Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 278, NWS Jackson, MS

December 9, 2008Holmes County, Mississippi

NWS Jackson, MS issued this tornado warning at Dec 9, 2008, 5:30 PM CST for Holmes County, Mississippi. It was in force for 45 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: Dec 9, 2008, 5:30 PM CST (23:30 UTC)
Expired: Dec 9, 2008, 6:15 PM CST
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Jackson, MS
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Holmes County, MS

The radar

The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:33 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Dec 9, 3:51 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 96 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 587 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 445 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 522 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.

000 
WFUS54 KJAN 092330
TORJAN
MSC051-100015-
/O.NEW.KJAN.TO.W.0278.081209T2330Z-081210T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
530 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HOLMES COUNTY IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DURANT...

* UNTIL 615 PM CST

* AT 530 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  BROZVILLE...OR 12 MILES EAST OF THORNTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LEXINGTON BY 535 PM CST...
  MCMILLAN BY 540 PM CST...
  BOWLING GREEN BY 545 PM CST...
  EMORY BY 550 PM CST...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3330 9001 3330 9000 3322 8975 3317 8979
      3300 8988 3290 8999 3309 9023 3330 9002
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 224DEG 38KT 3307 9011

$$

GARRETT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Dec 9, 5:30 PM CST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 5:30 PM CST, 0 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
530 PM CST TUE DEC 9 2008

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY SEVERE WEATHER ONGOING THIS
AFTERNOON AS A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS FORMED AHEAD OF THE COLD
FRONT THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CWFA LATER TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT
WAS ANALYZED PUSHING THROUGH CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND INTO NORTHWEST
LOUISIANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT THE BAND OF
THUNDERSTORMS WORKING OFF A FAVORABLY SHEARED WARM MOIST AND
UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. GREATEST FORCING TONIGHT IS STILL EXPECTED IN
THE NORTH BUT LOWER 60 DEW POINTS HAVE HAD A HARD TIME MAKING IT UP
TO HIGHWAY 82. GREATEST MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS STILL EXPECTED
OVER THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE AREA. STRONG GRADIENT WINDS
AHEAD OF AND BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SHOULD MEET LOCAL LAKE WIND
ADVISORY CRITERIA TONIGHT AND THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN
EXTENDED. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL RATES AND TRAINING OF THE STORMS
WITHIN THE LINE HAS LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING IN THE WEST...A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CWFA TONIGHT.
RAINFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES PER HOUR HAVE BEEN OBSERVED.
WIDESPREAD TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT OVER
MOST OF THE AREA. JUDGING FROM LATEST MSAS ANALYSIS...THE GFS IS A
LITTLE TOO FAST WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT THROUGH OUR CWFA
TONIGHT BUT THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE MOVING INTO OUR SOUTHEAST
COUNTIES BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH THE COLD FRONT WILL BE
SOUTHEAST OF OUR AREA WEDNESDAY MORNINGS MODELS STILL SHOW THE
DEVELOPMENT OF A SECOND SURFACE LOW ALONG THE COLD FRONT TO OUR
SOUTHEAST. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO DIGGING UPPER TROUGH AND FORMING
CLOSED LOW OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WEDNESDAY. THERE IS STILL
CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE IN THE MODELS WITH THE TRACK OF THIS LOW AND
WITH THE ASSOCIATED CHANCES OF SNOW FOR THE REGION. THE ECWMF IS
FARTHEST NORTH AND FARTHER EAST WITH THE LOW COMPARED WITH THE NAM
AND GFS. THE ACTUAL TRACK OF THE LOW WILL DETERMINE ANY
TROWAL...DEFORMATION...BANDED SNOW AXIS. SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE
STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. WL
NOT MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST AND KEEP MENTION
OF SNOW MIXING IN AND/OR CHANGING OVER BEFORE SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION ENDS THURSDAY. IN ADDITION TO RAIN/SNOW CHANCES...A
COLD AND WINDY DAY LOOKS ON TAP FOR THURSDAY AS HIGHS STRUGGLE TO
CLIMB OUT OF THE 30S.

.LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...THE MDLS GET INTO
DECENT AGREEMENT HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND BUT BY NEXT WEEK THEY
REALLY START TO DIVERGE.

PRECIP SHOULD COME TO AN END THU EVENING/OVERNIGHT AND SKIES WILL
START TO CLEAR OUT. TEMPS ARE A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION RIGHT NOW B/C
A LOT WILL DEPEND IF WE HAVE SNOW ON THE GROUND. IF THERE IS THEN
LOWS FRI MORNING WILL BE COLDER THAN EXPECTED. DUE TO THE
UNCERTAINTY I WILL JUST STICK WITH THE MEX GUI FOR NOW. HIGHS WILL
ALSO BE BELOW NORMAL WITH SOME LOCATIONS POSSIBLY QUITE COOL IF(BIG
IF THERE) IS SNOW ON THE GROUND.

THIS WEEKEND AND HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK THE PATTERN WILL FINALLY
CHANGE AND TEMPS WILL MODERATE WITH RAIN CHANCE INCREASING NEXT
WEEK. I HAVE JUST STUCK WITH THE MEX FOR THIS PERIOD FOR BOTH TEMPS
AND POPS. /CAB/

&&

.AVIATION...WINDY AND RAINY CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION.
SUSTAINED WINDS WILL RANGE FROM 15 TO 25 KTS IN MOST LOCATIONS WITH
GUSTS TO 30KTS. THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTS TO 50KTS. MOST OF
THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY REMAINS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND
WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT GLH/TVR/HEZ THROUGH AT LEAST 00Z. AN AREA OF
RAIN HAS MOVED INTO HBG AND WILL REMAIN LIGHT TO MODERATE. THERE MAY
BE OCCASIONAL DOWNPOURS THAT WILL BRIEFLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO
LIFR CONDITIONS. THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH INTO MEI
THROUGH THE SAME TIME PERIOD. THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BE MOVING
INTO JAN/GWO BY 00Z ALSO. GTR WILL NOT SEE TOO MANY IMPACTS UNTIL
AFTER 00Z...WHEN LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHOULD DEVELOP OVER THE AREA.
AFTER 01Z...THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD SHIFT EAST. THERE MAY
BE A FEW STORMS LINGERING AROUND GLH...BUT MOST OF THE IMPACTS WILL
BE AT GWO/JAN UNTIL ABOUT 4-5Z. THE ACTIVITY WILL SHIFT TO
GTR/MEI/HBG AFTER 4Z AND CONTINUE THROUGH 8 OR 9Z. MVFR CONDITIONS
SHOULD PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION...WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF LIFR
CONDITIONS THROUGH 18Z. THERE MAY BE SOME LIGHT RAIN ACROSS THE AREA
FROM 12-18Z WEDNESDAY. /07/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON       47  49  34  41 / 100  73  94  70
MERIDIAN      51  54  37  42 / 100  79  94  79
VICKSBURG     45  46  34  42 /  94  72  91  57
HATTIESBURG   53  55  38  42 /  99  94  85  50
NATCHEZ       45  47  34  42 /  98  90  97  53
GREENVILLE    41  45  33  46 /  84  45  71  45
GREENWOOD     43  45  33  45 /  94  43  73  63

&&

.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR MSZ026>033-
     036>039-042>066-072>074.

     FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR MSZ028>033-037>039-
     043>046-048>066-072>074.

     LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR MSZ018-019-025-
     034-035-040-041.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR MSZ018-019-025-
     034-035-040-041.

LA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR LAZ024-026.

     LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR LAZ007>009-015-
     016-023>026.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR LAZ007>009-015-
     016-023>026.

AR...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR ARZ074-075.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ARZ074-075.

