Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 45, NWS Jackson, MS

April 20, 1996Leake County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 1996, 10:39 AM CDT for Leake County, Mississippi. It was in force for 51 min. 2 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
Apr 20, 1996, 10:39 AM CDT (15:39 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1996, 11:30 AM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Leake County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 20, 11:00 AM CDTHail 0.75Thomastown, MS
Apr 20, 11:00 AM CDTHail 0.75Carthage, 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, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 1996-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1706 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 1996-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 152 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
1706 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
559 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
152 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
368 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
12.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 201538
TORJAN
MSC079-201630-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1039 AM CDT SAT APR 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...LEAKE COUNTY
 
AT 1039 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST WEST OF
THOMASTOWN MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS MOTION WILL TAKVE THE
STORM OVER THOMASTOWN BY 1050 AM.
 
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, Apr 20, 9:24 AM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MISSISSIPPI
923 AM CDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0845 AM    2 S CARROLLTON            MS   UNCONFIRMED TORNADO
04/20/96   CARROLL
                                          TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN AT ROUTE 35 AND
                                          US 82.
Local storm report, Apr 20, 9:58 AM CDT, 41 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MISSISSIPPI
957 AM CDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0830 AM    5 S CARROLLTON            MS   TORNADO
04/20/96   CARROLL                        *** 1 DEAD ***
                                          TREE FELL ON TRAILER ALONG
                                          HWY 17.

0720 AM    8 NW CLEVELAND            MS   .88 INCH HAIL
04/20/96   BOLIVAR                        NO TSTM CELL IN THE
                                          AREA...ONLY RAIN SHWR.

0755 AM    GREENWOOD                 MS   .88 INCH HAIL
04/20/96   LEFLORE                        HAIL ON NORTH SIDE OF
                                          TOWN.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 6:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington39 min
Apr 20, 6:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSunflower34 min
Apr 20, 7:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington40 min
Apr 20, 7:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeflore52 min
Apr 20, 7:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSunflower36 min
Apr 20, 8:10 AM CDTTornado WarningJANCarroll50 min
Apr 20, 9:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANYazoo28 min
Apr 20, 10:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison49 min
Apr 20, 10:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys, Sunflower30 min
Apr 20, 10:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeflore47 min
Apr 20, 11:09 AM CDTTornado WarningJANNeshoba51 min
Apr 20, 11:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Noxubee52 min
Apr 20, 4:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper25 min
Apr 20, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Noxubee65 min
Apr 20, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington60 min
Apr 20, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar67 min
Apr 20, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANIssaquena36 min
Apr 20, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSharkey50 min
Apr 20, 6:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys, Sunflower69 min
Apr 20, 6:31 PM CDTTornado WarningJANSharkey44 min
Apr 20, 6:38 PM CDTTornado WarningJANHumphreys, Washington67 min
Apr 20, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANIssaquena60 min
Apr 20, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANChoctaw, Winston40 min
Apr 20, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHolmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Sunflower49 min
Apr 20, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAttala46 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.