Alert archive / Mississippi / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 161, NWS Memphis, TN

August 20, 2002Tishomingo County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 2002, 4:23 PM CDT for Tishomingo County, Mississippi. It was in force for 37 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 20, 2002, 4:23 PM CDT (21:23 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 2002, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Tishomingo County, MS

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 20, 2:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 157 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 2002-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 5075 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 2002-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
5075 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-68 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1120 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
23 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.

921 
WUUS54 KMEG 202123
SVRMEM
MSC141-202200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
ISSUED BY NWS BIRMINGHAM AL
423 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL TISHOMINGO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 418 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TISHOMINGO COUNTY...OR ABOUT
  12 MILES NORTHWEST OF RED BAY...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH.

* LOCATIONS INTHE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE DENNIS.

LARGE HAIL...EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY.
TAKE COVER IN A STURDY SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN MEMPHIS.

LAT...LON 3449 8824 3461 8826 3462 8831 3448 8832

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 20, 3:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 20, 3:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
310 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002

INSTABILITY ANALYSIS INDICATES A RIDGE OF AVAILABLE ENERGY FROM
WALNUT RIDGE...TO MEMPHIS...TO TUPELO. LOCAL RADARS INDICATE WIDELY
SCATTERED CONVECTION AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE CWA. MOST NUMEROUS
ACTIVITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH A MID LEVEL SHEAR AXIS...CENTERED OVER
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. EXPECT A DECREASE IN CONVECTION WITH THE LOSS
OF HEATING.

WARM AND GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF
THE SHORT TERM PERIODS...AS MID LEVEL HEIGHTS RISE...AND SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE BUILD INTO THE REGION.

MEDIUM RANGE MODEL OUTPUT SUGGESTS OVERALL UPPER PATTERNS ACROSS
NORTH AMERICA WILL UNDERGO SOME AMPLIFICATION BY THE END OF THE
WEEK. EXPECT A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO APPROACH THE REGION FOR SATURDAY
AND EARLY SUNDAY.

.MEG...NONE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTishomingo34 min
Aug 20, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba25 min
Aug 20, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMonroe31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Mississippi, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.