Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Jackson, MS

March 31, 1998Scott County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Mar 31, 1998, 1:39 PM CST for Scott County, Mississippi. It was in force for 51 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 31, 1998, 1:39 PM CST (19:39 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 1998, 2:30 PM CST
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Whole counties

County Scott County, MS

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 52 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1998-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 20 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1998-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 283 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
612 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
283 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
427 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 KJAN 311939 RRA
TORJAN
MSC123-312030-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
139 PM CST TUE MAR 31 1998
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
 
   ...SCOTT COUNTY
 
AT 137 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST NORTH OF
HOMEWOOD MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THIS STORM WILL CROSS INBTERSTATE-20
EAST OF FOREST BY 2 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE.
USE PILLOWS OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR HEAD.
<
 
64

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 31, 10:00 AM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>029-032>066-072>
074-010400-

AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1000 AM CST TUE MAR 31 1998

A BAND OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NORTHEAST TO
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI LATE THIS MORNING. THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND
STORMS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE EAST OF
MISSISSIPPI BY THIS EVENING.

WITH THE AIRMASS OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE DUE
TO DAYTIME HEATING...THE LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY INTENSIFY AS IT
MOVES INTO THIS MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS THIS AFTERNON. A FEW OF THE
STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS AND PUBLIC SAFETY
OFFICIALS COULD BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT US AT OUR WEB SITE AT:
HTTP://WWW.JANNWS.STATE.MS.US
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 10:00 AM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>029-032>066-072>
074-010400-

AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1000 AM CST TUE MAR 31 1998

A BAND OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NORTHEAST TO
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI LATE THIS MORNING. THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND
STORMS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE EAST OF
MISSISSIPPI BY THIS EVENING.

WITH THE AIRMASS OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE DUE
TO DAYTIME HEATING...THE LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY INTENSIFY AS IT
MOVES INTO THIS MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS THIS AFTERNON. A FEW OF THE
STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS AND PUBLIC SAFETY
OFFICIALS COULD BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT US AT OUR WEB SITE AT:
HTTP://WWW.JANNWS.STATE.MS.US

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, MS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 31, 1:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah38 min
Mar 31, 1:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANScott, Smith45 min
Mar 31, 1:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin40 min
Mar 31, 2:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJasper, Newton53 min
Mar 31, 3:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale41 min
Mar 31, 3:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNoxubee32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.