Alert archive / Mississippi / Tornado Watches in 2022
Tornado Watch 21
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 17, 2022, 1:46 PM CST for 18 counties in Alabama; 24 counties in Mississippi; 14 counties in Tennessee. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 17, 2022, 1:46 PM CST (19:46 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 17, 2022, 8:00 PM CST
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 0.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 65 kt
All 56 counties
Colbert County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marion County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL, Alcorn County, MS, Clarke County, MS, Clay County, MS, Covington County, MS, Forrest County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Jasper County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Jones County, MS, Kemper County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Lauderdale County, MS, Lee County, MS, Lowndes County, MS, Marion County, MS, Monroe County, MS, Neshoba County, MS, Newton County, MS, Noxubee County, MS, Oktibbeha County, MS, Prentiss County, MS, Smith County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Winston County, MS, Chester County, TN, Decatur County, TN, Giles County, TN, Hardin County, TN, Henderson County, TN, Hickman County, TN, Lawrence County, TN, Lewis County, TN, Lincoln County, TN, Marshall County, TN, Maury County, TN, McNairy County, TN, Perry County, TN, Wayne County, TN
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:51 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.
What SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 60%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 40%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 60%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 30%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 5%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 5%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 70%
Warnings issued inside it
17 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2:13 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Clay, Webster | 47 min |
| Feb 17, 2:20 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Attala, Choctaw, Leake, Oktibbeha, Winston | 40 min |
| Feb 17, 2:22 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Choctaw, Clay, Oktibbeha | 38 min |
| Feb 17, 2:59 PM CST | Tornado Warning | JAN | Kemper, Noxubee | 46 min |
| Feb 17, 3:13 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Lowndes | 27 min |
| Feb 17, 3:20 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar, Marion | 20 min |
| Feb 17, 3:28 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Kemper, Neshoba, Noxubee | 47 min |
| Feb 17, 3:30 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Pickens | 45 min |
| Feb 17, 3:59 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| Feb 17, 4:07 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker | 42 min |
| Feb 17, 4:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Covington, Jasper, Jones, Smith | 50 min |
| Feb 17, 4:34 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Greene, Sumter | 26 min |
| Feb 17, 4:38 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Walker | 40 min |
| Feb 17, 4:52 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAN | Clarke, Jasper | 38 min |
| Feb 17, 4:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OHX | Bedford, Coffee, Marshall, Rutherford | 37 min |
| Feb 17, 4:59 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bibb, Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| Feb 17, 6:31 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Blount, Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker | 6 hr |
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, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 156 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
- 148 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -83 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 470 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 364 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 546 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
The text
As transmitted.
159
WWUS20 KWNS 171945
SEL1
SPC WW 171945
ALZ000-MSZ000-TNZ000-180200-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 21
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
145 PM CST Thu Feb 17 2022
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of
Western to northern Alabama
Eastern Mississippi
Southern Tennessee
* Effective this Thursday afternoon and evening from 145 PM until
800 PM CST.
* Primary threats include...
A few tornadoes likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible
Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts
to 75 mph possible
SUMMARY...Multiple linear bands will evolve east-northeast across
the Tennessee Valley into this evening. Greatest tornado threat will
likely exist across the southern portion of the watch area where
embedded supercells should persist. Farther north, damaging winds
should be the primary hazard with threat for a tornado or two.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles
east and west of a line from 30 miles southeast of Pine Belt MS to
70 miles north of Muscle Shoals AL. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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...CONTINUE...WW 20...
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 400. Mean
storm motion vector 25045.
...GramsSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 1:11 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Colbert, Lauderdale | 2 hr |
| Feb 17, 1:56 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Choctaw, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo and 5 more | 3 hr |
| Feb 17, 3:47 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bibb, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby and 2 more | 118 min |
| Feb 17, 3:57 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton and 11 more | 5 hr |
| Feb 17, 10:05 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll and 30 more | 2 hr |
| Feb 17, 10:49 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adams, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll and 39 more | 7 hr |
| Feb 17, 5:32 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bedford, Bledsoe, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland and 13 more | 88 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2022Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2022Tornado Watches in Tennessee, 2022Every tornado watch in 2022
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.