Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 183

April 8, 19984 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 8, 1998, 7:45 AM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 8, 1998, 7:45 AM CDT (12:45 UTC)
Expired
Apr 8, 1998, 2:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 64 counties

Arkansas County, AR, Ashley County, AR, Bradley County, AR, Chicot County, AR, Crittenden County, AR, Desha County, AR, Drew County, AR, Lee County, AR, Lincoln County, AR, Monroe County, AR, Phillips County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, Bienville Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Alcorn County, MS, Benton County, MS, Bolivar County, MS, Calhoun County, MS, Carroll County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, DeSoto County, MS, Grenada County, MS, Holmes County, MS, Humphreys County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Lafayette County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Marshall County, MS, Montgomery County, MS, Panola County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tippah County, MS, Tunica County, MS, Union County, MS, Warren County, MS, Washington County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Yazoo County, MS, Chester County, TN, Fayette County, TN, Hardeman County, TN, Hardin County, TN, Haywood County, TN, McNairy County, TN, Shelby County, TN, Tipton County, TN

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 8, 7:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKArkansas47 min
Apr 8, 8:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar44 min
Apr 8, 8:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPhillips31 min
Apr 8, 8:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLZKBradley48 min
Apr 8, 9:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester32 min
Apr 8, 9:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma, Quitman50 min
Apr 8, 9:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman33 min
Apr 8, 9:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto32 min
Apr 8, 9:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester31 min
Apr 8, 9:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGShelby36 min
Apr 8, 9:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGFayette51 min
Apr 8, 10:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardeman49 min
Apr 8, 10:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChester, McNairy48 min
Apr 8, 11:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGHardin, Henderson32 min

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 161 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 1998-04-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1038 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 1998-04-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 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
1038 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
531 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

395 
WWUS9 KMKC 081217
SEL3  
MKC WW 081217
ARZ000-LAZ000-TNZ000-MSZ000-081900-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
717 AM CDT WED APR 8 1998

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

   SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS                           
   NORTHERN LOUISIANA                          
   WESTERN TENNESSEE                          
   NORTHERN AND WESTERN MISSISSIPPI                        

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 745 AM UNTIL
200 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MONROE LOUISIANA TO 10
MILES WEST OF JACKSON TENNESSEE.

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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 181...WW 182...

DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTHWEST LOUISIANA INTO
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD THIS
MORNING.  STORMS ARE DEVELOPING INTO LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND
INSTABILITY AXIS OVER LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WHERE SURFACE
PRESSURE FALLS ARE INCREASING.  VERY STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY JET ALOFT
OVER THE REGION WILL ENHANCE SEVERE POTENTIAL...INCLUDING
POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24045.


...WEISS

314,0934 353,0902 353,0874 314,0910

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 8, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCColumbia, Lafayette, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita6 hr
Apr 8, 5:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Lafayette, Miller, Union6 hr
Apr 8, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCArkansas, Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark and 29 more6 hr
Apr 8, 11:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCChickasaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lee, Lowndes, Monroe and 3 more5 hr
Apr 8, 2:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAttala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay and 32 more6 hr
Apr 8, 2:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson and 31 more6 hr
Apr 8, 5:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAnderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger and 7 more5 hr
Apr 8, 1:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAnderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne and 22 more6 hr
Apr 8, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBenton, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Crockett, Davidson and 31 more7 hr
Apr 8, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAnderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell and 52 more7 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 1998Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1998Tornado Watches in Arkansas, 1998Every tornado watch 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.