Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 15, 1987Jackson County, Madison County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 15, 1987, 8:50 PM CST for Jackson County, Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 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
Feb 15, 1987, 8:50 PM CST (02:50 UTC)
Expired
Feb 15, 1987, 9:30 PM CST
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jackson County, AL, Madison 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
Feb 15, 9:00 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Jackson, 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 154 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1987-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1987-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 65 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
702 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Feb 15, 5:02 PM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
500 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES IN WEST ALABAMA...CHOCTAW...MARENGO...MOBILE...SUMTER AND
WASHINGTON. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED EAST OF THESE COUNTIES.

HOWEVER THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE REST OF SOUTH
ALABAMA UNTIL 8 PM CST.

AT 5PM CST...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM NEA2R FAYETTE
TO TUSCALOOSA...GREENSBORO..PERRYVILLE. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS
WERE OVER HALE AND PERRY COUNTIES AND MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH HAIL
AND HIGH WINDS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE
NORTHEAST.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 5:42 PM CST, 3 hours 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
540 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM CST FOR CHILTON
COUNTY.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH ALABAMA
UNTIL 8 PM CST.

AT 540 PM CST...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THROUGH
CHILTON COUNTY. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS PERRY COUNTY
A SHORT TIME AGO CAUSING DAMAGE SOUTH OF MARION. TWO TEYLEPHONE POLES
WERE SNAPED OFF.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER TUSCALOOSA AND BIBB COUNTIES.

ALL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT NEAR 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 6:10 PM CST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
605 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR CHILTON COUNTY HAS
EXPIRED AND WILL NOT BE EXTENDED. HOWEVER A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS
INDICATED JUST SOUTH OF CALERA AND OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED
OVER CENTRAL CHILTON COUNTY. A CHECK WITH MAPLESVILLE PD JUST BEFORE 6
PM INDICATED ONLY HEAVY RAIN AND NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR PERRY COUNTY. STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY. HOWEVER THE TORNADO WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA UNTIL
8PM CST.

AT 605 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR
BIRMINGHAM SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL SHELBY AND CHILTON COUNTIES.
WIDESPREAD RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF ALABAMA EXCEPT THE
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST PORTIONS. ALL PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO
THE EAST NORTHEAST WITH CLEARING SKIES SPREADING OVER WEST ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 6:58 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
655 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A PORTION OF EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA UNTIL 8PM. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDS FROM ALONG THE CHILTON/COOSA COUNTY LINE...SOUTHWARD TO
MONTGOMERY THEN TO NEAR RIVER FALLS. THIS LINE IS MOVING EAST AND
STILL HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE EMBEDDED IN RAIN OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND EAST
ALABAMA. SOME OF THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER JEFFERSON AND
SHELBY COUNTIES AND WERE MOVING INTO ST CLAIR AND TALLADEGA COUNTIES.

SKIES WERE CLEARING OVER WEST ALABAMA. THE CLEARING WAS ROUGHLY
WEST OF A LINE FROM HALEYVILLE TO JASPER THROUGH WESTERN JEFFERSON
COUNTY TO CENTREVILLE TO SELMA.
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 8:01 PM CST, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
800 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

THE TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTH ALABAMA HAS EXPIRED.

RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL
ALABAMA AT 750 PM. THE LINE EXTENDED FROM NEAR TALLADEGA TO TROY...
WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS JUST WEST OF ALEX CITY AND LAKE MARTIN.
ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS JUST WEST OF TALASSEE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH AND THE STRONGER ONES
WILL BE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY
SOME HAIL. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...SO
FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS MAY ALSO BE EXPECTED.

ELSEWHERE...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WAS NOTED OVER ABOUT THE EASTERN
HALF OF THE STATE.
DEVAUGHN
Special weather statement, Feb 15, 8:04 PM CST, 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
800 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY PART OF
ALABAMA. THE WATCH HAS EXPIRED AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE SHOWING SIGNS
OF WEAKENING OVER EAST ALABAMA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL PRODUCING
HEAVY RAIN AND CAPABLE OF STRONG WINDS AS THEY MOVE OVER ALABAMAS
EASTERN COUNTIES AND INTO WEST GEORGIA.

AT 8PM CST...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM TALLADEGA TO ALEXANDER
CITY. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE EMBEDDED IN RAIN OVER EAST ALABAMA.
MOST OF THIS PRECIPITATION WAS EAST OF A LINE FROM DECATUR TO
BIRMINGHAM TO SYLACAUGA. SKIES WERE CLEARING OVER WEST ALABAMA.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.