Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 7, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 17, 1986, 8:00 PM CST for Cullman County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports 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
- Feb 17, 1986, 8:00 PM CST (02:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 17, 1986, 8:40 PM CST
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cullman 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 8:05 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cullman, AL | |
| Feb 17, 8:30 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Cullman, 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 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 140 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
- 1299 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -20 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 583 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 248 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 242 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.0
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, Feb 17, 5:25 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 525 PM CST MON FEB 17 1986 ...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHCENTRAL ALABAMA... MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR AT 525 PM CST INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF DALLAS AND WILCOX COUNTIES. OTHER VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTHERN BUTLER AND NORTHERN CRENSHAW CIUNTIES. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAINS..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLLE HAIL. RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE APPROACH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
Local storm report, Feb 17, 5:51 PM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 550 PM CST MON FEB 17 1986 ...AT 545 PM, CST, ALABAMA STATE TROOPERS AT HAMILTON IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL 8 MILES EAST OF HAMILTON ON U. S. 278. THE HEAVY THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING THE HAIL WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 7:10 PM CST, 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 710 PM CST MON FEB 17 1986 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA.. MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR AT 710 PM CST INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER ELMORE AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES. OTHER VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A CLUSTER OVER COVINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTH ALABAMA. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DECREASED IN INTENSITY DURING THE PAST HOUR AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS..HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE APPROACH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
Local storm report, Feb 17, 7:28 PM CST, 32 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 725 PM CST MON FEB 17 1986 ...AT 723 PM, CST, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT HALEYVILLE IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA'S WINSTON COUNTY REPORTED THAT MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS COVERING THE GROUND. THE THUNDERSTORM THAT WAS PRODUCING THE HAIL WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. HEAVY RAIN AND SHARP LIGHTNING WAS ALSO REPORTED BUT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE WIND.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 9:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 20 min |
| Feb 17, 9:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker, Winston | 60 min |
| Feb 17, 9:45 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens | 50 min |
| Feb 17, 9:55 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 40 min |
| Feb 17, 10:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene | 20 min |
| Feb 17, 10:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 60 min |
| Feb 17, 11:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Shelby | 56 min |
| Feb 17, 11:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 56 min |
| Feb 18, 12:20 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay | 40 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.