Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Memphis, TN

April 26, 1994Tate County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 1994, 7:21 PM CDT for Tate County, Mississippi. It was in force for 54 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 26, 1994, 7:21 PM CDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1994, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Tate County, MS

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 20 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 00:00Z on 1994-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2705 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1994-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 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
2705 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1210 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
7.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 270025 COR
TORMEM
MSC137-270115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING       ...... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
721 PM CDT TUE APR 26 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...TATE COUNTY
 
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO WAS FORMING OVER NORTHERN TATE
COUNTY ... JUST SOUTH OF THE DESOTO - TATE COUNTY LINE ... DUE SOUTH OF
INGRAMS MILL .. AT 720PM.
 
THIS HAS BEEN AN ESPECIALLY DESTRUCTIVE STORM WITH TORNADOES DAMAGING
HAIL AND EXTENSIVE FLASH FLOODING IN DESOTO COUNTY.  THE STORM IS NOW
EXPANDING INTO TATE COUNTY AND RESIDENTS OF THAT NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY SOUTH SEEK COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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 26, 3:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 51 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, 3 hours 49 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, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto45 min
Apr 26, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMarshall42 min
Apr 26, 7:45 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMarshall45 min
Apr 27, 1:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba, Lee50 min
Apr 27, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTunica36 min
Apr 27, 6:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate49 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.