Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Mobile, AL

May 3, 1994Jackson County, Mississippi

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1994, 9:31 AM CDT for Jackson County, Mississippi. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 3, 1994, 9:31 AM CDT (14:31 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 1994, 10:00 AM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Jackson County, MS

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 106 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1838 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 563 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 173 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 KMOB 031430
TORMOB
MSC059-031500-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
931 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...SOUTHERN JACKSON COUNTY
 
AT 928 AM THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATD A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST SOUTH OF
PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI. ATT 922 AM THE JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
REPORTED A WATERSPOUT NEAR THAT LOCATION. RESIDENTS OF PASCAGOULA SHOULD
TAKE SHELTER NOW.
 
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, May 3, 7:06 AM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before

MSZ075>082-031300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE, AL
706 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994

AT 705 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.  THE
STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED IN A LINE EXTENDING FROM SELLERS
IN NORTHEAST HANCOCK COUNTY TO NORTHEAST GREENE COUNTY NEAR
KNOBTOWN.  THE STRONGEST STORM IN THIS LINE WAS NOTED OVER CENTRAL
STONE COUNTY NEAR TEN MILE AND WIGGINS.  MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS
WAS TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AND SMALL HAIL.

Special weather statement, May 3, 7:31 AM CDT, 2 hours before

ALZ052-053-055-056-059-061>064-MSZ075>082-031330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE, AL
731 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI INTO
   SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

AT 730 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SOUTHEAST HANCOCK COUNTY MISSISSIPPI TO
NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY ALABAMA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN
THIS LINE WERE OVER EASTERN STONE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI SOUTHEAST OF
WIGGINS...AND OVER NORTHWEST GEORGE COUNTY BETWEEN BENNDALE AND
MERRILL.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH...
AND WILL AFFECT MUCH OF COASTAL MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
THIS MORNING.

AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH...THEY WILL LIKELY PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

Local storm report, May 3, 9:00 AM CDT, 31 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
900 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994

TIME             EVENT
858 AM           NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT PASCAGOULA BY THE
                 JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFFSh OFFICE.

Local storm report, May 3, 9:26 AM CDT, 5 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
926 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994

TIME             EVENT
900 AM           GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED JUST OFF MOFFETT
                 ROAD ON HOWELLS FERRY ROAD NEAR THE MOBILE REGIONAL
                 AIRPORT IN CENTRAL MOBILE COUNTY.  REPORTED BY
                 RESIDENT IN THAT AREA.

Local storm report, May 3, 9:26 AM CDT, 5 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
926 AM CDT TUE MAY 3 1994

TIME             EVENT
900 AM           GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED JUST OFF MOFFETT
                 ROAD ON HOWELLS FERRY ROAD NEAR THE MOBILE REGIONAL
                 AIRPORT IN CENTRAL MOBILE COUNTY.  REPORTED BY
                 RESIDENT IN THAT AREA.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 8:18 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Jackson	57 min

Nearby

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