Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Mobile, AL
NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1986, 6:10 PM CDT for Escambia 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, 6:10 PM CDT (23:10 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1986, 7:10 PM CDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Mobile, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Escambia 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, 6:40 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Escambia, 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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 197 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
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMOB 182310 SVRMOB ALC053-190010- BULLETIN..IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 610 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 710 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...ESCAMBIA AT 605 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST WEST OF ATMORE MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 35 MPH. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY 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
Local storm report, May 18, 12:26 PM CDT, 5 hours 44 minutes before
ATTN SELS STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1223 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ..JACKSON ALABAMA POLICE REPORTED POWER LINES DOWN IN THE SOUTH PART OF THAT CITY. TWIN TORNADOES WERE OBSERV;ED PASSING OVER THE AREA ABOUT NOON. ANOTHER TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC 9 MILES NORTH OF JACKSON NEAR ANTIOCH..ABOUT 1215 PM.
Special weather statement, May 18, 1:15 PM CDT, 4 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 115 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 194 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND MOST OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM CDT FOR MONROE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.... AT 110 PM CDT THE MOBILE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OCCURING OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM BREWTON TO SILAS. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED...NEAR MONROEVILLE...NEAR REPTON... 15 MILES WEST OF GROVE HILL. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND MAY PRODUCE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. ALSO, A LARGE AREA OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS ACROSS MISSISSIPPI FROM NEAR MCCOMB TO NEAR JACKSON. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPHz AND WILL PROBABLY EFFECT SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO, COMMERCIAL RADIO, OR TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.
Local storm report, May 18, 3:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 34 minutes before
ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
334 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986
315 PM CDT...SUNRISE COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN FORREST COUNTY MISSISSIPPI
REPORTED SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS ROAD.Special weather statement, May 18, 4:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 425 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 194 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND MOST OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 198 WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM CDT UNTIL 11 PM CDT FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... AT 420 PM CDT THE MOBILE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A NEARLY SOLID LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM JUST WEST OF SELMA TO NEAR THOMASVILLE TO NEAR BOGALUSA LOUISIANA. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS LINE WERE LOCATED...10 MILES WEST OF THOMASVILLE...10 MILES WEST OF MILLERS FERRY...AND FROM NEAR BEAUMONT MISSISSIPPI TO NEAR LUMBERTON MISSISSIPPI. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL, FREQUENT LIGHTNING, AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND PORTIONS OF S2OUTHWEST ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO, COMMERCIAL RADIO, OR TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, May 18, 4:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 435 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 A TORNADO WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT AT 5PM CDT TODAY FOR ESCAMBIA.. SANTA ROSA AND OKALOOSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS..UNTIL 11PM CDT TONIGHT. AT 425 PM CDT...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS AND WIDESPREAD RAIN WAS OVER SOUTHWEST ALABAMA, EXTREME SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. TLHE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 30 MILES EAST OF HATTIESBURG AND 50 MILES WEST OF MONTGOMERY. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 18, 5:35 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 535 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1986 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CDT TODAY FOR ESCAMBIA.. SANTA ROSA AND OKALOOSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. AT 5425 PM CDT...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS AND WIDESPREAD RAIN WAS OVER SOUTHWEST ALABAMA, EXTREME SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 30 MILES WEST OF MONTGOMERY TO 25 MILES NORTH OF MOBILE THEN TO 30 MILES NORTH OF GULFPORT. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 12:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MOB | Clarke | 60 min |
| May 18, 1:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Monroe | 60 min |
| May 18, 4:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Dallas | 70 min |
| May 18, 6:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Montgomery | 65 min |
| May 18, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MOB | Escambia | 60 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.