Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2002

Tornado Watch 793

December 19, 20029 counties in Alabama; 8 parishes in Louisiana; 15 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 19, 2002, 9:35 AM CST for 9 counties in Alabama; 8 parishes in Louisiana; 15 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 19, 2002, 9:35 AM CST (15:35 UTC)
Expired
Dec 19, 2002, 3:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 32 counties

Autauga County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Mobile County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Jefferson Parish, LA, Lafourche Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Plaquemines Parish, LA, Saint Bernard Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, Terrebonne Parish, LA, Clarke County, MS, Forrest County, MS, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Harrison County, MS, Jackson County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jones County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Stone County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:35 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 19, 9:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Charles33 min
Dec 19, 10:19 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany26 min
Dec 19, 10:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany42 min
Dec 19, 11:42 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBGreene5 hr
Dec 19, 11:48 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington4 days
Dec 19, 12:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXOrleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard24 min
Dec 19, 12:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAscension, Iberville, Livingston, Saint Helena, Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa and 1 more59 min
Dec 19, 12:35 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXHarrison25 min
Dec 19, 12:51 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXHancock, Harrison24 min
Dec 19, 12:59 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington4 days
Dec 19, 1:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXAssumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Saint Charles, Saint James, Saint John the Baptist and 1 more53 min
Dec 19, 1:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJasper43 min
Dec 19, 1:20 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLamar, Marion30 min
Dec 19, 1:30 PM CSTTornado WarningJANLauderdale25 min
Dec 19, 1:32 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington4 days
Dec 19, 1:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANJones61 min
Dec 19, 1:48 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXPearl River27 min
Dec 19, 1:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLamar26 min
Dec 19, 1:51 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke5 days
Dec 19, 1:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXSaint Tammany38 min
Dec 19, 1:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale30 min
Dec 19, 1:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard, Saint Charles and 2 more91 min
Dec 19, 2:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANForrest40 min
Dec 19, 2:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke31 min
Dec 19, 2:19 PM CSTTornado WarningLIXPearl River26 min
Dec 19, 2:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLauderdale35 min
Dec 19, 2:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANForrest31 min
Dec 19, 2:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke, Lauderdale30 min
Dec 19, 2:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXHancock, Harrison, Pearl River64 min

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 48 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-12-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 668 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2002-12-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 304 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
668 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
304 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
417 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 191534
SEL3  
SPC WW 191535
ALZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-192100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 793
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
935 AM CST THU DEC 19 2002

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

   SOUTHWEST ALABAMA                            
   SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA                          
   SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI                        
   COASTAL WATERS                     

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 935 AM UNTIL 300
PM 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 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF BOOTHVILLE LOUISIANA TO
40 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF SELMA ALABAMA.

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 791...WW 792...

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN WARM SECTOR E OF SQUALL
LINE CURRENTLY LOCATED WRN SWRN MS INTO SCENTRAL LA.  STRONG DEEP
LAYER SHEAR COUPLED WITH VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL
SUPPORT TORNADIC SUPERCELLS. 


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 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23040.


...HALES

290,0911 323,0884 323,0862 290,0885

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 19, 11:40 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Bibb, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas and 12 more6 hr
Dec 19, 3:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBarbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Clay, Coffee and 17 more6 hr
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, 6:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Cameron and 26 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 Alabama, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.