Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 10, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 5, 1989, 6:02 AM CST for Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 58 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
- Mar 5, 1989, 6:02 AM CST (12:02 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 5, 1989, 7:00 AM CST
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Franklin County, AL, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 6:10 AM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Franklin, 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
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 179 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
- 771 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -19 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 581 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 266 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 304 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KHSV 051203
TORHSV
ALC059-079-051300-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
602 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...FRANKLIN...LAWRENCE
AT 6:02 RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHWEST FRANKLIN
COUNTY NEAR PHIL CAMPBELL. THE THUNDERSTORM WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT NEAR 50 MPH
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 INTERIO5R 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, Mar 5, 1:39 AM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 138 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR MARION COUNTY HAS EXPIRED... ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHERN LAMAR COUNTY HAS EXPIRED... ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA TILL 4 AM... ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT... RADAR AT 1:30 AM CONTINUED TO SHOW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FORM IN MISSISSIPPI THEREFORE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS MORNING FOR WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHOWEST ALABAMA. ALSO SINCE THE SOIL IS SATURATED HEAVY RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 2:57 AM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 257 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA HAS BEEN CANCELLED... ...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHWEST ALABAMA REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM... ...AND THE TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM... ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA FOR THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT... AT 250 AM RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS NOW OCURRING ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA...GENERALLY FROM MUSCLE SHOALS TO HUNTSVILLE/DECATUR. ACROSS THE CENTRAL COUNTIES...ONLY A FEW LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WERE OCURRING. ALTHOUGH THE TORNADO WATCH IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA HAS BEEN CANCELLED ...THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI WERE INCREASING...THEREFORE POSSIBILITY FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STILL EXISTS FOR THE AREA. ALSO PERSONS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLO3ODING SINCE THE SOIL IS SATURATED.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 4:22 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 420 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR SECTIONS OF NORTH ALABAMA UNTIL 6 AM... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FOR NORTH ALABAMA EAST OF A LINE FROM ATHENS TO CULLMAN...AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CULLMAN TO WEISS LAKE IN CHEROKEE COUNTY. THE TORNADO WATCH ISSUED EARLIER FOR NORTHWEST ALABAMA HAS EXPIRED. AT 4:15 AM CST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN WERE CONCENTRATED OVER THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES...GENERALLY FROM VERNON IN LAMAR COUNTY TO THE MUSCLE SHOALS/ATHENS AREA. ONLY A FEW LIGHT RAINSHOWERS WERE OCCURING OVER THE WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES...HOWEVER THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING IN INTENSITY OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO WEST ALABAMA AROUND DAYBREAK. THEREFORE YOU NEED TO REMAIN ALERT TO THE LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. ALSO...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA...BASICALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CLANTON TO HEFLIN. IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU NEED TO REVIEW SAFETY PROCEDURES AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 4:24 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 420 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WEST AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 10 AM CST. THE TORNADO WATCH EXTENDS ROUGHLY ON A LINE FROM HUNTSVILLE...TO TUSCALOOSA...TO DEMOPOLIS. THIS WATCH REPLACES ALL OTHER TORNADO WATCHES. AT 4:15 AM CST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN WERE CONCENTRATED OVER THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES...GENERALLY FROM VERNON IN LAMAR COUNTY TO THE MUSCLE SHOALS/ATHENS AREA. ONLY A FEW LIGHT RAINSHOWERS WERE OCCURING OVER THE WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES...HOWEVER THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING IN INTENSITY OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL BE ENTERING WEST CENTRAL AND NORTH WEST ALABAMA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. IN ADDITION...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA...BASICALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CLANTON TO HEFLIN. IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR A FLOOD PRONE AREA...YOU NEED TO REVIEW SAFETY PROCEDURES AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 5:00 AM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 459 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD NORTHWEST ALABAMA. AT 458 AM CST A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NORTH OF COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI...MOVING TOWARD HAMILTON IN MARION COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 40 MPH. ABERDEEN MISSISSIPPI POLICE REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS... AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THE STORM MOVED THROUGH THE TOWN. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI WERE MOVING TOWARD WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA AND SHOULD ENTER THE STATE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. PERSONS IN NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA NEED TO BE ALERT AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. . REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SECTIONS OF WEXT AND NORTH ALABAMA UNTIL 10 AM CST.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 12:35 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin | 55 min |
| Mar 5, 12:52 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin | 68 min |
| Mar 5, 6:38 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 52 min |
| Mar 5, 9:14 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 61 min |
| Mar 5, 9:59 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 61 min |
| Mar 5, 10:47 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 58 min |
| Mar 5, 12:47 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 58 min |
| Mar 5, 1:27 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 63 min |
| Mar 5, 1:37 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 68 min |
| Mar 5, 1:55 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marshall | 65 min |
| Mar 5, 1:58 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 47 min |
| Mar 5, 2:05 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker | 55 min |
| Mar 5, 2:13 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Hale, Perry | 62 min |
| Mar 5, 2:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 57 min |
| Mar 5, 2:54 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Limestone, Madison, Morgan | 4 hr |
| Mar 5, 2:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 61 min |
| Mar 5, 3:18 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 57 min |
| Mar 5, 3:37 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Etowah, St. Clair | 68 min |
| Mar 5, 3:50 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 115 min |
| Mar 5, 4:43 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 62 min |
| Mar 5, 5:04 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Clay, Talladega | 56 min |
| Mar 5, 5:15 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 60 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989
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.