Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Jackson, MS

November 7, 1996Smith County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Nov 7, 1996, 12:54 PM CST for Smith County, Mississippi. It was in force for 36 min. 1 report 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
Nov 7, 1996, 12:54 PM CST (18:54 UTC)
Expired
Nov 7, 1996, 1:30 PM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Smith County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Nov 7, 12:58 PM CSTTornado F1Martinville, 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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 1996-11-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1058 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 1996-11-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1058 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
627 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJAN 071855 RRA
TORJAN
MSC129-071930-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1254 PM CST THU NOV 7 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...SMITH COUNTY
 
AT 1253 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 10 MILES WEST OF
RALEIGH MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING
THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY THROUGH
130 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.
<
 
IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING.  AS A
LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
<

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, Nov 7, 8:57 AM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
MSZ001>082-081200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
500 PM CDT THU NOV 7 1996

...COLD WEATHER IN STORE FOR MISSISSIPPI THIS WEEKEND...

A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT THAT WILL EXIT THE AREA TONIGHT WILL BE FOLLOWED
BY A COLD AIR MASS THAT WILL SURGE ACROSS THE STATE FRIDAY.

GUSTY NORTHWEST WIND WILL FORCE COLDER AIR INTO NORTH MISSISSIPPI
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...WHICH WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE STATE INTO SOUTH
MISSISSIPPI LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. THIS AIR MASS MAY PRODUCE SOME OF THE
COLDEST TEMPERATURES THIS FALL AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE
FOR SATURDAY MORNING AS FAR SOUTH AS NATCHEZ AND HATTIESBURG.

IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO PROTECT OUTDOOR PETS AND PLANTS SATURDAY
MORNING ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE...TEMPERATURES
WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S. AREAS IN SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
MAY ALSO SEE FREEZING TEMPERATURES SATURDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY IN
VALLEYS AND LOW LYING AREAS. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Nov 7, 10:30 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
MSZ001>082-081630-

MISSISSIPPI THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1030 AM CST THU NOV 7 1996

.TORADAO WATCH 1116 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM...NORTHERN HALF OF MS
.SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 1115 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM SOUTHWEST MS

THE APPROACH OF A STRONG COLD FRONT COUPLED WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIRMASS SET THE STAGE FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
MISSISSIPPI. DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE.

RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER ISSUANCES.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...STORM SPOTTERS AND HAM RADIO PRESONNEL HAVE
ALREADY BEEN ACTIVATED...CONTINUING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
Special weather statement, Nov 7, 10:32 AM CST, 2 hours 22 minutes before
MSZ001>082-081630-

MISSISSIPPI THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1030 AM CST THU NOV 7 1996

.TORADAO WATCH 1116 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM...NORTHERN HALF OF MS
.SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 1115 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM SOUTHWEST MS

THE APPROACH OF A STRONG COLD FRONT COUPLED WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIRMASS SET THE STAGE FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
MISSISSIPPI. DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE.&

RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER ISSUANCES.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...STORM SPOTTERS AND HAM RADIO PRESONNEL HAVE
ALREADY BEEN ACTIVATED...CONTINUING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 7, 7:35 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar40 min
Nov 7, 8:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar, Sunflower, Washington49 min
Nov 7, 9:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne, Warren63 min
Nov 7, 9:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAdams, Jefferson63 min
Nov 7, 10:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys, Sharkey, Yazoo44 min
Nov 7, 10:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHolmes, Yazoo47 min
Nov 7, 11:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWinston43 min
Nov 7, 11:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah, Hinds41 min
Nov 7, 12:06 PM CSTTornado WarningJANNoxubee39 min
Nov 7, 12:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSimpson49 min
Nov 7, 1:34 PM CSTTornado WarningJANMarion26 min
Nov 7, 1:57 PM CSTTornado WarningJANCovington, Jefferson Davis, Lamar33 min
Nov 7, 2:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale44 min
Nov 7, 2:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke, Lauderdale37 min
Nov 7, 2:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNoxubee35 min
Nov 7, 2:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale30 min
Nov 7, 3:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANForrest31 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.