Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 11, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1988, 8:35 PM CDT for Pickens County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 22, 1988, 8:35 PM CDT (01:35 UTC)
- Expired
- May 22, 1988, 9:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pickens County, AL
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 93 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
- 969 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 582 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 66 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 235 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 316 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.7
- Supercell composite
- 6.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBHM 230137
TORBHM
ALC107-230215-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
835 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...PICKENS
AT 825 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND IN WESTERN
PICKENS COUNTY. THIS WAS LOCATED ABOUT 7 MILES WEST OF REFORM AND
MOVING TO THE NORTH. DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED BUT THE EXTENT IS STILL
UNKNOWN.
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, May 22, 6:08 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 605 PM CDT MON MAY 16 1988 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT... WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED SCATTERED PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN... ALONG WITH A FEW ISOLATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 6 PM CDT. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST NORTHEAST OF AUBURN...AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SYLACAUGA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED BY WEATHER RADAR OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN MISSISSIPPI...AND THAT ACTIVITY WILL BE MOVING INTO WEST ALABAMA LATER THIS EVENING. STAY TUNED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO...OR THE LOCAL BROADCAST MEDIA FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 22, 6:13 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 615 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN ALABAMA... AT 615 PM CDT...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI...ABOUT 50 MILES FROM THE ALABAMA BORDER. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING TOWARD THE ALABAMA BORDER AND CONDITIONS DO REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT. ALSO AT 615 PM...A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED. PEOPLE IN ALABAMA SHOULD KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...BE PREPARED TO HEAD IMMEDIATELY FOR SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, May 22, 7:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 715 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN ALABAMA... AT 715 PM CDT...A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI...ABOUT 20 TO 25 MILES FROM THE ALABAMA BORDER. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REQUIRED FOR PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH AND WILL BE ENTERING EXTREME WESTERN PORTIONS OF ALABAMA. AT 715 PM CDT...SHOWERS OVER THE REMAINDER OF ALABAMA HAD DISSIPATED BUT THE AIR REMAINED EXTREMELY MOIST AND UNSTABLE. PEOPLE IN ALABAMA SHOULD KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. IF A WARNING IS ISSUED OR THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...BE PREPARED TO HEAD IMMEDIATELY FOR SAFE SHELTER.
Special weather statement, May 22, 7:26 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 725 PM CDT MON MAY 16 1988 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT... WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 720 PM CDT. THE SHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED BY WEATHER RADAR OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN MISSISSIPPI...AND THAT ACTIVITY WILL BE MOVING INTO WEST ALABAMA LATER THIS EVENING. STAY TUNED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADIO...OR THE LOCAL BROADCAST MEDIA FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 7:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar, Pickens | 66 min |
| May 22, 8:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Marion | 59 min |
| May 22, 8:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette | 48 min |
| May 22, 9:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens | 63 min |
| May 22, 9:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 44 min |
| May 22, 9:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 54 min |
| May 22, 10:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Morgan | 59 min |
| May 22, 10:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 67 min |
| May 23, 1:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 34 min |
| May 23, 2:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 57 min |
| May 23, 2:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton, Shelby | 64 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.