Alert archive / Mississippi / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Memphis, TN

February 3, 1990Coahoma County, Quitman County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this flash flood warning at Feb 3, 1990, 10:21 AM CST for Coahoma County, Quitman County, Mississippi. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 3, 1990, 10:21 AM CST (16:21 UTC)
Expired
Feb 3, 1990, 2:30 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coahoma County, MS, Quitman County, MS

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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 80 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1990-02-03Temperature 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1990-02-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 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
3593 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
79 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
99 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 KMEM 031632 COR
FFWMEM
MSC027-119-032030-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTED FOR TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1021 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
          ...COAHOMA...QUITMAN

HEAVY RAINS OVER NIGHT HAS ALREADY CAUSED WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING IN
THIS AREA. LATEST RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN
CONTINUING TO MOVE OVER THESE SAME AREAS.


DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 3, 6:19 AM CST, 4 hours 2 minutes before
MSZ004-005-031315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
615 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 15 IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 AM CST...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH MISSISSIPPI TODAY...

AT 610 AM CST...A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS LOCATED FROM
10 MILES WEST OF OXFORD TO 5 MILES WEST OF RIPLEY TO NEAR WALNUT AND
CONTINUING NORTH INTO TENNESSEE. THE LINE IS MOVING EAST AT 45 MILES
AN HOUR.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS LINE ARE LOCATED 8 MILES
NORTHWEST OF NEW ALBANY...7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RIPLEY AND NEAR
WALNUT.

PERSONS CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINF9ALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO 45
MILES AN HOUR...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNE FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 6:32 AM CST, 3 hours 49 minutes before
TNZ013-015-015-ARZ014-MSZ001-003-030900

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
630 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

 ... TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 15 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT ACROSS WEST
TENNESSEE ... EAST ARKANSAS ... AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI...

 ... A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM FOR SEVERAL
COUNTIES IN EAST ARKANSAS ...NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER... SOUTHWEST
TENNESSEE ... AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. TENNESSEE ... NORTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI ... AND EAST ARKANSAS.

 ... FLASH FLOOD WATCHES WILL CONTINUE IN EFFECT ACROSS TENNESSEE AND
NORTH MISSISSIPPI INTO TONIGHT...

AT 630 AM THIS MORNING ... WEATHER RADARS CONTINUED TO SHOW WIDESPREAD
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN COVERING EAST ARKANSAS ... NORTH MISSISSIPPI
... AND WEST TENNESSEE WITH SPOTS OF HEAVIER RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS
EMBEDDED IN THE LARGER AREA.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS FALLING IN AN AREA
FROM CHESTER ... HARDIN ... AND MCNAIRY COUNTIES OF WEST TENNESSEE
SOUTHWARD TO BENTON COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.  ANOTHER AREA OF HEAVY RAIN
WAS LOCATED OVER QUITMAN AND PANOLA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.

STREET AND ROAD FLOODING HAS BEEN COMMON THROUGHOUT WEST TENNESSEE ...
EAST ARKANSAS ... AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING BUT NO
SERIOUS FLOOD PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED.  ALTHOUGH THE THREAT OF
EXCESSIVLY HEAVY RAIN WILL EASE ... A LITTLE ... THIS MORNING WE WILL
CONTINUE TO SEE LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH OCCASIONAL BURSTS OF HEAVY
RAIN INTO THIS AFTERNOON.  SMALL STREAMS AND DRAINAGES ARE ALREADY
SWOLLEN TO NEAR CAPACITY AND MAY OVERFLOW WITH ONLY LIGHT RAINS.

HERE AREA A COUPLE OF BRIEF SAFETY RULES ... 1  NEVER DRIVE INTO A
FLOODED STREAM  AND 2  DO NOT WADE IN FLOWING FLOOD WATERS.  YOUd MAY
DROWN IF YOU TRY EITHER OF THOSE.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER BULLETINS ON THIS FLOOD
SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 6:42 AM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
MSZ004-005-031310-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
640 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 15 FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
CANCELLED...

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH MISSISSIPPI TODAY...

AT 638 AM CST...A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS LOCATED FROM
7 MILES EAST OF NEW ALBANY TO 8 MILES WEST OF BOONEVILLE TO NEAR
CORINTH AND CONTINUING NORTH INTO TENNESSEE. THE LINE IS MOVING EAST
AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS LINE ARE LOCATED 8 MILES
NORTHEAST OF NEW ALBANY AND 8 MILES WEST OF BOONEVILLE.

PERSONS CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS YTO 40
MILES AN HOUR...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STAY TUNE FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 7:12 AM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
MSZ004-005-031410-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUPELO MS
708 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH MISSISSIPPI TODAY...

AT 707 AM...A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM
NORTHERN TISHOMINGO COUNTY SOUTHWEST ACROSS PRENTISS COUNTY AND
UNION COUNTY TO LAFAYETTE COUNTY. THE NORTHERN PART OF THE LINE IS
MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE LINE HAS SHOWN
VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT. THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS
LINE ARE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

NORTH OF THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS AN AREA OF RAINSHOWERS AND
THUNDERSHOWERS CONTAINING LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN.

SINCE THE GROUND IS COMPLETELY SATURATED...ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
WILL ONLY AGGRAVATE THE SITUATION.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH ARE ARE ADVISED TO KEEP HIGHLY ABREAST TO
TODAYS WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND BE READY TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF
FLOODING ImS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 10:08 AM CST, 13 minutes before
MSZ001-MS004-031645-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  MEMPHIS TN
1005 AM CST SAT FEB 3 1990

   ...HEAVY RAINFALL REDEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAVE BEEN REDEVELOPING ACROSS
NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...WITH THE
HEAVIEST RAINFALL INDICATED SOUTH OF A LINE FROM COAHOMA TO HOLLY
SPRINGS IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

A SMALL AREA OF THUNDERTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HIGH WINDS
MOVED ACROSS COAHOMA...QUITMAN...AND PANOLA COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST
MISSISSIPPI. AT 900 AM...CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
REPORTED HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL WITH THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

AT 955 AM...CLARKSDALE HAD REPORTED A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 7 INCHES
OF RAINFALL DURING THE PAST 12 HOURS WITH HEAVIER RAINFALL TOTALS TO
THE WEST OF CLARKSDALE. REPORTS OF FLOODING WERE NUMEROUS IN THE
CLARKSDALE AREA.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN AND NUMEROUS PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN CONTINUE ACROOS EAST ARKANSAS
AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WITH LIGHTER RAINFALL INDICATED OVER WEST
TENNESSEE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THE RAIN ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS...AND WEST TENNESSEE
WILL PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH HEAVIER RAINFALL POSSIBLE OVER
NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID TRAVEL INTO FLOODED AREAS AND DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS STREETS AND ROADWAYS THAT ARE FLOODED...IT MAY COST
YOUR LIFE.

STAYED TUNED FOR FURTHER WEATHER UPDATES.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 2, 11:05 PM CSTTornado WarningMEGPontotoc55 min
Feb 3, 12:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma29 min
Feb 3, 4:52 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGCoahoma, DeSoto, Tate, Tunica5 hr
Feb 3, 4:52 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGMarshall5 hr
Feb 3, 4:52 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGBenton5 hr
Feb 3, 5:45 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGLee2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Mississippi, 1990Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.