Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Mobile, AL

March 15, 1986Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 15, 1986, 11:39 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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
Mar 15, 1986, 11:39 PM CST (05:39 UTC)
Expired
Mar 16, 1986, 12:15 AM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Washington 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 15, 11:45 PM CSTHail 1.25Washington, 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, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 191 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1986-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 116 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1986-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
116 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1675 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 160541
SVRMOB
ALC129-160615-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1139 PM CST SAT MAR 15 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTY OF

SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...NORTHERN WASHINGTON

MOBILE RADAR AT 1135 PM CST SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST
SOUTHWEST OF MILRY ALABAMA MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 340 MPH.
LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, FREQUENT LIGHTNING, AND VERY HEAVY RAINS
ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

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, Mar 15, 11:21 PM CST, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE, AL.
1115 PM CST SAT MAR 15 1986

...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO WASHINGTON COUNTY ALABAMA...

AT 1115 PM CST THE MOBILE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM
IN EXTREME EASTERN MISSISSIPPI ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MILRY ALABAMA.
THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING TO TH EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL MOVE
INTO NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.
PERSONS IN NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, PARTICULARLY THE MILRY AREA, SHOULD
BE PREPARED FOR VERY HEAVY RAINS, STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HAIL AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AS THIS STORM MOVES THROUGH DURING THE NEXT 30 TO 60 MINUTES.

ALSO A VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES EAST OF MCCOMB MISSISSIPPI WILL
MOVE INTO LAMAR COUNTY MISSISSIPPI IN ABOUT AN HOUR.  THIS STORM HAS
PRODUCED HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IN PIKE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO, COMMERCIAL RADIO, OR TELEVISIO'N FOR
LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 1:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery30 min
Mar 16, 1:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw, Lowndes, Montgomery60 min
Mar 16, 2:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMacon60 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.