Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2003
Tornado Watch 408
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 17, 2003, 3:00 PM CDT for 9 parishes in Louisiana; 34 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 2003, 3:00 PM CDT (20:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 2003, 8:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 43 counties
East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, East Feliciana Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Saint Helena Parish, LA, Tangipahoa Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, West Baton Rouge Parish, LA, West Feliciana Parish, LA, Adams County, MS, Amite County, MS, Claiborne County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Copiah County, MS, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, Franklin County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hinds 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, Lincoln County, MS, Madison County, MS, Marion County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Pearl River County, MS, Perry County, MS, Pike County, MS, Rankin County, MS, Scott County, MS, Simpson County, MS, Smith County, MS, Walthall County, MS, Warren County, MS, Wayne County, MS, Wilkinson County, MS
Warnings issued inside it
23 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 3:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LIX | Amite, Pike | 51 min |
| May 17, 3:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Kemper, Lauderdale | 56 min |
| May 17, 3:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Scott | 44 min |
| May 17, 3:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Lawrence | 29 min |
| May 17, 4:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Simpson, Smith | 39 min |
| May 17, 4:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Lauderdale, Newton | 45 min |
| May 17, 4:19 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Kemper | 61 min |
| May 17, 4:23 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Jefferson Davis | 32 min |
| May 17, 4:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Covington | 47 min |
| May 17, 4:54 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Lauderdale | 61 min |
| May 17, 4:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Jefferson Davis | 13 min |
| May 17, 5:21 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Kemper | 29 min |
| May 17, 5:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Covington, Jones | 60 min |
| May 17, 5:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lamar | 25 min |
| May 17, 6:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Kemper, Lauderdale | 45 min |
| May 17, 6:23 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Jasper | 37 min |
| May 17, 6:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Wayne | 37 min |
| May 17, 6:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Wayne | 29 min |
| May 17, 6:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Forrest, Jones | 42 min |
| May 17, 6:41 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Clarke | 44 min |
| May 17, 6:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MOB | Wayne | 31 min |
| May 17, 7:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MOB | Wayne | 46 min |
| May 17, 7:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | JAN | Clarke | 21 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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 58 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.
138
WWUS20 KWNS 171958
SEL8
SPC WW 172000
LAZ000-MSZ000-180100-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 408
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
300 PM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL
800 PM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 55 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI TO
20 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF NATCHEZ 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 403. WATCH NUMBER 403 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 300
PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 404...WW 405...WW 406...WW 407...
DISCUSSION...A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS/SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO
PERSIST ALONG SRN END OF WEAKENING LINEAR MCS...WHERE RICH MOISTURE
INFLOW WILL CONTINUE BENEATH APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.
...CORFIDI
305,0881 302,0912 322,0912 325,0881SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, 7:48 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Catahoula, LaSalle, Tensas | 57 min |
| May 17, 9:20 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, Saint Helena, Washington, West Feliciana | 6 hr |
| May 17, 1:50 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | East Feliciana, Pointe Coupee, Saint Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Feliciana | 115 min |
| 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 16, 11:41 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Tishomingo | 94 min |
| May 17, 12:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Itawamba, Monroe, Prentiss, Tishomingo | 4 hr |
| May 17, 1:54 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Grenada and 12 more | 66 min |
| May 17, 2:37 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Monroe | 53 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 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.