Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 75, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 28, 1986Madison County, Marshall County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 28, 1986, 8:22 PM CDT for Madison County, Marshall County, Alabama. It was in force for 68 min. 3 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: Jul 28, 1986, 8:22 PM CDT (01:22 UTC)
Expired: Jul 28, 1986, 9:30 PM CDT
In force: 68 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Madison County, AL, Marshall 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
Jul 28, 8:40 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Madison, AL
Jul 28, 9:00 PM CDT	Tornado F0	Madison, AL
Jul 28, 9:30 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Marshall, 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 175 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3377 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1487 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 160 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 5.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAAOO KHSV 290122
SVRHSV
ALC089-095-290230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
822 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  930 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
          ..MADISON..MARSHALL

HUNTSVILLE RADAR AT 820 PM CDT SHOWED POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
FROM NORTH OF HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA TO ALONG THE TENNESSEE RIVER IN
NORTHEAST MARSHALL COUNTY OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION OF NORTH
ALABAMA.
 
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
 
 
 
 
 
IF YOU qARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE, SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND, LARGE HAIL, VERY HEAVY RAIN, AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  STAY
INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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, Jul 28, 3:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
310 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL AMABAMA AT 3PM. THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CLANTON OVER NORTHERN AUTAUGA COUNTY...
JUST SOUTHEAST OF BENTON...NEAR LAKE JORDAN...AND NEAR CENTREVILLE.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHWEST AT AROUND 15 MPH AND WILL BE PRODUCING
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...BLINDING RAIN...
AND HAIL.

PERSONS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO
INTENSIFY DURING THIS AFTERNOON.

DEVAUGHN

Local storm report, Jul 28, 3:14 PM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
310 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

...AT 205 PM CDT POWER OUTAGES REPORTED IN WEST END SECTION OF
   BIRMINGHAM.
...AT 250 PM CDT NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES REPORTED IN EASTERN PORTION OF
   CITY OF TUSCALOOSA. REPORTED BY TUSCALOOSA STATE POLICE.

Local storm report, Jul 28, 3:15 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL...CORRECT DAY OF WEEK AND DATE.
240 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

...AT 150 PM CDT WINDS GUSTED TO 52 MPH WITH HEAVY RAIN..INTENSE
   LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL AT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
   OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.
...AT 200 PM CDT PEA SIZE HAIL..VERY HEAVY RAIN..INTENSE LIGHTNING..
   NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES IN HOMEWOOD..SOUTH BIRMINGHAM SUBURB..
   REPORTED BY BIRMINGHAM AMATEUR RADIO CLUB.
...AT 200 PM CDT PEA SIZE HAIL AT INTERSTATE 65/59.
...AT 205 PM CDT POWER OUTAGES REPORTED IN WESTERN BIRMINGHAM.
...AT 220 PM CDT TUSCALOOSA STATE POLICE REPORT HIGH WINDS..NO
   SPEED ESTIMATE.
...AT 225 PM CDT PEA SIZE HAIL/STRONG GUSTY WINDS/NUMEROUS LIGHTNING
   STRIKES AT ALABASTER/15 MILES S. OF BIRMINGHAM.

Local storm report, Jul 28, 3:41 PM CDT, 4 hours 41 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
340 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

...AT 215 PM CDT WIND BLEW ROOF OFF A AMOCO STATION IN WEST END
   SECTION OF BIRMINGHAM. REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
...AT 215 PM CDT MINOR DAMAGE TO SCOREBOARD AT LEGION FIELD IN WEST
   END SECTION OF BIRMINGHAM. ALSO A SMALL TRAILER WAS BLOWN INTO
   AT CAR ON GROUNDS SURROUNDING LEGION FIELD. REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Special weather statement, Jul 28, 4:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
415 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 410
PM. THE THE STORMS WERE IN A BAND THAT EXTENDED FROM BENTON TO
PINEAPPLE.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHWEST AT AROUND 15 MPH AND WILL BE
PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...TORRENTIAL RAIN...
AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

DEVAUGHN

Special weather statement, Jul 28, 4:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
430 PM CDT MON JUL 28 1986

       ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO MARENGO COUNTY...

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH MARGENGO COUNTY BET)WEEN
430 AND 530 PM CDT. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO THE SOUTH AT
ABOUT 20 MPH. PERSONS IN MARENGO COUNTY CAN EXPECT HEAVY RAIN..
INTENSE LIGHTING..AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
MOVE THROUGH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 28, 8:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson, Madison	59 min
Jul 28, 9:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marshall	64 min
Jul 28, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Etowah	65 min
Jul 28, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	65 min
Jul 28, 10:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	St. Clair	65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1986 Every 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.