Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 64, NWS Mobile, AL

July 30, 1986Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 30, 1986, 4:40 PM CDT for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 50 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
Jul 30, 1986, 4:40 PM CDT (21:40 UTC)
Expired
Jul 30, 1986, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
50 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
Jul 30, 5:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Washington, 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, 9.7 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 12:00Z on 1986-07-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2229 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 12:00Z on 1986-07-30The 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
2229 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1529 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 302140
SVRMOB
ALC129-302230-

BULLETIN..IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
440 PM CDT WED JUL 30 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY IN
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA:

WASHINGTON

AT 438 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MIDWAY BETWEEN
JACKSON ALABAMA AND MILLRY.  ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS
1)0 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JACKSON ALABAMA.  THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE
SOUTH AT 15 MPH, AND MAY PRODUCE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

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 30, 3:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
335 PM CDT WED JUL 30 1986

AT 330 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS..A FEW HEAVY..WERE SCATTERED OVER THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE FROM FORT WALTON ALONG THE COAST TO AROUND APALACHI-
COLA.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING AND MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

EXTREMELY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN WAYNE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI SOUTH-
WEST OF WAYNESBORO..AND IN SOUTH MARENGO COUNTY ALABAMA NEAR DIXONS
MILLS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS..SOME VERY HEAVY..WERE SCATTERED OVER SOUTH ALABAMA
AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY R0AIN..FREQUENT
LIGHTNING..GUSTY WIND AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR..AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL.
PERSONS SHOULD TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE CONDITIONS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 30, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMacon62 min
Jul 30, 3:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke55 min
Jul 30, 4:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke60 min
Jul 30, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBarbour65 min
Jul 30, 5:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin29 min
Jul 30, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile70 min
Jul 30, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile65 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.