Alert archive / Mississippi / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 145, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1997, 12:15 AM CDT for Chickasaw County, Monroe County, Mississippi. It was in force for 35 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
- May 3, 1997, 12:15 AM CDT (05:15 UTC)
- Expired
- May 3, 1997, 12:50 AM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Chickasaw County, MS, Monroe County, MS
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:17 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 12:20 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Houston, MS | A grain silo fell on top of a house. |
| May 3, 12:35 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Aberdeen, MS | A few trees and power lines were blown down. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| May 3, 12:00 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 153 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1002 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -90 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 864 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 229 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 211 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.1
- Supercell composite
- 8.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
516 WUUS1 KMEM 030516 RRA SVRMEM MSC017-095-030550- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1215 AM CDT SAT MAY 3 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TN HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1250 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTHEASTERN MISSISSIPPI ...CHICKASAW COUNTY ...MONROE COUNTY AT 1212 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF HOUSTON. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH AND WILL AFFECT BUENA VISTA AND EGYPT BY 1230 AM AND ABERDEEN AND ACKER BY 1245 AM. SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN IN HOUSTON AT 1210 AM. .A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. &
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, May 2, 7:28 PM CDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before
MSZ023-024-030-031-030045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 728 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 ...MORE VIOLENT THUNDERSTORMS HEADED FOR CLAY .. CHICKASAW .. AND MONROE COUNTIES... INTENSE .. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN APPROACH THE SOUTHWEST PART OF CLAY COUNTY BY 800 PM THIS EVENING. IF THE STORMS RETAIN THEIR STRENGTH .. DAMAGING WEATHER WILL AGAIN BE A THREAT ACROSS CLAY .. CHICKASAW .. AND MONROE COUNTIES BETWEEN ABOUT 800 PM AND 930 PM. AT 725 PM .. THE STORMS WERE OVER WESTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY AND WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 2, 7:29 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
MSZ023-024-030-031-030045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 728 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 ...MORE VIOLENT THUNDERSTORMS HEADED FOR CLAY .. CHICKASAW .. AND MONROE COUNTIES... INTENSE .. DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN APPROACH THE SOUTHWEST PART OF CLAY COUNTY BY 800 PM THIS EVENING. IF THE STORMS RETAIN THEIR STRENGTH .. DAMAGING WEATHER WILL AGAIN BE A THREAT ACROSS CLAY .. CHICKASAW .. AND MONROE COUNTIES BETWEENz ABOUT 800 PM AND 930 PM. AT 725 PM .. THE STORMS WERE OVER WESTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY AND WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
Local storm report, May 2, 8:18 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
818 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0550 PM 2 S WOODLAND MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
MS STATE UNIVERSITY
SPOTTERS.
0600 PM VARDAMAN MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CALHOUN NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY EMA.
0610 PM MONTPELIER MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CLAY NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY EMA.
0610 PM WOODLAND MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CHICKASAW TREES DOWN. WIND DAMAGE TO
HOUSES. MOBILE HOMES
DAMAGED. TREE ON VEHICLE.
0610 PM 12 E HOUSTON MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
CENTRAL DISPATCH.
0615 PM WOODLAND MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
EMA.
0620 PM EGYPT MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CHICKASAW TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
CENTRAL DISPATCH.
0630 PM ABERDEEN MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MONROE LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
DOWN. CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD.Local storm report, May 2, 8:21 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
818 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0550 PM 2 S WOODLAND MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
MS STATE UNIVERSITY
SPOTTERS.
0600 PM VARDAMAN MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CALHOUN NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY EMA.
0610 PM MONTPELIER MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CLAY NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY EMA.
0610 PM WOODLAND MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CHICKASAW TREES DOWN. WIND DAMAGE TO
HOUSES. MOBILE HOMES
DAMAGED. TREE ON VEHICLE.
0610 PM 12 E HOUSTON MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
CENTRAL DISPATCH.
0615 PM WOODLAND MS 0.88 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CHICKASAW NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
EMA.
0620 PM EGYPT MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 CHICKASAW TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
CENTRAL DISPATCH.
0630 PM ABERDEEN MS WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MONROE LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
DOWN. CAR BLOWN OFF ROAD.The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 7:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Clay | 50 min |
| May 2, 8:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Clay | 31 min |
| May 2, 8:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Lowndes | 35 min |
| May 2, 8:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Monroe | 33 min |
| May 2, 9:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Yalobusha | 33 min |
| May 2, 10:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Clay, Lowndes | 45 min |
| May 2, 10:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Lowndes | 32 min |
| May 2, 10:59 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | MEG | Calhoun, Yalobusha | 7 hr |
| May 2, 10:59 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | MEG | Chickasaw, Lee | 7 hr |
| May 2, 11:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Clay | 45 min |
| May 3, 12:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Clay, Lowndes, Monroe | 30 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Mississippi, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.