Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 17, NWS Mobile, AL
NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 4, 1988, 11:50 AM CST for Geneva County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 4, 1988, 11:50 AM CST (17:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 4, 1988, 12:45 PM CST
- In force
- 55 min
- Issued by
- NWS Mobile, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Geneva 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
Apalachicola Mun, FL (KAQQ), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 172 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
- 1841 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 530 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 77 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 106 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMGM 041755
TORMGM
ALC061-041845-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
1150 AM CST FRI NOV 4 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1245 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
...GENEVA
AT 1150 AM CST MONTGOMERY RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO
ALONG THE ALABAMA FLORIDA BORDER SOUTH OF SAMSON. THE STORM
WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND SHOULD MOVE TO THE
EAST OF SAMSON.
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 4, 7:19 AM CST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 715 AM CDT FRI NOV 4 1988 ...PATCHY DENSE FOG IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED OVER WEST MOBILE REDUCING VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO IN PLACES. PERSONS SHOULD EXPECT TO TAKE A LITTLE LONGER TO GET TO WORK THIS MORNING. MOTORISTS IN THE AREA...AND ALONG INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS 10 AND 65 ...SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THIS DENSE FOG UNTIL AROUND 9 AM.
Special weather statement, Nov 4, 11:47 AM CST, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 1145 AM CST FRI NOV 4 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROMING OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE... AT 1140 AM CST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER NORTH WALTON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF FLORALA. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO GENEVA COUNTY ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THIS THUNDERSTORM ALONG WITH OTHER THUNDERSTORMS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE RESULTING IN WINDS OF AT LEAST 58 MILES AN HOUR...HAIL OF AT LEAST THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. YOU SHOULD TRY TO KEEP INFORMED OF THE CHANGING WEATHER SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF DANGEROUS WEATHER DEVELOPES AND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Nov 4, 11:49 AM CST, 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 1145 AM CST FRI NOV 4 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FORMING OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE... AT 1140 AM CST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS OVER NORTH WALTON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF FLORALA. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO GENEVA COUNTY ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT HOUR. THIS THUNDERSTORM ALONG WITH OTHER THUNDERSTORMS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE RESULTING IN WINDS OF AT LEAST 58 MILES AN HOUR...HAIL OF AT LEAST THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. YOU SHOULD TRY TO KEEP INFORMED OF THE CHANGING WEATHER SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF DANGEROUS WEATHER DEVELOPES AND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 12:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Geneva | 51 min |
| Nov 4, 1:21 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Houston | 69 min |
| Nov 4, 1:26 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Baldwin | 34 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.