Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Memphis, TN

February 1, 2012Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Feb 1, 2012, 5:40 PM CST for Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. It was in force for 16 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: Feb 1, 2012, 5:40 PM CST (23:40 UTC)
Expired: Feb 1, 2012, 5:56 PM CST
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Memphis, TN
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Tallahatchie County, MS

The radar

The Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 166 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:43 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 1, 3:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 122 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: 34 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 838 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 53 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.

109 
WFUS54 KMEG 012340
TORMEG
MSC135-020015-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0017.120201T2340Z-120202T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
540 PM CST WED FEB 1 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

* UNTIL 615 PM CST

* AT 539 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER LEFLORE COUNTY...OR 13
  MILES EAST OF DREW...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO RURAL AREAS
  OF SOUTH CENTRAL TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE QUARTER SIZE   
 HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.

.THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A STORM SHELTER. IF NO
STORM SHELTER 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 3372 9032 3376 9030 3376 9021 3379 9018
      3380 9019 3381 9033 3382 9032 3381 9013
      3372 9014 3372 9022 3373 9024 3368 9028
TIME...MOT...LOC 2339Z 278DEG 24KT 3378 9027

$$

1 follow-up statement

669 
WWUS54 KMEG 012356
SVSMEG

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
556 PM CST WED FEB 1 2012

MSC135-020006-
/O.CAN.KMEG.TO.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120202T0015Z/
TALLAHATCHIE MS-
556 PM CST WED FEB 1 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

AT 556 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE 
THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA 
AND NO LONGER POSE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY. 
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING IS CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3372 9032 3376 9030 3376 9021 3379 9018
      3380 9019 3381 9033 3382 9032 3381 9013
      3372 9014 3372 9022 3373 9024 3368 9028
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 278DEG 24KT 3376 9013

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 1, 4:31 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Coahoma	44 min
Feb 1, 4:41 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Quitman, Tunica	49 min
Feb 1, 4:46 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica	44 min
Feb 1, 5:02 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie	43 min
Feb 1, 5:11 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	MEG	DeSoto	34 min
Feb 1, 5:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie	34 min
Feb 1, 5:33 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	MEG	Panola	27 min
Feb 1, 5:44 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MEG	Lafayette, Panola, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha	46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Mississippi, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes in 2012

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.