Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Mobile, AL

November 26, 1986Dale County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 26, 1986, 2:20 AM CST for Dale 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: Nov 26, 1986, 2:20 AM CST (08:20 UTC)
Expired: Nov 26, 1986, 3:15 AM CST
In force: 55 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Dale 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
Nov 26, 2:30 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Dale, 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

Apalachicola Mun, FL (KAQQ), launched 00:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 198 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: 1141 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 117 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.7
Supercell composite: 3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAAOO KMGM 260820
TORMGM
ALC045-260915-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
220 AM CST WED NOV 26 1986
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ..DALE

AT 2 20 AM CST RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER FT. RUCKER IN
DALE COUNTY MOVING TOWARD THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
AT LEAST TWO TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS WERE REPORTED IN ENTERPRISE BY THE
COFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT. A5T APPROX 2AM CST.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO, THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE, SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS, PILLOWS, OR
CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 25, 10:05 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Barbour, Dale	60 min
Nov 25, 11:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Barbour	60 min
Nov 26, 12:24 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Elmore	66 min
Nov 26, 12:31 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Montgomery	59 min
Nov 26, 12:48 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Covington	57 min
Nov 26, 1:02 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Pike	58 min
Nov 26, 1:40 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Coffee	65 min
Nov 26, 2:08 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Dale	67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1986 Every tornado warning in 1986 Tornadoes 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.