Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 206

April 27, 199730 parishes in Louisiana; 32 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 27, 1997, 4:15 AM CDT for 30 parishes in Louisiana; 32 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 27, 1997, 4:15 AM CDT (09:15 UTC)
Expired
Apr 27, 1997, 10:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 62 counties

Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Iberville Parish, LA, Jefferson Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, Lafourche Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Terrebonne Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Amite County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Jones County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Lincoln County, MS, Madison County, MS, Marion County, MS, Newton County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pike County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Stone County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Warren County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 27, 4:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLawrence33 min
Apr 27, 4:48 AM CDTTornado WarningJANJefferson Davis, Marion42 min
Apr 27, 5:07 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLIXPike2 hr
Apr 27, 5:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington35 min
Apr 27, 6:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXWalthall15 min
Apr 27, 6:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCovington, Jones44 min
Apr 27, 6:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMarion42 min
Apr 27, 6:23 AM CDTTornado WarningJANMarion37 min
Apr 27, 6:44 AM CDTTornado WarningJANLamar46 min
Apr 27, 7:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLCHIberia23 min
Apr 27, 7:07 AM CDTTornado WarningJANForrest53 min
Apr 27, 7:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJones27 min
Apr 27, 7:48 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLIXPike117 min
Apr 27, 8:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXEast Baton Rouge, Iberville, West Baton Rouge61 min
Apr 27, 9:07 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANHinds2 hr
Apr 27, 9:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension, Livingston58 min
Apr 27, 9:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Helena58 min
Apr 27, 9:33 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLCHIberia117 min

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 00:00Z on 1997-04-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 96 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1997-04-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
96 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-414 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
887 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
371 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.

403 
WWUS9 KMKC 270848
SEL6  
MKC WW 270848
LAZ000-MSZ000-271500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 206
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
348 AM CDT SUN APR 27 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHERN AND EASTERN LOUISIANA                          
   SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI                        
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY MORNING FROM 415 AM UNTIL 1000 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HOUMA LOUISIANA TO 25 MILES
NORTH NORTHEAST OF JACKSON MISSISSIPPI.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 203...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 204.  WATCH NUMBER
203...204 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 415 AM CDT.  CONTINUE...WW
205...

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE ONSHORE INTO CENTRAL LA WITH 30
TO 40 KT LOW LEVEL JET THRU EASTERN LA INTO SOUTHERN MS. WARM
ADVECTION WILL BRING INCREASING INSTABILITY OVER WATCH AREA WITH
WIND SHEAR FAVORABLE FOR A FEW SUPERCELLS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22035.


...ROGASH

290,0924 323,0912 323,0882 290,0894

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 11:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard and 30 more6 hr
Apr 27, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 20 more6 hr
Apr 27, 10:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson and 15 more6 hr
Apr 27, 2:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCGeorge, Jackson6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 1997Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1997Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.