Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 263

April 27, 1998Chicot County, Arkansas; 14 parishes in Louisiana; 37 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 27, 1998, 9:00 PM CDT for Chicot County, Arkansas; 14 parishes in Louisiana; 37 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 27, 1998, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 1998, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 52 counties

Chicot County, AR, Caldwell Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Attala County, MS, Bolivar County, MS, Calhoun County, MS, Carroll County, MS, Chickasaw County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Grenada County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Holmes County, MS, Humphreys County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Lafayette County, MS, Lee County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Madison County, MS, Montgomery County, MS, Panola County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS, Prentiss County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Union County, MS, Warren County, MS, Washington County, MS, Webster County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Yazoo County, MS

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 27, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette51 min
Apr 27, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin48 min
Apr 27, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVLaSalle30 min
Apr 27, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCatahoula, Franklin47 min
Apr 27, 10:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGUnion34 min
Apr 27, 10:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPrentiss58 min
Apr 27, 10:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANTensas44 min
Apr 27, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin47 min
Apr 27, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison45 min
Apr 27, 11:48 PM CDTTornado WarningJANCatahoula, Concordia47 min
Apr 27, 11:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANMadison33 min
Apr 27, 11:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANConcordia, Tensas51 min

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 108 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1003 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1003 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1133 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

971 
WWUS9 KMKC 280139
SEL3  
MKC WW 280139
MSZ000-LAZ000-280500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 263
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
839 PM CDT MON APR 27 1998

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

   NORTHERN AND WESTERN MISSISSIPPI                        
   CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA                          

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL
MIDNIGHT 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 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF ALEXANDRIA LOUISIANA TO
35 MILES NORTHEAST OF OXFORD MISSISSIPPI.

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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 261.  WATCH NUMBER 261 WILL NOT BE IN
EFFECT AFTER 900 PM CDT.  CONTINUE...WW 260...WW 262...

DISCUSSION...BAND OF STRONG/SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTH
MISSISSIPPI INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD
TONIGHT WITHIN BAND OF STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY MID/UPPER LEVEL WINDS. 
00Z SOUNDINGS INDICATE MODERATE INSTABILITY WITH CAPE OF 1500-2000
J/KG.  ALTHOUGH LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE RELATIVELY WEAK...VEERING
PROFILE AND STRONG SHEAR IN THE LOW-TO-MID LEVELS SUGGESTS
CONTINUED POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SUPERCELLS NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. 


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 23035.


...WEISS

311,0931 344,0901 344,0875 311,0910

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia and 16 more5 hr
Apr 28, 2:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, Iberia, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans and 8 more5 hr
Apr 27, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlcorn, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe and 5 more5 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.