Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 792

December 19, 200232 parishes in Louisiana; 43 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 19, 2002, 6:30 AM CST for 32 parishes in Louisiana; 43 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 19, 2002, 6:30 AM CST (12:30 UTC)
Expired
Dec 19, 2002, 12:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 75 counties

Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Iberville Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, Lafayette Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint Landry Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Vermilion Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Amite County, MS, Attala County, MS, Carroll County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Holmes County, MS, Humphreys County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Leake County, MS, Leflore County, MS, Lincoln County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Madison County, MS, Marion County, MS, Montgomery County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Pike County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Sunflower County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Warren County, MS, Washington County, MS, Webster County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS, Winston County, MS, Yazoo County, MS

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 19, 7:41 AM CSTTornado WarningJANCatahoula44 min
Dec 19, 8:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANTensas47 min
Dec 19, 8:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANConcordia46 min
Dec 19, 8:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys, Sunflower24 min
Dec 19, 8:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAdams47 min
Dec 19, 9:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWarren46 min
Dec 19, 9:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJefferson29 min
Dec 19, 9:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne, Copiah27 min
Dec 19, 10:07 AM CSTTornado WarningJANYazoo28 min
Dec 19, 10:11 AM CSTTornado WarningJANSimpson19 min
Dec 19, 10:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah, Hinds45 min
Dec 19, 10:36 AM CSTTornado WarningJANYazoo29 min
Dec 19, 10:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin, Lincoln45 min
Dec 19, 10:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin44 min
Dec 19, 10:58 AM CSTTornado WarningJANAttala, Holmes32 min
Dec 19, 11:00 AM CSTTornado WarningJANLincoln30 min
Dec 19, 11:17 AM CSTTornado WarningJANCopiah, Lawrence28 min
Dec 19, 11:32 AM CSTTornado WarningJANSimpson43 min
Dec 19, 11:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAttala28 min
Dec 19, 11:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeake, Scott42 min

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 2002-12-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 279 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 2002-12-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 309 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
279 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
309 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
360 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 191238
SEL2  
SPC WW 191230
LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-191800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 792
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
630 AM CST THU DEC 19 2002

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

   LOUISIANA                          
   MISSISSIPPI                        
   COASTAL WATERS                     

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING FROM 630 AM UNTIL NOON CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 5 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF INTRACOASTAL CITY
LOUISIANA TO 40 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF GREENWOOD 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 TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 790...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 791.  WATCH NUMBER 790...791 WILL
NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 630 AM CST.

DISCUSSION...LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS WILL
CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY THROUGH THE MID
MORNING.  ONGOING ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS DEEP
...LINEAR CONVERGENCE SHIFTS EWD AT AROUND 35-40 KT AND HEATING
COMMENCES LATER THIS MORNING.  THOUGH CONVECTIVE FOCUS WILL REMAIN
LINEAR...STRENGTH OF SHEAR AND STRONG ANVIL LAYER STORM-RELATIVE
FLOW SHOULD SUPPORT BROKEN SQUALL LINE COMPOSED OF SUPERCELLS AND
SMALL LEWPS.  THIS WILL INCREASE THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND
TORNADOES DURING THE 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 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...EVANS

294,0933 334,0905 334,0875 294,0904

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 18, 8:55 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto and 13 more6 hr
Dec 19, 12:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Evangeline7 hr
Dec 19, 2:25 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAvoyelles, Bienville, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia and 20 more8 hr
Dec 19, 9:35 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 2 more5 hr
Dec 19, 11:40 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, Livingston, Orleans, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 7 more6 hr
Dec 18, 9:05 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBenton, Coahoma, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola and 5 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2002Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2002Every tornado watch 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.