Alert archive / Mississippi / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 281

March 18, 200324 counties in Alabama; 33 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 18, 2003, 11:50 PM CST for 24 counties in Alabama; 33 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 115 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 18, 2003, 11:50 PM CST (05:50 UTC)
Expired
Mar 19, 2003, 1:45 AM CST
In force
115 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 57 counties

Bibb County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Colbert County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marion County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Winston County, AL, Alcorn County, MS, Attala County, MS, Benton County, MS, Calhoun County, MS, Chickasaw County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Clay County, MS, Covington County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jones County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Leake County, MS, Lee County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Monroe County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS, Prentiss County, MS, Scott County, MS, Smith County, MS, Tippah County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Union County, MS, Wayne County, MS, Webster County, MS, Winston County, MS

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 159 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2003-03-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 25 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2003-03-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 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
25 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-191 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
886 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

841 
ACUS11 KWNS 190551
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 190550 
ALZ000-TNZ000-MSZ000-190745-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0281
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1150 PM CST TUE MAR 18 2003

AREAS AFFECTED...ERN MS...WRN AL

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 55...

VALID 190550Z - 190745Z

LINE OF STRONG/SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES TO TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS
EASTERN MS...AND SHOULD MOVE INTO WESTERN AL AFTER 07Z.  ISOLATED
WIND DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED ALONG THE LINE DURING THE PAST
COUPLE OF HOURS.  LINE SHOULD ACCELERATE EAST-NORTHEASTWARD
THROUGH 09Z AS 80 KNOT MID LEVEL JET APPROACHES REGION.



ISOLATED CELLS HAVE BEEN INCREASING AHEAD OF LINE OVER NORTHEAST
MS AND NORTHWEST AL.  SHEAR PROFILES IN THIS AREA ARE VERY
STRONG...WITH 0-3KM SR HELICITY VALUES OVER 500 M2/S2 AND SURFACE
DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S.  DESPITE MARGINAL INSTABILITY...
POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES WITH THESE CELLS AND
WITH SUPERCELLS EMBEDDED IN LINE.



..HART.. 03/19/2003

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...BMX...MOB...MEG...JAN...

34788941 35048827 34848692 33668658 31898732 31088907
31438961 32838970

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 18, 6:39 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCButler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington and 13 more3 hr
Mar 18, 7:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and 5 more6 hr
Mar 18, 9:10 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh and 14 more3 hr
Mar 18, 10:25 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBaldwin, Bibb, Choctaw, Clarke, Colbert, Cullman and 24 more7 hr
Mar 19, 2:02 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Choctaw, Clarke, Colbert, Cullman, Dallas and 22 more118 min
Mar 19, 7:10 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMadison2 hr
Mar 19, 8:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCDeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Marshall, Morgan4 hr
Mar 19, 9:28 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, DeKalb, Jackson, Madison, Marshall2 hr
Mar 19, 11:30 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCDeKalb, Jackson, Marshall7 hr
Mar 19, 11:58 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall2 hr
Mar 19, 12:59 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarbour, Bullock, Dale, Henry, Houston, Lee and 4 more3 hr
Mar 19, 1:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers and 15 more6 hr
Mar 19, 2:06 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall and 1 more114 min
Mar 19, 3:35 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarbour, Chambers, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell and 1 more115 min
Mar 19, 3:52 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah113 min
Mar 18, 6:08 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Hinds and 13 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.