Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 801
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 23, 2002, 6:00 PM CST for 29 parishes in Louisiana; 31 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 9 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 23, 2002, 6:00 PM CST (00:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 24, 2002, 3:00 AM CST
- In force
- 9 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 60 counties
Ascension Parish, LA, Assumption Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Iberia Parish, LA, Iberville Parish, LA, Livingston Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Saint Charles Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Saint James Parish, LA, Saint John the Baptist Parish, LA, Saint Martin Parish, LA, Saint Tammany Parish, LA, St. Mary Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Tensas 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, Claiborne County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Holmes County, MS, Humphreys County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Leake County, MS, Lincoln County, MS, Madison County, MS, Marion County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Pike County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Warren County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS, Yazoo County, MS
Warnings issued inside it
28 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 7:05 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Saint Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington | 40 min |
| Dec 23, 7:11 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Franklin, Richland | 54 min |
| Dec 23, 7:21 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LIX | Saint Tammany, Washington | 24 min |
| Dec 23, 7:38 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LIX | Washington | 37 min |
| Dec 23, 8:07 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Lamar | 28 min |
| Dec 23, 8:14 PM CST | Tornado Warning | LIX | Pearl River | 16 min |
| Dec 23, 9:05 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Richland, West Carroll | 6 hr |
| Dec 23, 9:32 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Yazoo | 43 min |
| Dec 23, 10:56 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Hinds, Rankin | 29 min |
| Dec 23, 11:22 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Hinds, Rankin | 113 min |
| Dec 24, 12:31 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Adams, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson | 3 hr |
| Dec 24, 12:41 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lamar, Marion | 29 min |
| Dec 24, 12:56 AM CST | Tornado Warning | LIX | Tangipahoa, Washington | 49 min |
| Dec 24, 1:08 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Catahoula, Concordia | 42 min |
| Dec 24, 1:17 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Adams | 38 min |
| Dec 24, 1:20 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Hinds, Rankin | 3 hr |
| Dec 24, 1:22 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana | 53 min |
| Dec 24, 1:22 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Copiah, Lincoln | 28 min |
| Dec 24, 1:42 AM CST | Flash Flood Warning | JAN | Forrest, Jones, Lamar, Marion | 4 hr |
| Dec 24, 1:42 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne, Jefferson | 28 min |
| Dec 24, 1:45 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Simpson | 30 min |
| Dec 24, 1:50 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Franklin | 35 min |
| Dec 24, 2:02 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Copiah | 33 min |
| Dec 24, 2:12 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lincoln | 38 min |
| Dec 24, 2:32 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Hinds | 33 min |
| Dec 24, 2:43 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Rankin, Simpson | 32 min |
| Dec 24, 2:50 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lawrence | 30 min |
| Dec 24, 2:54 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Jefferson Davis | 31 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 110 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 588 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 64 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 285 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 398 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 240002 SEL1 SPC WW 240000 LAZ000-MSZ000-CWZ000-240900- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 801 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 600 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN LOUISIANA WESTERN AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 600 PM UNTIL 300 AM CST. ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... DAMAGING TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER... THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 125 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTH OF LAFAYETTE LOUISIANA TO 60 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JACKSON 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... CONTINUE...WW 799...WW 800... DISCUSSION...SHALLOW WARM FRONT NOW ALONG THE LA COAST EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING SLOWLY NWD THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...WHILE OVERALL WIND FIELD STRENGTHENS AHEAD OF STRONG UPPER TROUGH NOW ENTERING CNTRL TX. FARTHER N...DEEPER FRONTAL ZONE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY FROM NEAR AEX TO NEAR GWO. COMBINATION OF INCREASING BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE...WEAK WARM ADVECTION AND LENGTHENING HODOGRAPHS WILL CREATE FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES ALONG BOTH BOUNDARIES THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH...EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24040. ...CORFIDI 295,0892 291,0915 324,0915 333,0892
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 7:10 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron and 12 more | 8 hr |
| Dec 24, 2:30 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard and 8 more | 7 hr |
| Dec 23, 8:20 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Clarke, Forrest, George, Greene, Harrison, Jackson and 5 more | 7 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.