Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Mobile, AL

June 9, 1988Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 9, 1988, 7:47 PM CDT for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 28 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 9, 1988, 7:47 PM CDT (00:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 1988, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
28 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Boothville, LA (KBVE), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 190 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, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1988-06-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1155 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Boothville, LA at 00:00Z on 1988-06-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1155 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1139 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 100050
TORMOB
ALC097-100115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
747 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
          ...CENTRAL MOBILE
 
THE STATE POLICE AT MOBILE REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE
CHICKASAW BOAT YARDS AND CAUSED INJURIES ABOUT 735 PM CDT. MOBILE
RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST
AT 20 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH NORTHEAST MOBILE.
 
 
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...SEEK SHELTER IN THE
INNERMOST PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  GET TO
A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE.  AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR
BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.

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, Jun 9, 5:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
550 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM...

THE MOBILE RADAR AT 545 SHOWED SEVERAL CLUSTERS AND SHORT LINES OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.  THEY WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.   PEA AND MARBLE SIZE HAIL IS A FEATURE OF MANY OF THESE
STORMS.  PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN RICHTON MISSISSIPPI A FEW
MINUTES AGO.

THE POSSIBLITY OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL REMAINS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.  IN ADDITION...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING SOME VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND
FLOODING OF ROADS AND SMALL STREAMS ARE LIKELY.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS IF THREATENING CLOUDS APSPROACH OR
A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 5:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
550 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM...

THE MOBILE RADAR AT 545 SHOWED SEVERAL CLUSTERS AND SHORT LINES OF
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE INLAND AREAS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.   MARBLE SIZE HAIL IS A FEATURE OF MANY OF THESE
STORMS.  PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN RICHTON MISSISSIPPI A FEW
MINUTES AGO.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THE POSSIBLITY OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL REMAINS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.  IN ADDITION...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRODUCING SOME VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND
FLOODING OF ROADS AND SMALL STREAMS ARE LIKELY.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVVENING AND TAKE PRECAUTIONS IF THREATENING CLOUDS APPROACH OR
A WARNING IS ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 6:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
630 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR
NORTH ESCAMBIA AND NORTH CENTRAL SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF FLORIDA...

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA
AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER BALDWIN COUNTY OF ALABAMA WAS MOVING INTO
THE NORTH PORTION OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY OF FLORIDA. IT WAS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST SOUTHEAST NEAR 20 MILES AN HOUR. IT SHOULD MOVE TOWARD THE
WHITING FIELD AREA OF SANTA ROSA COUNTY BY 730 PM.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...EXTENDED FROM
THE HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI AREA EAST ACROSS THE INTERIOR SECTIONS OF
SOUTH ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA. THE AREA WAS PUSHING SLOWLY
SOUTH TOWARDS THE COAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVED BETWEEN
EAST AND SOUTHEAST.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 6:47 PM CDT, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
630 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM CDT FOR
NORTH ESCAMBIA AND NORTH CENTRAL SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF FLORIDA...

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA
AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER BALDWIN COUNTY OF ALABAMA WAS MOVING INTO
THE NORTH PORTION OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY OF FLORIDA. IT WAS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST SOUTHEAST NEAR 20 MILES AN HOUR. IT SHOULD MOVE TOWARD THE
WHITING FIELD AREA OF SANTA ROSA COUNTY BY 730 PM.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...EXTENDED FROM
THE HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI AREA EAST ACROSS THE INTERIOR SECTIONS OF
SOUTH ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA. THE AREA WAS PUSHING SLOWLY
SOUTH TOWARDS THE COAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVED BETWEEN
EAST AND SOUTHEAST.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 7:11 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
710 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 900 PM...

AT 705 MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM JUST NORTH OF MOBILE EASTWARD INTO ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA.
SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
3/4 INCH HAIL AND ALL ARE PRODUCING DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

OTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN
POPLARVILLE AND WIGGINS AND IN NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THE STORMS ARE ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT IS SINKING SLOWLY SOUTH.
SOME WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTHERN MOBILE IN THE NEXT HOUR.
<
PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING AND
TAKE PRECAUTIONS IF THREATENING CLOUDS APPROACH OR A WARNING IS
ISSUED.
Special weather statement, Jun 9, 7:29 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
730 PM CDT THU JUN 9 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR ESCAMBIA
AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA...

NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN STRETCHED FROM SANTA
ROSA AND ESCAMBIA COUNTIES OF FLORIDA WEST ACROSS MOBILE AND INTO
MISSISSIPPI. THIS AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS PUSHING SOUTH 5 TO 10 MILES
AN HOUR TOWARD THE COAST WHILE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVED EAST AND
SOUTHEAST ABOUT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF SOUTH
ALABAMA.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 9, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile62 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.