Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 159, NWS Jackson, MS

May 17, 2003Simpson County, Smith County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2003, 4:06 PM CDT for Simpson County, Smith County, Mississippi. It was in force for 39 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
May 17, 2003, 4:06 PM CDT (21:06 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2003, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, MS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 17, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 49 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 2003-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1346 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 2003-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 345 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1346 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
648 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
345 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
339 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.3
Supercell composite
14.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KJAN 172106
TORJAN
MSC127-129-172145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
406 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SMITH COUNTY IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI
  SIMPSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI

* UNTIL 445 PM CDT

* AT 406 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 2 MILES SOUTH OF PINOLA...OR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  MENDENHALL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO...
  BE NEAR MENDENHALL...DLO AT 420 PM CDT
  BE NEAR MAGEE AT 425 PM CDT

THIS TORNADO IS WRAPPED IN RAIN - IF YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE OR HEAR
IT COMING IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE. TAKE COVER NOW

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

LAT...LON 3192 9003 3177 9002 3182 8965 3205 8966
          3207 8975

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, MS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 11:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar57 min
May 17, 12:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANBolivar59 min
May 17, 12:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington58 min
May 17, 12:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSunflower58 min
May 17, 5:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWashington43 min
May 17, 5:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSunflower43 min
May 17, 6:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANIssaquena58 min
May 17, 6:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANSharkey42 min
May 17, 7:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHumphreys42 min
May 17, 8:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANWarren32 min
May 17, 9:10 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANAdams, Jefferson3 hr
May 17, 9:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAttala, Leake41 min
May 17, 10:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClaiborne, Copiah44 min
May 17, 10:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANChoctaw28 min
May 17, 10:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANRankin, Scott62 min
May 17, 10:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds58 min
May 17, 10:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Winston41 min
May 17, 10:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNeshoba44 min
May 17, 11:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin, Lincoln62 min
May 17, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper45 min
May 17, 11:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANScott41 min
May 17, 11:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott38 min
May 17, 12:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin, Lincoln38 min
May 17, 12:25 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLincoln45 min
May 17, 12:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke28 min
May 17, 2:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANFranklin, Jefferson, Lincoln42 min
May 17, 3:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale56 min
May 17, 3:46 PM CDTTornado WarningJANScott44 min
May 17, 3:56 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLawrence29 min
May 17, 4:10 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLauderdale, Newton45 min
May 17, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WarningJAN40 min
May 17, 4:19 PM CDTTornado WarningJANKemper61 min
May 17, 4:23 PM CDTTornado WarningJANJefferson Davis32 min
May 17, 4:48 PM CDTTornado WarningJANCovington47 min
May 17, 4:54 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLauderdale61 min
May 17, 4:57 PM CDTTornado WarningJANJefferson Davis13 min
May 17, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WarningJANKemper29 min
May 17, 5:35 PM CDTTornado WarningJANCovington, Jones60 min
May 17, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLamar25 min
May 17, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale45 min
May 17, 6:23 PM CDTTornado WarningJANJasper37 min
May 17, 6:38 PM CDTTornado WarningJANForrest, Jones42 min
May 17, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningJANClarke44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.