Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Memphis, TN

April 26, 1994DeSoto County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 1994, 3:50 PM CDT for DeSoto County, Mississippi. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 26, 1994, 3:50 PM CDT (20:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1994, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County DeSoto County, MS

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 6 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 1994-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1489 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1994-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 181 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
1489 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
806 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 262052
TORMEM
MSC033-262115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
350 PM CDT TUE APR 26 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 PM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...DESOTO COUNTY
 
AT 342 PM..DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTH OF
HERNANDO. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
 
PERSONS IN HERNANDO...LEWISBURG AND OLIVE BRANCH SHOULD SEEK SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY.
 
 
 
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, Apr 26, 3:30 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
TNZ049-088-089-MSZ001-002-003-007-008-262130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
329 PM CDT TUE APR 26 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN DESOTO AND TUNICA COUNTIES
EXPIRED AT 330 PM...

AT 325 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
ARKABUTLA RESERVOIR IN TATE COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL MOVE NEAR HERNANDO
BEFORE 4 PM.

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED MARBLE SIZE HAIL NEAR PRICHARD MISSISSIPPI AROUND
255 PM...WHILE MARBLE SIZE HAIL FELL NEAR EUDORA IN DESOTO COUNTY
AROUND 315 PM.

PERSONS IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO ERUPT IN THE AFTERNOON HEAT. THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON MAY PRODUCE HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

&
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 3:32 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
TNZ049-088-089-MSZ001-002-003-007-008-262130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
329 PM CDT TUE APR 26 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN DESOTO AND TUNICA COUNTIES
EXPIRED AT 330 PM...

AT 325 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
ARKABUTLA RESERVOIR IN TATE COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL MOVE NEAR HERNANDO
BEFORE 4 PM.

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED MARBLE SIZE HAIL NEAR PRICHARD MISSISSIPPI AROUND
255 PM...WHILE MARBLE SIZE HAIL FELL NEAR EUDORA IN DESOTO COUNTY
AROUND 315 PM.

PERSONS IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO ERUPT IN THE AFTERNOON HEAT. THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON MAY PRODUCE HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAINS.

STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto40 min
Apr 26, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto, Marshall41 min
Apr 26, 5:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto36 min
Apr 26, 6:17 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto43 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.