Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Birmingham, AL

January 19, 1988Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jan 19, 1988, 4:06 PM CST for Limestone County, Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 54 min. 2 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
Jan 19, 1988, 4:06 PM CST (22:06 UTC)
Expired
Jan 19, 1988, 5:00 PM CST
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Limestone 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
Jan 19, 4:30 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Madison, AL
Jan 19, 4:57 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Madison, 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 1988-01-19Temperature 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 12:00Z on 1988-01-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 290 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
686 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
290 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
299 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, Jan 19, 12:27 PM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1225 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

...A STRONG SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR ALABAMA...

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IN ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT. PERSONS IN ALABAMA NEED TO KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH
LATE-BREAKING WEATHER INTORMATION AS THE DAY GOES ON.

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 5 CONTINUES FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTH
   AND WEST-CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 6 PM CST.

AT 1225 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WERE
OCCURRING OVER NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA. HOWEVER...
MORE NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IN EAST MISSISSIPPI WILL BE
MOVING INTO NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA AS EARLY AS
100-130 CST THIS; AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE APPROACHING NORTHWEST ALABAMA.

KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH LATE-BREAKING WEATHER INFORMATION.
Local storm report, Jan 19, 2:25 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
225 PM CST TUE JAN 19 1988

...ALABAMA STATE TROOPERS REPORT WIND GUSTS TO 55 MPH AT THE
   FAYETTE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 210 PM CST. FAYETTE POLICE REPORT
   SOME MINOR WIND DAMAGE...A COUPLE OF AWNINGS BLOWN OFF.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 19, 12:43 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarion62 min
Jan 19, 12:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens59 min
Jan 19, 12:53 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXColbert, Franklin67 min
Jan 19, 1:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette64 min
Jan 19, 1:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar61 min
Jan 19, 2:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette61 min
Jan 19, 3:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan62 min
Jan 19, 3:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman55 min
Jan 19, 3:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens60 min
Jan 19, 4:06 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXGreene54 min
Jan 19, 5:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry54 min
Jan 19, 5:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Hale, Tuscaloosa54 min
Jan 19, 5:31 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCullman29 min
Jan 19, 5:35 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXLimestone, Madison, Morgan2 hr
Jan 19, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson61 min
Jan 19, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Shelby61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1988Every 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.