Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 71, NWS Memphis, TN

October 17, 2012DeSoto County, Marshall County, Tate County, Mississippi

NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Oct 17, 2012, 9:01 PM CDT for DeSoto County, Marshall County, Tate County, Mississippi. It was in force for 29 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
Oct 17, 2012, 9:01 PM CDT (02:01 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 2012, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties DeSoto County, MS, Marshall County, MS, Tate County, MS

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:00 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 17, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 43 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-10-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 947 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-10-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 228 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
947 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1045 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
228 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
236 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

504 
WFUS54 KMEG 180201
TORMEG
MSC033-093-137-180230-
/O.NEW.KMEG.TO.W.0071.121018T0201Z-121018T0230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
901 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL DESOTO COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...
  MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...
  NORTHEASTERN TATE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 900 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR   
  COLDWATER...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF HERNANDO...AT 850 PM THE TORNADO 
  IS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO HOLLY
  SPRINGS AND WALL DOXEY STATE PARK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.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.

.TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3466 8935 3464 8985 3485 8984 3500 8935
      3499 8935 3496 8936 3495 8935
TIME...MOT...LOC 0200Z 268DEG 39KT 3474 8976

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGTunica40 min
Oct 17, 7:43 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGTunica32 min
Oct 17, 8:10 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto, Panola, Tate, Tunica35 min
Oct 17, 8:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGTunica37 min
Oct 17, 8:37 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate38 min
Oct 17, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGBenton, DeSoto, Marshall38 min
Oct 17, 8:49 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate, Tunica26 min
Oct 17, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma, Quitman, Tallahatchie40 min
Oct 17, 9:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate, Tunica23 min
Oct 17, 9:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGCoahoma, Tallahatchie51 min
Oct 17, 9:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica42 min
Oct 17, 9:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGBenton, Marshall37 min
Oct 17, 9:26 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGLafayette, Marshall, Panola, Tate49 min
Oct 17, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGDeSoto, Tate, Tunica32 min
Oct 17, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGPanola, Quitman, Tallahatchie42 min
Oct 17, 9:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGLafayette, Marshall, Panola39 min
Oct 17, 9:46 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGBenton, Marshall, Tate29 min
Oct 17, 9:49 PM CDTTornado WarningMEGTallahatchie, Yalobusha26 min
Oct 17, 9:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCoahoma, Tunica52 min
Oct 17, 9:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGAlcorn, Benton, Marshall, Tippah50 min
Oct 17, 10:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGAlcorn, Benton, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Prentiss and 2 more40 min
Oct 17, 10:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCalhoun, Lafayette, Panola, Yalobusha49 min
Oct 17, 10:17 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGDeSoto, Marshall28 min
Oct 17, 10:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGAlcorn, Tippah, Tishomingo64 min
Oct 17, 10:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGAlcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah and 2 more55 min
Oct 17, 10:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGCalhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Lee, Pontotoc, Yalobusha48 min
Oct 17, 10:44 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGCoahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica31 min
Oct 17, 10:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGBenton, Marshall44 min
Oct 17, 10:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMEGTallahatchie, Yalobusha42 min
Oct 17, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMEGChickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe52 min

Nearby

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