Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 4, 1988Bibb County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 4, 1988, 6:34 PM CST for Bibb County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 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 4, 1988, 6:34 PM CST (00:34 UTC)
Expired: Nov 4, 1988, 7:00 PM CST
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Bibb 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 4, 6:50 PM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Bibb, 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

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 287 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: 106 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 637 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 130 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 050035
SVRBHM
ALC007-050100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
634 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
          ...BIBB
 
AT 630 PM CST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE WEST
BLOCKTON/CENTREVILLE AREAS AND WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
N

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

Local storm report, Nov 4, 1:22 PM CST, 5 hours 12 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
120 PM CST NOV 4 1988

...AT 105PM CST...A PORTION OF A NURSING HOME ROOF BLOWN OFF AT
   CENTRE, ALABAMA. NO INJURIES REPORTED. SOME POWER LINES AND A FEW
   TREES WERE ALSO BLOWN DOWN. REPORT FROM GADSDEN EMA AND CENTRE PD.

Special weather statement, Nov 4, 2:46 PM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
345 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO ERUPT OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA...
WEATHER RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS...SOME QUITE STRONG
SCATTERED OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE STATE.

HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH SMALL HAIL... WERE OVER TALLAPOOSA...
LEE AND PIKE COUNTIES. AT 2 25PM CST PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED JUST
EAST OF TUSKEGEE IN MACON COUNTY.
THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY SURFACE
WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

PERSONS IN SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT AS THE POTENTIAL
FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS FCOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR STAY TUNED
TO THE LOCAL MEDIA STATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

Special weather statement, Nov 4, 3:12 PM CST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
300 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA
UNTIL 800 PM CST THIS EVENING. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALREADY
SCATTERED ACROSS ALABAMA WITH EVEN STRONGER STORMS ON THE WAY.

AT 310 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN
CENTRAL ALABAMA WERE LOCATED IN SOUTHERN FAYETTE...NORTHERN PICKENS
...AND SOUTHERN LAMAR COUNTIES. OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE LOCATED IN
SHELBY COUNTY JUST WEST OF ALABASTER AND RANDOLPH COUNTY JUST EAST
OF WADLEY.

PEA SIZE HAIL HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED IN CENTERPOINT JsUST NORTHEAST
OF BIRMINGHAM. YOU SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL
RADIO..OR TV FOR LATER STATEMENTS...AND POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

Special weather statement, Nov 4, 5:22 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
530 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF ALABAMA UNTIL 11PM
CST...
AT 5 30PM CST WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW
OF THEM STRONG AND CONTAINING GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND SOME HAIL
OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH.

TO THE NORTHWEST A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM NORTH
OF BIRMINGHAM SOUTHWESTWARD INTO MISSISSIPPI NEAR MERIDIAN. THE LINE
WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST SLOWLY. NUMEROUS WARNINGS AND REPORTS OF
SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN NOTED WITH THIS LINE.
PERSONS IN SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT AS THE POTENTIAL
FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES REMAINS HIGH FOR THIS EVENING
AND EARLIER TONIGHT.
IN ADDITION SEVERAL REPORTS OF SMALL HAIL OVER MONTGOMERY...LOWNDES AND
COVINGTON COUNTIES WERE RECORDED BETWEEN 4 10 AND 4 40PM CST.

Local storm report, Nov 4, 6:15 PM CST, 19 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
615 PM CST NOV 4 1988

...AT 608 PM CST...A TREE WAS BLOWN DOWN BLOCKING A DEMOPOLIS STREET.
   ALSO AN AWNING WAS BLOWN OFF A SERVICE STATION IN SAME ARE~A.
   DEMOPOLIS IS LOCATED IN MARGENGO COUNTY.

Special weather statement, Nov 4, 6:21 PM CST, 13 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
620 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF ALABAMA UNTIL 11PM
CST...
AT 6 20PM CST WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHERN
CRENSHAW...EASTERN MACON AND NORTHERN CHAMBERS COUNTIES.  ALL OF THESE
STORMS INDICATE SOME HAIL. ELSEWHERE ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE
OCCURRING OVER SOUTH ALABAMA.

TO THE NORTHWEST THE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE
TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AND REACHED FROM NEAR BIRMINGHAM SOUTHWESTWARD
TO JUST EAST OF DEMOPOLIS AND ON SOUTHWEST INTO MISSISSIPPI.
THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE REACHING COOSA...AUTAUGA...DALLAS
AND WILCOX COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT 2 HOURS.
THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS HIGH AND PERSONS IN SOUTH
ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
OR LOCAL MEDIA STATIONS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 4, 6:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marengo	67 min
Nov 4, 6:17 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chilton, Perry	58 min
Nov 4, 6:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion	41 min
Nov 4, 6:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	66 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1988 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.