Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Jackson, MS

March 6, 1996Jones County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Mar 6, 1996, 5:41 PM CST for Jones County, Mississippi. It was in force for 49 min. 3 reports 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 6, 1996, 5:41 PM CST (23:41 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 1996, 6:30 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Jones County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 6, 5:45 PM CSTHail 1.75Ellisville, MS
Mar 6, 5:50 PM CSTHail 4.5Laurel, MS
Mar 6, 6:00 PM CSTHail 1.75Laurel, MS

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 116 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1996-03-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1435 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1996-03-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 271 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1435 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
562 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
9.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 062341
TORJAN
MSC067-070030-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
541 PM CST WED MAR 6 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...JONES COUNTY
 
AT 539 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST WEST OF ELLSIVILLE
ALONG HIGHWAY 588 MOVING EAST NORTHEAST 35 MPH. THE STOJRM WILL PASS JUST
SOUTH OF LAUREL NEAR ELLISVILLE 550 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE.
USE PILLOWS OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR HEAD.
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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

Local storm report, Mar 6, 2:57 PM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
256 PM CST WED MAR  6 1996

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION...... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION......

1100 PM    SUMRALL                   MS   WIND DAMAGE
03/05/96   LAMAR                          MAJOR DAMAGE TO HOUSES...MANY
                                          TREES DOWN...HOUSE OFF
                                          FOUNDATION BLOCKS

1245 AM    BTWN OVETT AND ELLISVI    MS   TORNADO
03/06/96   JONES                          TRACK APPROX 4 MI. LONG AND
                                          100 YDS. AT WIDEST POINT

OLB

 THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY 3 PM AND BE OFF OF
THE TEXAS COAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING IN THE WIND
ADVISORY AREA TONIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING.  BE ALERT TO SUDDEN
GUSTS OF WIND WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE.
DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SUCH AS TRUCKS AND CAMPERS SHOULD
GIVE EXTRA ATTENTION TO CROSS WINDS WHEN DRIVING.  LAKE WATERS WILL
BE CHOPPY AND HAZARDOUS AND BOATERS ARE URGED TO STAY CLOSE TO SHORE.
Local storm report, Mar 6, 2:57 PM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
256 PM CST WED MAR  6 1996

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION...... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION......

1100 PM    SUMRALL                   MS   WIND DAMAGE
03/05/96   LAMAR                          MAJOR DAMAGE TO HOUSES...MANY
                                          TREES DOWN...HOUSE OFF
                                          FOUNDATION BLOCKS

1245 AM    BTWN OVETT AND ELLISVI    MS   TORNADO
03/06/96   JONES                          TRACK APPROX 4 MI. LONG AND
                                          100 YDS. AT WIDEST POINT

OLB

 THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS BY 3 PM AND BE OFF OF
THE TEXAS COAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING IN THE WIND
ADVISORY AREA TONIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING.  BE ALERT TO SUDDEN
GUSTS OF WIND WHICH MAY CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE.
DRIVERS OF HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SUCH AS TRUCKS AND CAMPERS SHOULD
GIVE EXTRA ATTENTION TO CROSS WINDS WHEN DRIVING.  LAKE WATERS WILL
BE CHOPPY AND HAZARDOUS AND BOATERS ARE URGED TO STAY CLOSE TO SHORE.
Local storm report, Mar 6, 4:03 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
402 PM CST WED MAR  6 1996

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION...... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION......

0353 PM    CROSSETT AR               AR   1.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL
03/06/96   ASHLEY

JB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 5, 8:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds46 min
Mar 5, 9:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin44 min
Mar 5, 9:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah25 min
Mar 5, 9:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin49 min
Mar 5, 10:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNewton49 min
Mar 5, 11:03 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLawrence27 min
Mar 5, 11:09 PM CSTTornado WarningJANMarion36 min
Mar 5, 11:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJefferson Davis42 min
Mar 5, 11:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington, Lamar50 min
Mar 5, 11:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANForrest, Jones50 min
Mar 6, 12:30 AM CSTTornado WarningJANJones30 min
Mar 6, 1:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLamar30 min
Mar 6, 1:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJefferson Davis39 min
Mar 6, 1:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANForrest28 min
Mar 6, 1:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington39 min
Mar 6, 2:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale38 min
Mar 6, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington44 min
Mar 6, 5:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJones47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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.