Alert archive / Mississippi / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 280

March 9, 20176 counties in Alabama; 23 counties in Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 9, 2017, 6:39 PM CST for 6 counties in Alabama; 23 counties in Mississippi. It was in force for 96 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 9, 2017, 6:39 PM CST (00:39 UTC)
Expired
Mar 9, 2017, 8:15 PM CST
In force
96 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
5%
All 29 counties

Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Marion County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Chickasaw County, MS, Choctaw County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Clay County, MS, Covington County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jones County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Leake County, MS, Lee County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Monroe County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Scott County, MS, Smith County, MS, Wayne County, MS, Webster County, MS, Winston County, MS

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:42 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 nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 134 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, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2017-03-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1195 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Jackson, MS at 00:00Z on 2017-03-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 93 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
1195 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1034 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

378 
ACUS11 KWNS 100039
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 100039 
ALZ000-MSZ000-100215-

Mesoscale Discussion 0280
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0639 PM CST Thu Mar 09 2017

Areas affected...Eastern MS and far western AL

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 100039Z - 100215Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated hail is possible for the next hour or two within
the widely scattered thunderstorms across eastern MS and far western
AL.

DISCUSSION...Widely scattered thunderstorms have developed across
eastern MS and far northwest AL, likely as a result of forcing for
ascent associated with a subtle lead shortwave trough interacting
with the unstable airmass across the region. Low-level flow is weak
but strong flow in the mid and upper level is promoting effective
bulk shear around 40-50 kt, which is supportive of organized storms
and rotating updrafts. Given the weak low-level flow, the main
threat for the next hour or two will be large hail. The loss of
daytime heating and eastward progression of these storms into an
environment characterized by less low-level moisture and less
overall instability is expected to result in gradually waning storm
intensity. Widely scattered nature of the threat and expectation for
diminishing storm strength preclude the need for a watch.

..Mosier/Hart.. 03/10/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...BMX...HUN...MOB...MEG...JAN...

LAT...LON   33728927 34508855 34358753 33038778 31668846 31508967
            31978988 32668973 33728927

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 9, 10:42 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 10 more63 min
Mar 9, 11:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 10 more4 hr
Mar 10, 12:50 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 12 more85 min
Mar 10, 3:09 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Shelby and 3 more96 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

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.