Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 4, 1988Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 4, 1988, 4:22 PM CST for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 53 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: Nov 4, 1988, 4:22 PM CST (22:22 UTC)
Expired: Nov 4, 1988, 5:15 PM CST
In force: 53 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Tuscaloosa 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
Nov 4, 4:39 PM CST	Hail 0.75	Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 4, 4:40 PM CST	Hail 0.75	Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 4, 5:00 PM CST	Hail 0.75	Tuscaloosa, 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, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 53 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: 4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 926 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 147 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 042222
TORBHM
ALC125-042315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
422 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  515 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
          ...NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA
 
A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF THE TOWN OF
SAMANTHA MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMEOS
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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, Nov 4, 11:27 AM CST, 4 hours 55 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
1125 AM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF FLORALA
ALABAMA AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR. THE MOST
INTENSE PORTION OF IT SHOULD PASS NEAR SAMSON WITHIN THE HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...INTENSE
LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

SOUTHEAST ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR MORE RAPID
DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON.

Special weather statement, Nov 4, 12:49 PM CST, 3 hours 33 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1250 PM CST FRI NOV 4 1988

      ...SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS A THREAT FOR ALABAMA...

A MAJOR STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP OVER THE LOWER AND MIDDLE
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY PUSH INTO ALABAMA
LATER TODAY. EVEN THOUGH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR
IN ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON...BEST INDICATIONS ARE THAT MORE WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER WILL DEVELOP LATE THIfS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.

YOU ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES...AND TO MONITOR
NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO..OR TV FOR LATER STATEMENTS...
AND POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.

Local storm report, Nov 4, 1:22 PM CST, 3 hours 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, 1 hour 36 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, 1 hour 10 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.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 4, 1:09 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee	51 min
Nov 4, 3:12 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Pickens	48 min
Nov 4, 3:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Colbert, Franklin	65 min
Nov 4, 4:05 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Tuscaloosa	40 min
Nov 4, 4:09 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	51 min
Nov 4, 4:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	61 min
Nov 4, 4:14 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Colbert, Lauderdale	61 min
Nov 4, 4:32 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette	43 min
Nov 4, 4:46 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	44 min
Nov 4, 4:47 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lauderdale	58 min
Nov 4, 4:50 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	55 min
Nov 4, 4:50 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Colbert	55 min
Nov 4, 4:54 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	66 min
Nov 4, 5:01 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	59 min
Nov 4, 5:01 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lawrence	53 min
Nov 4, 5:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Franklin	60 min
Nov 4, 5:25 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Limestone	65 min
Nov 4, 5:32 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Hale, Tuscaloosa	58 min
Nov 4, 5:37 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson	53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1988 Every tornado warning in 1988 Tornadoes 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.