MS: Tornado Warning

[Chacor]

TORNADO WARNING
MSC047-161500-
/O.NEW.KLIX.TO.W.0024.070716T1425Z-070716T1500Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
925 AM CDT MON JUL 16 2007

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW ORLEANS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ST. MARTIN...BILOXI...

* UNTIL 1000 AM CDT

* AT 920 AM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
NEAR BILOXI...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
ST. MARTIN BY 930 AM CDT...

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 3037 8907 3040 8888 3068 8887 3068 8904

$$

I have a question for those who are familiar with American severe weather, is this common for this time of year? Also, there's a blowup of convection in the area which is probably causing this.

[wxmann_91]

No, it is not common this time of year. More common in the SE around March or November so this is highly unusual.

Though with the daily pulse-type thunderstorms in the SE this time of year, occasionally a waterspout will form and make landfall. Or perhaps a storm happened to latch onto a boundary.

[pojo]

I was on the flight line and there were clouds lower than 3000ft... none resembled a funnel cloud.... the tornado warning was called right around the Back Bay (if you are familiary with Biloxi)... Keesler lies on the edge of the Back Bay with D'Iberville to the north....