&&

SHORT TERM: 22
LONG TERM: CAB
AVIATION: 07

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 9, 2:44 PM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
244 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1240 PM     HEAVY RAIN       ROSEDALE                33.85N 91.03W
12/09/2008  E1.25 INCH       BOLIVAR            MS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WEST BOLIVAR SCHOOL IN ROSEDALE REPORTED WATER COMING IN
            THRU THEIR DOORS, DUE TO SUDDEN DOWNPOUR.

&&

JFAIRLY

Local storm report, Dec 9, 2:52 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
252 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0140 PM     HEAVY RAIN       MOUND BAYOU             33.88N 90.73W
12/09/2008  E1.25 INCH       BOLIVAR            MS   PUBLIC

            LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING IN MOUND BAYOU, DUE TO SUDDEN
            DOWNPOUR.

&&

JFAIRLY

Local storm report, Dec 9, 4:02 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
402 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0130 PM     TSTM WND DMG     LIDDIEVILLE             32.14N 91.85W
12/09/2008                   FRANKLIN           LA   UTILITY COMPANY

            POWER OUTAGES WERE REPORTED.

&&

JFAIRLY

Local storm report, Dec 9, 4:07 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
407 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0130 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     HOLLY BLUFF             32.82N 90.71W
12/09/2008                   YAZOO              MS   PUBLIC

            FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SPOTTED ALONG HWY 16 AND OLD HIGHWAY
            149.

&&

JFAIRLY

Local storm report, Dec 9, 4:43 PM CST, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
443 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0415 PM     TORNADO          2 SSE LOUISE            32.96N 90.58W
12/09/2008                   HUMPHREYS          MS   STORM CHASER

            REPORTED TORNADO ON THE GROUND IN AN OPEN FIELD NEAR NO 3
            ROAD.

&&

JFAIRLY

Local storm report, Dec 9, 4:57 PM CST, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
457 PM CST TUE DEC 09 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0450 PM     HAIL             2 S YAZOO CITY          32.83N 90.41W
12/09/2008  E1.75 INCH       YAZOO              MS   STORM CHASER

            GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED 2 MILES SOUTH OF YAZOO CITY
            ON OLD HWY 49.

&&

JFAIRLY

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 9, 4:27 AM CST	Lake Wind Advisory	JAN	Adams, Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke and 34 more	14 hr
Dec 9, 4:27 AM CST	Wind Advisory	JAN	Bolivar, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Sharkey, Sunflower and 1 more	14 hr
Dec 9, 12:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Bolivar	53 min
Dec 9, 1:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Bolivar, Sunflower	52 min
Dec 9, 1:37 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Bolivar, Leflore, Sunflower	38 min
Dec 9, 2:46 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Issaquena, Sharkey	44 min
Dec 9, 3:26 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Sharkey, Yazoo	49 min
Dec 9, 3:32 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Issaquena, Warren	43 min
Dec 9, 4:03 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Humphreys, Yazoo	42 min
Dec 9, 4:05 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	JAN	Bolivar, Carroll, Claiborne, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys and 7 more	4 hr
Dec 9, 4:16 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Sharkey	20 min
Dec 9, 4:16 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Issaquena, Warren, Yazoo	44 min
Dec 9, 4:23 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Humphreys, Leflore, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington	52 min
Dec 9, 4:39 PM CST	Flash Flood Watch	JAN	Adams, Attala, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay and 29 more	13 hr
Dec 9, 4:45 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Holmes, Humphreys	45 min
Dec 9, 4:49 PM CST	Tornado Warning Emergency	JAN	Holmes, Yazoo	56 min
Dec 9, 5:04 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JAN	Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Montgomery and 1 more	41 min
Dec 9, 5:47 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Humphreys, Sharkey, Yazoo	43 min
Dec 9, 5:48 PM CST	Tornado Warning	JAN	Issaquena, Warren	42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.