Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Memphis, TN

March 5, 1997Lee County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Mar 5, 1997, 11:58 AM CST for Lee County, Mississippi. It was in force for 32 min. 3 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 5, 1997, 11:58 AM CST (17:58 UTC)
Expired
Mar 5, 1997, 12:30 PM CST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Lee County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 5, 12:04 PM CSTThunderstorm WindPlantersville, MS
Mar 5, 12:15 PM CSTThunderstorm WindMooreville, MS
Mar 5, 12:18 PM CSTTornado F0Eggville, 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
Mar 5, 11:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 12:00Z on 1997-03-05Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1997-03-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
613 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
170 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 KMEM 051759 RRA
TORMEM
MSC081-051830-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1158 AM CST WED MAR 5 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHEASTERN MISSISSIPPI

   ...LEE COUNTY
 
AT 11 57 AM..DOPLLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
BELDEN MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM WILL PASS
NEAR SATILLO BY 1215 PM.


.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 SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A
CLOSET ON THE HLOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO
COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 5, 8:40 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGTunica4 hr
Mar 5, 8:47 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGDeSoto3 hr
Mar 5, 8:53 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGTate3 hr
Mar 5, 9:05 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGCoahoma3 hr
Mar 5, 9:05 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGBenton, Marshall3 hr
Mar 5, 9:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGLafayette, Panola4 hr
Mar 5, 9:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGTippah4 hr
Mar 5, 9:36 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGQuitman4 hr
Mar 5, 10:17 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMEGAlcorn4 hr
Mar 5, 11:39 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPontotoc31 min
Mar 5, 11:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee34 min
Mar 5, 12:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba32 min
Mar 5, 12:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTishomingo32 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.