Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 14, 1987, 6:50 PM CDT for Fayette County, Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 min. 3 reports 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
- Jun 14, 1987, 6:50 PM CDT (23:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 14, 1987, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 25 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Fayette County, AL, Lamar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 7:00 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Fayette, AL | |
| Jun 14, 7:10 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Fayette, AL | |
| Jun 14, 7:20 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Fayette, 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, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 116 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
- 619 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -13 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 546 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 29 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBHM 142350
TORBHM
ALC057-075-150015-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
650 PM CDT SUN JUN 14 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...FAYETTE...LAMAR
AT 650 PM...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST SOUTHWEST OF BERRY
MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 20 MPH.
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.What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jun 14, 2:47 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 245 PM CDT SUN JUN 14 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA... AT 245 PM RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHERN ETOWAH COUNTY... 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF GADSDEN. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN... WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU LIVE IN WESTERN ETOWAH AND EASTERN BLOUNT COUNTIES BE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 3:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 335 PM CDT SUN JUN 14 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED IN NORTH ALABAMA... AT 335 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA EXTENDING FROM ONEONTA IN BLOUNT COUNTY TO WEISS RESERVIOR IN CHEROKEE COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. IF YOU LIVE IN BLOUNT AND ETOWAH COUNTIES BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER OCCURS. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM ALICEVI\LLE IN PICKENS COUNTY TO TUSCALOOSA AND IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM CULLMAN COUNTY TO HUNTSVILLE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 5:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 503 PM CDT SUN JUN 14 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED IN NORTH ALABAMA... AT 500 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA LOCATED IN NORTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY SOUTHWARD TO THE WEISS RESERVIOR. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. BOATERS OUT ON THE WEISS RESERVIOR SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER OCCURS. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE LOCATED IN EASTERN WALKER COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS BLOWN DOWN SOME TREES NEAR SIPSEY. THIS STORM WAS ALSO MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MPH. PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 5:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 520 PM CDT SUN JUN 14 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED IN NORTH ALABAMA... AT 515 PM RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHCENTRAL ALABAMA LOCATED IN WINSTON AND WALKER COUNTIES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. THSES STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE JASPER AREA BY 545 PM. PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 5:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 40 min |
| Jun 14, 6:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 45 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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.