Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 29, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 26, 1988, 4:59 PM CST for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 26, 1988, 4:59 PM CST (22:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 26, 1988, 5:30 PM CST
- In force
- 31 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Limestone 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
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 151 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 970 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 354 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 356 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 KHSV 262300
TORHSV
ALC083-262330-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
459 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...LIMESTONE
AT 456 THIS AFTERNOON HUNTSVILLE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
JUST CROSSING THE RIVER INTO LIMESTONE COUNTY SOUTHWEST OF RIPLEY.
THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THE
STORM SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
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, Nov 26, 11:49 AM CST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1145 AM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER EXPECTS AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES...INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME VERY DAMAGING TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDSTORMS. FOR THIS REASON A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA VALID UNTIL 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON. WATCHES FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE MAY ALSO HAVE TO BE ISSUED LATER IN THE DAY. AT 1145 AM...THERE WERE JUST A FEW SMALL PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN OVER NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA BUT THE MAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED TO THE WEST. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS CURRENTLY OVER NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. RESIDENTS ALL ACROSS ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER WHEN WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Nov 26, 1:13 PM CST, 3 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 110 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON... AT 110 PM CST ONLY A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER A PORTION OF WEST ALABAMA. HOWEVER HEAVIER SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST A FEW MILES WEST OF COLBERT COUNTY IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF MISSISSIPPI EXTENDING SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF ALABAMA WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 60 MPH. DURING THE NEXT HOUR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE INTO THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF ALABAMA. IT WILL LATER THIS AFTERNOON WHEN ANOTHER SURGE OF THUNDERSTORMS SPREADS INTO WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM MISSISSIPPI.
Special weather statement, Nov 26, 1:52 PM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 150 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON... THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI WERE MOVING CLOSER TO ALABAMAS WESTERN COUNTIES. AT 150 PM CST...RAIN HAD SPREAD INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA REACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST CORNER SOUTHWARD TO LAMAR COUNTY. WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE DEVELOPING OVER WEST AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST WEST OF COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST. EVEN STRONGER AND MORE NUMEROUS STORMS WERE FURTHER WEST EXTENDING INTO LOUISIANA AND EASTERN ARKANSAS. M THE TORNADO WATCH CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST ALABAMA WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED AND EXPANDED TO COVER OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, Nov 26, 2:39 PM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 235 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST... THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW SEVERE...WERE IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI MOVING TOWARD NORTHWEST ALABAMA. AT 235 PM ONLY LIGHT RAIN WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA. THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS LOCATED NEAR HAMILTON IN MARION COUNTY AND TO THE NORTH OF DEMOPOLIS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE AFFECTING SOME OF THE WESTERN COUNTIES BY 330 PM. PERSONS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THEIR LOCAL TV...RADIO...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO THINK OF A PLACE OF SHELTER BEFORE THE WEATHER BECOMES THREATENING.
Special weather statement, Nov 26, 3:17 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 315 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST... THE THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW SEVERE...THAT WERE IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI HAVE WEAKENED SOME AS THEY MOVED INTO WESTERN ALABAMA. AT 315 PM THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH WERE LOCATED NEAR HAMILTON IN MARION COUNTY AND NEAR COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI MOVING INTO LAMAR COUNTY. PERSONS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...PARTICULARLY IN THE WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES...SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THEIR LOCAL TV...RADIO...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO THINK OF A PLACE OF SHELTER BEFORE THE WEATHER BECOMES THREATENING. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Nov 26, 4:14 PM CST, 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 410 PM CST SAT NOV 26 1988 ...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 500 PM CST... THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW VERY STRONG...WERE MOVING INTO WESTERN ALABAMA. AT 410 PM THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS MARION...LAMAR AND FAYETTE COUNTIES. FREQUENT LIGHTNING....BLINDING RAIN HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. THESE STORMS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 50 MPH. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO PICKENS AND TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES SHORTLY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH. DUE TO THE FAST MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS...PERSONS IN NORTH AND5 CENTRAL ALABAMA...PARTICULARLY IN THE WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES...SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THEIR LOCAL TV...RADIO...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 26, 3:34 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin | 56 min |
| Nov 26, 4:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| Nov 26, 5:00 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Pickens | 15 min |
| Nov 26, 5:10 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker | 65 min |
| Nov 26, 5:35 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 40 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.