Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 6, 1987DeKalb County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 6, 1987, 4:37 PM CDT for DeKalb County, Alabama. It was in force for 53 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 6, 1987, 4:37 PM CDT (21:37 UTC)
Expired
Jul 6, 1987, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County DeKalb 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 6, 5:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Dekalb, 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 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 199 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 12:00Z on 1987-07-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2792 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1987-07-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 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
2792 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
791 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 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 KHSV 062137
SVRHSV
ALC049-062230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
437 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
          ...DEKALB
 
AT 435 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN FORT
PAYNE AND HAMMONDVILLE IN CENTRAL DE KALB COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORM
HAS BEEN MOVING WEST AT 10 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.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEA	DLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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 6, 1:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
110 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO COVINGTON COUNTY OF SOUTH ALABAMA...

AT 110PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF ANDALUSIA INTO NORTHWEST FLORIDA NORTH OF DESTIN. THE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH AT 20 MPH.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST SOUTHWEST OF ANDALUSIA ABOUT
10 MILES. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS...INTENSE
LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE HAIL MAY OCCUR NEAR THE HEAVIER STORMS.

PERSONS IN COVINGTON...GENEVA AND BUTLER COUNTIES OF SOUTH ALABAMA
SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Local storm report, Jul 6, 2:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
250 PM CDT MON JUL 06 1987

COVINGTON COUNTY...
PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED SOUTHWEST OF ANDALUSIA.
REPORT FROM RADIO STATION WKYD IN ANDALUSIA. HAIL OCCURRED AROUND
135PM CDT.
PETTIT
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:07 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
405 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA...

AT 4 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING FROM
FLORIDA INTO HOUSTON COUNTY ALABAMA. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE
IN A CLUSTER FROM NEAR SELMA TO LUVERNE ALABAMA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ALSO MOVING NORTH.

THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.

PERSONS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS UNTIL SUNSET.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 3:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo32 min
Jul 6, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall58 min

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.