Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 403
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 17, 2003, 9:20 AM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 2003, 9:20 AM CDT (14:20 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 2003, 3:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 89 counties
Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Colbert County, AL, Cullman County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marion County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL, Catoosa County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Dade County, GA, Walker County, GA, Whitfield County, GA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Amite County, MS, Attala County, MS, Chickasaw County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Clay County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hinds County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Jones County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Lawrence County, MS, Leake County, MS, Lee County, MS, Lincoln County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Madison County, MS, Marion County, MS, Monroe County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pike County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Stone County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Wayne County, MS, Webster County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS, Winston County, MS
Warnings issued inside it
35 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 9:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Colbert | 30 min |
| May 17, 9:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Attala, Leake | 41 min |
| May 17, 10:01 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Claiborne, Copiah | 44 min |
| May 17, 10:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Lauderdale, Lawrence | 24 min |
| May 17, 10:08 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 52 min |
| May 17, 10:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Choctaw | 28 min |
| May 17, 10:17 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 58 min |
| May 17, 10:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Limestone, Morgan | 37 min |
| May 17, 10:23 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Rankin, Scott | 62 min |
| May 17, 10:32 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Hinds | 58 min |
| May 17, 10:37 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Amite, Wilkinson | 38 min |
| May 17, 10:40 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HUN | Limestone | 20 min |
| May 17, 10:45 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HUN | Madison | 30 min |
| May 17, 10:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Winston | 41 min |
| May 17, 10:51 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Neshoba | 44 min |
| May 17, 11:02 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HUN | Limestone | 13 min |
| May 17, 11:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Franklin, Lincoln | 62 min |
| May 17, 11:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Kemper | 45 min |
| May 17, 11:18 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | HUN | Madison | 27 min |
| May 17, 11:24 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Scott | 41 min |
| May 17, 11:32 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott | 38 min |
| May 17, 11:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson | 37 min |
| May 17, 11:49 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Madison | 26 min |
| May 17, 12:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Franklin, Lincoln | 38 min |
| May 17, 12:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Lincoln | 45 min |
| May 17, 12:45 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 6 hr |
| May 17, 12:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Choctaw | 41 min |
| May 17, 12:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Clarke | 28 min |
| May 17, 1:53 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 47 min |
| May 17, 2:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln | 42 min |
| May 17, 2:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Sumter | 33 min |
| May 17, 2:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 31 min |
| May 17, 2:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene | 39 min |
| May 17, 2:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Walker | 32 min |
| May 17, 2:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 47 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 74 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
913
WWUS20 KWNS 171416
SEL3
SPC WW 171420
ALZ000-GAZ000-LAZ000-MSZ000-172000-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 403
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
920 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA
NORTHWEST GEORGIA
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI
EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 920 AM UNTIL
300 PM CDT.
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 95 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA TO 40
MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF MC COMB 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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 402. WATCH NUMBER 402 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 920
AM CDT.
DISCUSSION...SQUALL LINE WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO
CONTINUE EWD... WITH DAYTIME HEATING EXPECTED TO YIELD SOME
INTENSIFICATION. HIGH SURFACE DEWPOINTS AND MODERATE LOW TO MID
LEVEL SHEAR SUGGEST THREAT FOR A FEW TORNADOES. VIS AND RAOB DATA
ALSO SUGGEST THAT CAP OVER WARM SECTOR E OF SQUALL LINE IS WEAK.
THUS...ISOLATED STORMS MAY DEVELOP AHEAD OF LINE ALONG EXISTING CU
CLOUD ROLLS...AND/OR ALONG WEAK WARM FRONT EXTENDING E INTO CNTRL
AL.
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 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
...CORFIDI
350,0843 303,0890 303,0921 350,0880SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 11:41 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 6 more | 94 min |
| May 17, 12:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Blount, Colbert, Cullman, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence and 6 more | 4 hr |
| May 17, 2:37 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Blount, Cullman, Franklin, Lamar, Lawrence, Limestone and 5 more | 53 min |
| May 17, 7:48 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bibb, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Fayette and 14 more | 57 min |
| May 17, 10:45 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers and 20 more | 90 min |
| May 17, 1:50 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun and 33 more | 115 min |
| May 17, 2:25 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee and 28 more | 8 hr |
| May 17, 1:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley and 85 more | 6 hr |
| May 17, 5:13 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Banks, Barrow, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Cherokee and 39 more | 2 hr |
| May 16, 8:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Sabine | 4 hr |
| May 16, 8:14 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, De Soto, Jackson and 8 more | 2 hr |
| May 16, 8:38 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Caldwell, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita and 3 more | 97 min |
| May 17, 4:45 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Caldwell, Catahoula, East Carroll, Franklin, LaSalle, Madison and 6 more | 5 hr |
| May 17, 6:37 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Caldwell, Catahoula, East Carroll, Franklin, LaSalle, Madison and 3 more | 83 min |
| May 17, 3:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Madison, Saint Helena, Tangipahoa, Tensas and 3 more | 5 hr |
| May 17, 6:04 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Saint Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington | 116 min |
| May 16, 9:35 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll and 25 more | 6 hr |
| May 17, 1:54 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Grenada and 12 more | 66 min |
| May 17, 5:42 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alcorn, Benton, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall and 7 more | 63 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2003Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2003Tornado Watches in Georgia, 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.