Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 21, NWS New Orleans, LA

November 21, 1997Hancock County, Pearl River County, Mississippi

NWS New Orleans, LA issued this tornado warning at Nov 21, 1997, 1:56 PM CST for Hancock County, Pearl River County, Mississippi. It was in force for 49 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
Nov 21, 1997, 1:56 PM CST (19:56 UTC)
Expired
Nov 21, 1997, 2:45 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS New Orleans, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hancock County, MS, Pearl River County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Nov 21, 2:28 PM CSTHail 1.75Mc Neil, MS
Nov 21, 2:33 PM CSTTornado F1Nicholson, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Nov 21, 11:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 40 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 1997-11-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 20 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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 1997-11-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 192 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
20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
981 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
192 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KNEW 211955 RRA
TORNEW
MSC045-109-212045-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
156 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CST
FOR RESIDENTS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...NORTHERN HANCOCK COUNTY...SOUTHERN PEARL RIVER COUNTY
 
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
 
AT 150 PM CST RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERTORM WHICH PRODUCED A TORNADO
WHICH DAMAGED SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN COVINGTON ACCORDING TO STATE
POLICE. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO IS MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE PICAYUNE AND NICHOLSON
IM MISSISSIPPI.
 
A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES FOR NORTHERN ST TAMMANY PARISH UNTIL 230 PM
CST. TOWNS INCLUDED IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
INCLUDE BUSH AND TALISHEEK.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
 
 
 
&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 21, 7:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWilkinson30 min
Nov 21, 12:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWalthall48 min
Nov 21, 2:43 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXHancock, Harrison62 min
Nov 21, 3:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXPearl River30 min
Nov 21, 3:46 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXHarrison, Jackson44 min
Nov 21, 4:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997

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.