIGHT.  DUE TO THIS THREAT...IT IS
VERY LIKELY THAT SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED
LAT=ER TODAY AND TONIGHT.

ALL INTERESTS IN MISSISSIPPI SHOULD STAY ABREAST OF DEVELOPING WEATHER
CONDITIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 12:12 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
MSZALL-151900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1210 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...

AT 1205 PM CST RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN
OVER THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE FROM LIBERTY MISSISSIPI TO NORTHEAST OF BROOKHAVEN...NEAR
CARTHAGE AND JUST NORTHWEST OF CRYSTAL SPRINGS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

A THUNDERSTORM OVER ST LANDRY PARRISH IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA MAY HAVE
PRODUCED A TORNADO. THIS THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
WILL MOVE INTO WILKINSON COUNTY IN SOUTHW>EST MISSISSIPPI AROUND 1230 PM.
PERSONS IN WILKINSON COUNTY SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 12:42 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
MSZALL-151900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1225 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 35 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 5:00PM THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 36 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN
AND NORTHWESTERN MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 6:00PM THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

AT 1225 PM CST RADAR INDICATED POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS
OVER THE SOUTH THIRD OF MISSISSIPPI...20 MILES SOUTH OF NEWTON..AND IN
A LARGE CLUSTER BETWEEN BROOKHAVEN AND MAGEE. ANOTHER VERY HEAVY
THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH
OF WOODVILLE MISSISSIPPI.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL AS THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Local storm report, Feb 15, 1:42 PM CST, 15 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
142 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

120 PM CST...NAVAL AIR STATION GATE GUARD REPORTS TORNADO TOUCH
             DOWN TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF MAIN GATE.  LAUDERDALE
             COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.
Local storm report, Feb 15, 1:53 PM CST, 4 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
152 PM CST THU FEB 15 1990

150 PM CST...NAVAL WEATHER OFFICE REPORTS TORNADO 8 MILES NORTH OF
             NAVAL AIR STATION.  LAUDERDALE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 15, 4:49 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANSumter7 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes in 1990

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.