Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Jackson, MS

March 28, 1991Choctaw County, Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Mar 28, 1991, 4:08 PM CST for Choctaw County, Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 52 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
Mar 28, 1991, 4:08 PM CST (22:08 UTC)
Expired
Mar 28, 1991, 5:00 PM CST
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Choctaw County, AL, Sumter County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 28, 4:40 PM CSTHail 0.75Choctaw, 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 117 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 1991-03-28Temperature 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1991-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -108 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEI 282209
TORMEI
ALC023-119-282300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
408 PM CST THU MAR 28 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MERIDIAN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...NORTHWESTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY...SUMTER COUNTY
 
AT 406 PM CST RADAR
INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND POSSIBLE
TORNADO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUTLER ALABAMA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45
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

Special weather statement, Mar 28, 12:11 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
MSZ002-003-008-281900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1210 PM CST THU MAR 28 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE DELTA...

AT 1205 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE DELTA.  THIS AREA EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 30 MILES NORTH OF
VICKSBURG TO 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF YAZOO CITY.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST
AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIXEF BUT HEAVY RAINFALL
...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND GUSTY WINDS.  PERSONS IN
SOUTHERN SHARKEY AND NORTHERN YAZOO COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Mar 28, 3:58 PM CST, 10 minutes before
MSZALL-282230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
350 PM CST THU MAR 28 1991

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 80 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND MUCH OF SOUTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM CST.

AT 340 PM CST SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN HINDS COUNTY SOUTH OF RAYMOND
AND IN CLAIBORNE COUNTY SOUTH OF PORT GIBSON.

THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...WIND
GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MILES AND HOUR...HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS
THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT THIS EVENING FOR
THREATENING WEATHER...AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR !POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.