Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1986, 3:15 PM CDT for Greene County, Marengo County, Alabama. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 1986, 3:15 PM CDT (20:15 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1986, 4:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Greene County, AL, Marengo County, AL
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 4:12 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Marengo, AL |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 74 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
- 3484 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -73 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1039 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 109 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 259 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.4
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 18, 1:15 PM CDT, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 125 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF ALABAMA UNTIL 5PM CDT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE EASTWARD AND WILL MOVE INTO THE GADSDEN...ANNISTON AND TALLADEDGA AREAS WITHIN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND ABOUT 80 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM THE HUNSTVILLE AREA SOUTH TO BIRMINGHAM THEN TO MONROEVILLE IN MONROE COUNTY. THE STRONGEST THUDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER THE THE COUNTIES OF PERRY...BIBB...CHILTON...WESTERN SHELBY...JEFFERSON...WEST BLOUNT AND CULLMAN. PERSON IN THE COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. MAPLEVILLE IN CHILTON COUNTY REPORT PEA TO HALF INCH HAIL AT 120PM CDT.
Special weather statement, May 18, 1:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 130 PM CDT FRI MAY 09 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 5PM FOR MOST OF WESTERN ALABAMA... RADAR SHOWED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AT 125 PM. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN A BAND FROM DEMOPOLIS TO MAPLESVILLE...JUST SOUTH OF FORT DEPOSIT...NEAR MILLERS FERRY... AND JUST SOUTHWEST OF PINEAPPLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL BE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL... AND BLINDING RAIN. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATIONS OR TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO FOR LATEST INFORMATION. DEVAUGHN
Special weather statement, May 18, 1:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 145 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR NORTH AND WESTERN ALABAMA... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH AND WESTERN ALABAMA UNTIL 5PM CDT. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND ABOUT 80 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM THE HUNSTVILLE AREA SOUTH TO BIRMINGHAM THEN TO MONROEVILLE IN MONROE COUNTY. THE STRONGEST THUDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER THE THE COUNTIES OF PERRY...BIBB...CHILTON...SHELBY...JEFFERSON...BLOUNT AND AND CULLMAN. PERSON IN THE COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. MAPLEVILLE IN CHILTON COUNTY REPORT PEA TO HALF INCH HAIL AT 120PM CDT. ALTHOUGH NO THUNDERSTORMS OR SEVERE WEATHER HAS OCCURRED IN THE EXTREME WESTERN COUNTIES OF MARION...LAMAR...PICKENS AND ADJACENT COUNTIES...PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA OF EXTREME WESTERN COUNTIES ARE URGED TO STAY ALERT AS ANOTHER AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN ALABAMA SHORTLY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, May 18, 2:45 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 245 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF ALABAMA UNTIL 5PM CDT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE GADSDEN...ANNISTON AND TALLADEDGA AREAS. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A BAND ABOUT 80 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM SCOTTSBORO IN JACKSON COUNTY SOUTH TO MONTGOMERY. THE STRONGEST THUDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER THE THE COUNTIES OF ETOWAH...ST CLAIR...TALLADEGA...SHELBY...CHILTON AND PERRY. PERSON IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED SUDDEN STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. HEAVY RAIN RAIN...HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. REPORTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM NUMEROUS LOCATIONS MAINLY WEST AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THE RAIN WAS BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF IN THE HUNTSVILLE...CULLMAN BIRMINGHAM AREAS...HOWEVER AFTER A BREAK OF ONE TO TWO HOUR ANOTHER LARGE AREA OF SHOWER AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING EASTWARD INTO THESE AREAS. THE AREA HAS MOVED FROM MISSISSIPPI INTO THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF MARION...WINSTON...LAMAR ...FAYETTE...PICKENS...SUMTER...GREENE...AND WERE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WALKER...TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES.
Special weather statement, May 18, 3:04 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 5PM FOR MOST OF WESTERN ALABAMA... RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 3PM CDT. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER AUTAUGA COUNTY AND ALONG THE DALLAS LOWNDES COUNTY LINE. INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THIS OFFICE DURING THE PAST HOUR...HOWEVER RADAR SHOWS SOME POSSIBLE HAIL IN THE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHEAST AUTAUGA COUNTY. IN ADDITION THE CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA AND IN SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT AS VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE ARE OCCURRING OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, May 18, 3:13 PM CDT, 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 5PM FOR MOST OF WESTERN ALABAMA... RADAR SHOWED HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 3PM CDT. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER AUTAUGA COUNTY AND ALONG THE DALLAS LOWNDES COUNTY LINE. INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THIS OFFICE DURING THE PAST HOUR...HOWEVER RADAR SHOWS SOME POSSIBLE HAIL IN THE THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHEAST AUTAUGA COUNTY. IN ADDITION THE CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA AND IN SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT AS VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE ARE OCCURRING OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 4:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Hale, Perry | 50 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.