Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 26, NWS Mobile, AL

April 18, 1988Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 18, 1988, 9:34 PM CDT for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 41 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: Apr 18, 1988, 9:34 PM CDT (02:34 UTC)
Expired: Apr 18, 1988, 10:15 PM CDT
In force: 41 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Washington 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
Apr 18, 9:55 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Washington, 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 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, Apr 18, 5:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
535 PM CDT MON APR 18 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTHWEST FLORIDA...

AT 535 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS WERE OVER
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.

THE MAIN CONCENTRATION WAS OVER NORTHWERN ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA
COUNTIES...AND IN SOUTH HOLMES AND WEST WASHINGTON COUNTIES.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG
WINDS AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

PERSONS SHOULD TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE CONDITIONS
AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

Special weather statement, Apr 18, 5:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
540 PM CDT MON APR 18 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR ALL
   COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN ALABAMA...AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN IS MOVING THROUGH
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. AT 530 PM THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN MONROE COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
NEAR PETERMAN...AND IN MOBILE COUNTY NEAR SATSUMA. THE STORMS ARE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI HAVE DECREASED IN
STRENGTH DURING THE PAST HOUR.

Local storm report, Apr 18, 5:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before

ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
540 PM CDT MON APRIL 18 1988

HAIL REPORTS FROM THIS AFTERNOON...

TIME     COUNTY/STATE
300 PM   HANCOCK/MS     DIME SIZE AT THE KILN NORTH OF BAY ST LOUIS
308 PM   HARRISON/MS    MARBLE SIZE AT SAUCIER AND NORTH OF BILOXI
                        REPORTED BY HARRISON S.O.
310 PM   JACKSON/MS     MARBLE AND GOLF BALL SIZE REPORTED AT OCEAN
                        SPRINGS BY WLOX RADIO.
312 PM   HARRISON/MS    NEW ORLEANS WEATHER REPORTED MARBLE SIZE NORTH
                        OF BILOXI.
315 PM   HARRISON/MS    HAMS REPORTED 1/2 INCH HAIL NORTH OF GULFPORT.
330 PM   GEORGE/MS      DIME SIZE REPORTED BY LUCEDALE S.O.
340 PM   JACKSON/MS     GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN PASCAGOULA BY
                        PASCAGOULA P.D.
351 PM   MOBILE/AL      GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED AT STATE TROOPERS
                        OFFICE IN MOBILE
351 PM   MOBILE/AL      1 INCH HAIL REPORTED IN CENTRAL MOBILE
                        REPORTED BY NWS EMPLOYEE
355 PM   MOBILE/AL      3/4 INCH HAIL REORTED AT I-65 AND I-10
                        IN MOBILE
400 PM   MOBILE/AL      NICKLE SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN CENTRAL MOBILE
                        BY NWS EMPLOYEE
400 PM   MOBILE/AL      NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS OF MARBLE AND BIGGER
                        HAIL REPORTED IN MOBILE
417 PM   BALDWIN/AL     GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED AT I-10 AND
                        THE CAUSEWAY BY STATE TROOPERS.

Special weather statement, Apr 18, 6:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
635 PM CDT MON APR 18 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE INTERIOR SECTIONS OF NORTHWEST
FLORIDA...

AT 630 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS WERE OVER
NORTHERN OKALOOSA...NORTHERN WALTON...AND OVER HOLMES COUNTIES OF
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS WERE OVER ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA
COUNTIES.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND SOME
BRIEF FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.
PERSONS SHOULD TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE CONDITIONS
AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA.

Special weather statement, Apr 18, 7:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, Apr 18, 7:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 18, 7:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Houston	50 min
Apr 18, 10:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Autauga, Montgomery	51 min
Apr 18, 10:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Elmore	36 min
Apr 18, 11:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Lee	54 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.