Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 34, NWS Jackson, MS

April 20, 1992Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 1992, 10:01 AM CDT for Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 44 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
Apr 20, 1992, 10:01 AM CDT (15:01 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1992, 10:45 AM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Sumter County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 20, 10:05 AM CDTHail 0.75Sumter, 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, 3.0 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 1992-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 11 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1992-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 185 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
11 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-209 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
650 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
185 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
259 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 201501
TORMEI
ALC119-201545-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
1001 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MERIDIAN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...SUMTER COUNTY
 
AT 1000 AM CDT MERIDIAN RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
7 MILES NORTHWEST OF LIVINGSTON ALABAMA MOVING NORTHEAST AT
40 MPH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, Apr 20, 8:00 AM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
MSZ009-012-201400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
759 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 157 WHICH INCLUDES CLARKE...JASPER...NEWTON...
AND JONES COUNTIES IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL
100 PM CDT...

AT 750 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WEST
OF A LINE FROM COLUMBIA TO NEWTON TO AMORY MISSISSIPPI.  THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED BETWEEN D'LO AND TYLERTOWN MISSISSIPPI.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO JASPER AND JONES COUNTIES
WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.  PERSONS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 8:43 AM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
MSZALL-201445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
841 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992

...TORNADO WATCH 158 FOR EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI TILL 2
PM...

AT 843 AM CDT...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED SOUTHWARD
FROM WALNUT GROVE OVER LEAKE COUNTY TO COLLINS IN COVINGTON
COUNTY...AND THEN SOUTHWESTWARD TO COLUMBIA IN MARION COUNTY.  THESE
STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING.

THE COLD FRONT WAS STILL WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...AND A NEW
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN LOUISIANA.  THESE
STORMS COULD MOVE INTO WESTERN MISSISSIPPI WITHIN THE NEXT 2 TO 4
HOURS.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 9:55 AM CDT, 6 minutes before
MSC035-201600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
953 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 2 PM...

AT 950 AM CDT A SHORT LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER EASTERN
FORREST COUNTY AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE STORMAS THEY MOVED THROUGH WESTERN FORREST COUNTY. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE
OUT OF FORREST COUNTY BY 1030 AM.
Local storm report, Apr 20, 9:56 AM CDT, 5 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MERIDIAN MS
950 CDT MON APR 20 1992

840 PM CDT...JASPER COUNTY C.D. REPORTED SEVERAL TREES DOWN
             BETWEEN STRINGER AND BAY SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI.

915 AM CDT...NEWTON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED TREES
             DOWN ABOUT SEVEN MILES EAST OF NEWTON MISSISSIPPI.

925 AM CDT...LAURDERDALE COUNTY C.D. REPORTED TREES DOWN
             JUST NNW OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 9:57 AM CDT, 4 minutes before
MSC035-201600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
953 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 2 PM...

AT 950 AM CDT A SHORT LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER EASTERN
FORREST COUNTY AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE STORMAS THEY MOVED THROUGH WESTERN FORREST COUNTY. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE
OUT OF FORREST COUNTY BY 1030 AM.
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 9:59 AM CDT, 2 minutes before
MSC035-201600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
953 AM CDT MON APR 20 1992

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 2 PM...

AT 950 AM CDT A SHORT LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER EASTERN
FORREST COUNTY AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE STORM
AS THEY MOVED THROUGH WESTERN FORREST COUNTY. THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE
OUT OF FORREST COUNTY BY 1030 AM.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 9:59 AM CDTTornado WarningJANChoctaw46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.