Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 72, NWS Mobile, AL

May 24, 1988Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 24, 1988, 3:30 PM CDT for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 30 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
May 24, 1988, 3:30 PM CDT (20:30 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 1988, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Mobile 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
May 24, 3:48 PM CDTHail 1Mobile, 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

Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL (KVPS), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 164 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, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1988-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2178 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1988-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 129 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2178 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
601 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
129 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
7.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 242032
SVRMOB
ALC097-242100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
330 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
          ...NORTHERN MOBILE
 
AT 331 PM MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF CITRONELLE. IT WAS LIKELY PRODUCING HAIL AND MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. IT WILL BE MOVING OVER THE CITRONELLE AREA IN THE
NEXT 20 MINUTES.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE& TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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, May 24, 12:34 PM CDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1230 PM CDT MON MAY 24 1988

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 170 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA...
SANTA ROSA...OKALOOSA...WALTON...BAY...HOLMES...WASHINGTON AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL...WERE OVER
SOUTH ALABAMA FROM MONTGOMERY TO 35 MILES NORTH OF MOBILE. THE HEAVIEST
RAIN WAS JUST NORTH OF MONTGOMERY AND OVER NORTH MONROE COUNTY IN
ALABAMA.

ANOTHER PATCH OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS
OVER THE GULF 30 TO 100 MILES SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF PENSACOLA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Local storm report, May 24, 1:27 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
125 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 1988

TIME        CO/STATE    EVENT
1225 PM     CLARKE/AL   MARBLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY PUBLIC IN
                        WALKER COUNTY.
1235 PM     MONROE/AL   PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN RURAL
                        PART OF NORTHERN MONROE COUNTY BY EVERGREEN
                        STATE.
1250 PM     CLARKE/AL   DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED JUST SOUTH OdF GROVE
                        HILL BY GROVE HILL STATE.
117 PM      MONROE/AL   GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT CLAIBORNE
                        BY EVERGREEN STATE.
Special weather statement, May 24, 1:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
135 PM CDT MON MAY 24 1988

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 170 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA...
SANTA ROSA...OKALOOSA...WALTON...BAY...HOLMES...WASHINGTON AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL WAS
OVER SOUTH ALABAMA FROM NEAR MONTGOMERY SOUTHWEST TO 50 MILES NORTH
OF MOBILE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING HAIL IN MANY AREAS.

ANOTHER PATCH OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL
WAS OVER THE GULF FROM 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY WEST TO THE
MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35v TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Local storm report, May 24, 2:35 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
235 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 1988

TIME        CO/STATE    EVENT
125 PM      MONROE/AL   QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED JUST NORTH OF
                        CLAIBORNE BY THE ALABAMA RIVER PULP COMPANY.
143 PM      MONROE/AL   DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED REPORTED AT PETERMAN
                        BY EVERGREEN STATE.
205 PM      CLARKE/AL   DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN GROVE HILL BY
                        GROVE HILL STATE.
210 PM      CLARKE/AL   NICKLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN GROVE HILL BY
                        CLARKE COUNTY EOC.
215 PM      HANCOCK/MS  GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT THE COUNTY
                        SCALES ON I-10 BY BAY WAVELAND C.D.
Special weather statement, May 24, 2:35 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
235 PM CDT MON MAY 24 1988

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 170 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA...
SANTA ROSA...OKALOOSA...WALTON...BAY...HOLMES...WASHINGTON AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL WERE OVER
SOUTH ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN MONTGOMERY AND
HATTIESBURG AND OVER THE GULF 75 TO 90 MILES SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF
PENSACOLA.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS OVER CLARKE...MONROE AND BUTLER
COUNTIES IN ALABAMA AND OVER THE GULF 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PENSACOLA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 11:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBElmore40 min
May 24, 11:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDallas37 min
May 24, 12:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMonroe42 min
May 24, 12:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery67 min
May 24, 12:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke51 min
May 24, 1:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery62 min
May 24, 1:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler59 min
May 24, 1:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBullock60 min
May 24, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia22 min
May 24, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBHouston38 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.