Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2003

Tornado Watch 108

April 6, 200318 counties in Alabama; 17 parishes in Louisiana; 35 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 6, 2003, 6:50 PM CDT for 18 counties in Alabama; 17 parishes in Louisiana; 35 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 6, 2003, 6:50 PM CDT (23:50 UTC)
Expired
Apr 7, 2003, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 70 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Amite County, MS, Attala County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Holmes County, MS, Issaquena County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Leake County, MS, Lincoln County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Madison County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Warren County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS, Winston 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 6:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANAttala, Leake, Rankin, Scott4 hr
Apr 6, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds61 min
Apr 6, 7:01 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa29 min
Apr 6, 7:03 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANChoctaw, Webster4 hr
Apr 6, 7:17 PM CDTTornado WarningJANFranklin, Jefferson, Lincoln43 min
Apr 6, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANLeake57 min
Apr 6, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANCopiah43 min
Apr 6, 7:24 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson51 min
Apr 6, 7:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANAttala44 min
Apr 6, 7:34 PM CDTTornado WarningJANHinds, Rankin41 min
Apr 6, 7:48 PM CDTTornado WarningJANCopiah42 min
Apr 6, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLawrence, Lincoln, Simpson49 min
Apr 6, 8:01 PM CDTTornado WarningJANLeake, Scott59 min
Apr 6, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNeshoba, Winston42 min
Apr 6, 8:22 PM CDTTornado WarningJANJefferson Davis28 min
Apr 6, 8:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANNewton56 min
Apr 6, 8:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANNeshoba, Newton, Winston6 hr
Apr 6, 8:47 PM CDTTornado WarningJANCovington, Jefferson Davis, Simpson, Smith73 min
Apr 6, 8:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale, Noxubee63 min
Apr 6, 9:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANEast Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Richland, West Carroll6 hr
Apr 6, 9:21 PM CDTTornado WarningJANJasper, Jones54 min
Apr 6, 9:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANClarke55 min
Apr 6, 10:23 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANAttala, Hinds, Leake, Madison, Rankin, Scott5 hr
Apr 6, 10:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw65 min
Apr 6, 10:32 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningJANKemper, Lauderdale6 hr
Apr 6, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo44 min
Apr 7, 12:21 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJANHinds, Rankin44 min
Apr 7, 12:47 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas58 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 21 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 2003-04-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 758 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 2003-04-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 112 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
758 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
544 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 062352
SEL8  
WWUS20 KWNS 062350
SPC WW 062350
ALZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-070600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 108
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
550 PM CST SUN APR 6 2003

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

   CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ALABAMA                            
   EASTERN LOUISIANA                          
   MISSISSIPPI                        

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING FROM 550 PM UNTIL
MIDNIGHT CST.

 ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
 
DAMAGING TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF ALEXANDRIA
LOUISIANA TO 20 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF BIRMINGHAM 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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 105...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 107.  WATCH NUMBER 105...107 WILL
NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 550 PM CST.  CONTINUE...WW 104...WW 106...

DISCUSSION...CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ENEWD ACROSS WATCH AREA THRU THE
EVENING.  STRONG VEERING SHEAR PROFILES AND VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE
AIRMASS SUPPORT NOT ONLY ISOLATED STRONG TORNADOES...BUT POSSIBLY
SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE AND VERY LARGE HAIL.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...HALES

322,0924 341,0863 322,0863 303,0924

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 6, 9:19 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLimestone, Madison116 min
Apr 6, 12:40 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGreene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and 1 more2 hr
Apr 6, 1:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCLauderdale6 hr
Apr 6, 1:35 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBibb, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas and 8 more5 hr
Apr 6, 2:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Perry and 4 more2 hr
Apr 6, 6:23 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBibb, Blount, Choctaw, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin and 14 more97 min
Apr 6, 7:38 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 16 more97 min
Apr 6, 7:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, East Carroll, Franklin and 9 more5 hr
Apr 6, 10:00 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEast Carroll, Madison, West Carroll2 hr
Apr 6, 10:20 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 16 more55 min
Apr 6, 10:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne and 20 more6 hr
Apr 6, 12:03 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto and 14 more117 min
Apr 6, 3:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBienville, Caldwell, De Soto, Franklin, Grant, Jackson and 11 more2 hr
Apr 6, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAllen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo and 26 more5 hr
Apr 6, 5:35 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAllen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo and 26 more115 min
Apr 6, 11:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlcorn, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma and 15 more5 hr
Apr 6, 12:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Coahoma, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola and 8 more2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2003Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2003Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 2003Every tornado watch 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.