Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Mobile, AL

July 31, 1986Tallapoosa County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 1986, 5:50 PM CDT for Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 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 31, 1986, 5:50 PM CDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 1986, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Tallapoosa 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 31, 6:00 PM CDTHail 1Tallapoosa, 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, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 1986-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1201 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 1986-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 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
1201 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-202 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1706 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-30 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 
TTAAOO KMGM 312249
SVRMGM
ALC123-312345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
550 PM CDT THU JUL 31 1986
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ..TALLAPOOSA
 
AT 5 50PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORN 5 MILES NORTH
OF ALEXANDER CITY MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH,
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL, DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DON'T DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 4:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLee59 min
Jul 31, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChambers, Lee63 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.