Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Memphis, TN

April 8, 1998Union County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 8, 1998, 6:21 PM CDT for Union County, Mississippi. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report 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
Apr 8, 1998, 6:21 PM CDT (23:21 UTC)
Expired
Apr 8, 1998, 6:55 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Whole counties

County Union County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 8, 6:40 PM CDTHail 1Sherman, 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
Apr 8, 2:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 1998-04-08Temperature 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 1998-04-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 170 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2519 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
87 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
170 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
224 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 
WFUS1 KMEM 082321 RRA
TORMEM
MSC145-082355-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
621 PM CDT WED APR 8 1998


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 655 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHEASTERN MISSISSIPPI

   ...UNION COUNTY

A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR THAXTON IN NORTHWEST
PONTOTOC COUNTY AT 615 PM.  THAT STORM WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN UNION
COUNTY INTO THE NEW HARMONY AREA BY 625 PM AND INTO THE BLUE SPRINGS
AREA BETWEEN 630 PM AND 645 PM.  THE STORM AND TORNADO ARE MOVING
TOWARD THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

.THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN
THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.



&

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, Apr 8, 12:27 PM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
MSZ001>005-007>016-020>023-TNZ049-050-052>054-088>092-081800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1227 PM CDT WED APR 8 1998

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED OVER SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 8, 12:27 PM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
MSZ001>005-007>016-020>023-TNZ049-050-052>054-088>092-081800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1227 PM CDT WED APR 8 1998

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE...

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED OVER SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE.
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Local storm report, Apr 8, 6:16 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TENNESSEE
615 PM CST WED APR 08 1998

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0512 PM    COLLINSTOWN               MS   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/98   ALCORN                         GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY ALCORN COUNTY
                                          911

0515 PM    CARDWELL                  MO   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/98   DUNKLIN                        GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY KENNETT POLICE
                                          DEPT

0517 PM    SAVANNAH                  TN   .75 INCH HAIL
04/08/98   HARDIN                         DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          SAVANNAH POLICE DEPT
>
0540 PM    WYNNE                     AR   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/98   CROSS                          GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          SPOTTER

0545 PM    COLT                      AR   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/08/98   ST FRANCIS                     pGOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY ST FRANCIS
                                          COUNTY SHERIFF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 8, 8:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma31 min
Apr 8, 9:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma, Quitman50 min
Apr 8, 9:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto32 min
Apr 8, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGAlcorn31 min
Apr 8, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette46 min
Apr 8, 5:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLafayette31 min
Apr 8, 6:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGPontotoc31 min
Apr 8, 6:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGUnion32 min
Apr 8, 6:33 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLee32 min
Apr 8, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGItawamba, Prentiss46 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.