Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 9, NWS New Orleans, LA

March 18, 1996Walthall County, Mississippi

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at Mar 18, 1996, 2:27 PM CST for Walthall County, Mississippi. It was in force for 33 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
Mar 18, 1996, 2:27 PM CST (20:27 UTC)
Expired
Mar 18, 1996, 3:00 PM CST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

County Walthall County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 18, 2:28 PM CSTThunderstorm WindSartinsville, MS
Mar 18, 2:28 PM CSTHail 1.5Sartinsville, 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 107 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1996-03-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1996-03-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -10 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1309 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KNEW 182029
TORNEW
MSC147-182100-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
227 PM CST MON MAR 18 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM CST
FOR RESIDENTS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...NORTHERN WALTHALL COUNTY
 
AT 230 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A
POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NORTHERN WALTHALL COUNTY BETWEEN SARTINVILLE AND
ENON.
 
THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
 
TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE SARTINVILLE...ENON AND DARBUN.
 
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, Mar 18, 2:18 PM CST, 9 minutes before
ARZ073-LAZ045-053-182100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
215 PM CST MON MAR 18 1996

...TORNADO WATCH CLEARED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...

THE TORNADO WATCH THAT WAS ISSUED EARLIER FOR UPPER ST. MARTIN AND
IBERIA PARISHES HAS BEEN CLEARED.

A COLD FRONT HAS MOVE THROUGH THESE AREAS BRINGING AN END TO THE
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

03

The office that day

Everything else NWS New Orleans, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 7:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWilkinson62 min
Mar 17, 8:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAmite, Wilkinson70 min
Mar 17, 9:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAmite63 min
Mar 17, 10:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPike55 min
Mar 18, 12:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPike, Walthall55 min
Mar 18, 1:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPearl River50 min
Mar 18, 2:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXHancock41 min
Mar 18, 2:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXHarrison31 min
Mar 18, 2:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson55 min
Mar 18, 2:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson40 min
Mar 18, 3:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson16 min
Mar 18, 1:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAmite, Pike40 min
Mar 18, 2:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWalthall43 min
Mar 18, 2:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPike35 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.