Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Memphis, TN

April 30, 2002Chickasaw County, Pontotoc County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 30, 2002, 3:23 PM CDT for Chickasaw County, Pontotoc County, Mississippi. It was in force for 52 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 30, 2002, 3:23 PM CDT (20:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2002, 4:15 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Chickasaw County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 30, 3:45 PM CDTHail 2Randolph, MSMany trees in the area were stripped of their leaves.
Apr 30, 3:50 PM CDTTornado F0Gershorm, MSA small tornado touched down near the town of Gershorn and tracked southeast. Little damage occurred with the tornado.
Apr 30, 3:55 PM CDTHail 1.75Okolona, MS
Apr 30, 3:55 PM CDTTornado F0Houlka, MSThe same thunderstorm complex that produced a tornado in Pontotoc county also spawned a tornado in Chickasaw county. This tornado knocked some trees down across the northern part of the county as it tracked east-southeast.

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 30, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 2002-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 956 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 2002-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 278 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
956 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-102 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
700 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
278 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
335 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
7.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

440 
WFUS54 KMEG 302023
TORMEM
MSC017-115-302115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
323 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHICKASAW COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
  PONTOTOC COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT.

* AT 317 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO OVER
  RANDOLPH...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO THROUGH 415 PM CDT INCLUDE...
  ALGOMA...
  NEW HOULKA...HOULKA...
  TROY...
  OKOLONA...

.IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IN AN INTERIOR
ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

.STAY TUNED TO THIS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROADCAST FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES AND INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 3428 8919 3412 8930 3383 8878 3407 8871

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 7:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTunica49 min
Apr 30, 7:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette, Panola46 min
Apr 30, 7:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto50 min
Apr 30, 9:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto33 min
Apr 30, 11:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette41 min
Apr 30, 11:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPanola, Tate20 min
Apr 30, 11:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPontotoc, Union29 min
Apr 30, 12:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, Pontotoc24 min
Apr 30, 12:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, Monroe28 min
Apr 30, 1:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGMonroe29 min
Apr 30, 2:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto, Marshall22 min
Apr 30, 2:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGBenton, Marshall, Tippah49 min
Apr 30, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette28 min
Apr 30, 3:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette, Pontotoc29 min
Apr 30, 3:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLee, Union23 min
Apr 30, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGItawamba, Lee43 min
Apr 30, 3:51 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGMonroe39 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.