Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Memphis, TN

March 6, 1996Chickasaw County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 6, 1996, 7:26 PM CST for Chickasaw County, Mississippi. It was in force for 49 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
Mar 6, 1996, 7:26 PM CST (01:26 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 1996, 8:15 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Chickasaw County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 6, 7:40 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 51Okolona, 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 137 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1996-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 5 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 1996-03-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 130 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
481 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
96 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
394 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMEM 070128
TORMEM
MSC017-070215-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
726 PM CST WED MAR 6 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CST
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...CHICKASAW COUNTY
 
DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO DEVELOPING JUST SOUTH OF
HOUSTON IN CENTRAL CHICKASAW COUNTY AT 724 PM. THE THUNDERSTORM
ASSOCIATED WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THAT MOTION WILL TAKE THE POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
BUENA VISTA .. TREBLOC .. AND MCCUNDY BY 750 PM.
 
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS STORM.
 
 
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 6, 3:10 PM CST, 4 hours 16 minutes before
TNZ001>009-019>029-048>062-075-076-088>096-071800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
310 PM CST WED MAR 6 1996

...WINTER WEATHER TO RETURN TO WEST AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

WINTER WEATHER WILL RETURN TO WEST AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT INTO
THURSDAY AS A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA. THIS FRONT IS
CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS OF MID AFTERNOON. AS
THIS FRONT CROSSES WEST TENNESSEE THIS EVENING AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE
AFTER MIDNIGHT..TEMPERATURES WILL FALL DRAMATICALLY WITH STRONG
NORTHWEST WINDS AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING BEFORE DAY BREAK IN WEST
TENNESSEE AND BY MID MORNING IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. A LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM WILL MOVE ALONG THIS FRONT BRINGING A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION
TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS RAIN
TONIGHT AND WILL CHANGE TO A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT
IN WEST TENNESSEE AND AFTER SUNRISE IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

UP TO AN INCH OF ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH UP TO TWO INCHES POSSIBLE IN NORTHWEST AND
NORTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION ENDS. WITH THE WARM
TEMPERATURES OF THE RECENT PAST..MOST ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ON GRASSY
SURFACES. HOWEVER..BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES COULD STILL PRESENT
PROBLEMS WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS SO MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION
WHEN DRIVING THURSDAY MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 6, 3:14 PM CST, 4 hours 12 minutes before
TNZ001>009-019>029-048>062-075-076-088>096-071800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
310 PM CST WED MAR 6 1996

...WINTER WEATHER TO RETURN TO WEST AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE...

WINTER WEATHER WILL RETURN TO WEST AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT INTO
THURSDAY AS A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA. THIS FRONT IS
CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS OF MID AFTERNOON. AS
THIS FRONT CROSSES WEST TENNESSEE THIS EVENING AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE
AFTER MIDNIGHT..TEMPERATURES WILL FALL DRAMATICALLY WITH STRONG
NORTHWEST WINDS AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING BEFORE DAY BREAK IN WEST
TENNESSEE AND BY MID MORNING IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. A LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM WILL MOVE ALONG THIS FRONT BRINGING A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION
TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS RAIN
TONIGHT AND WILL CHANGE TO A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT
IN WEST TENNESSEE AND AFTER SUNRISE IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

UP TO AN INCH OF ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH UP TO TWO INCHES POSSIBLE IN NORTHWEST AND
NORTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION ENDS. WITH THE WARM
TEMPERATURES OF THE RECENT PAST..MOST ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE ON GRASSY
SURFACES. HOWEVER..BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES COULD STILL PRESENT
PROBLEMS WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS SO MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION
WHEN DRIVING THURSDAY MORNING.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 6:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGYalobusha44 min
Mar 6, 6:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChickasaw, Pontotoc25 min
Mar 6, 6:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCalhoun50 min
Mar 6, 7:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChickasaw45 min
Mar 6, 7:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba, Lee40 min
Mar 6, 7:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPontotoc43 min
Mar 6, 7:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMonroe40 min
Mar 6, 8:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba26 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.