Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Birmingham, AL
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 9:00 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Jackson, 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.
- 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
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SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 500 PM CST SUN FEB 15 1987 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 11 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WEST ALABAMA...CHOCTAW...MARENGO...MOBILE...SUMTER AND WASHINGTON.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.