Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 23, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 21, 1989, 2:54 AM CST for Bibb County, Jefferson County, Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 66 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 21, 1989, 2:54 AM CST (08:54 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 21, 1989, 4:00 AM CST
- In force
- 66 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Bibb County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Shelby 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 21, 3:20 AM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Jefferson, 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 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 50 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
- 298 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1556 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 49 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 181 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 229 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBHM 210856 RRA
TORBHM
ALC007-073-117-211000-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
254 AM CST TUE MAR 21 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...BIBB...JEFFERSON...SHELBY
AT 253 AM CST CENTREVILLE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN
EASTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY. THE STORM CONTAINING THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
WILL TRACK ACROSS SECTIONS OF JEFFERSON...BIBB AND SHELBY COUNTIES.
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
Local storm report, Mar 20, 10:22 PM CST, 4 hours 32 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 1020 PM CST MON MAR 20 1989 645 PM...GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL IN MARION JUNCTION...DALLAS COUNTY. REPORT FROM SELMA STATE TROOPERS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT 636-745 PM. 755 PM...TREES UPROOTED NEAR GOODWATER AND 2 MILES EAST OF ROCKFORD... COOSA COUNTY. REPORT FROM ALEXANDER CITY STATE TROOPERS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT 734-830 PM. 815 PM AND 830 PM...PEA SIZED HAIL FROM SELMA..DALLAS COUNTY...AND WALLSBURG...ELMORE COUNTY. REPORTS FROM SKYWARN SPOTTERS. DEVAUGHN
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 10:46 PM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 1045 PM CST MON MAR 20 1989 RADAR SHOWED A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN QUARTER OF ALABAMA AT 1040 PM. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE JUST SOUTHWEST OF TUSKEGEE...SOUTHWEST OF UNION SPRINGS...AND BETWEEN TROY AND RIVER FALLS. THE STORMS HAD TAPERED OFF IN INTENSITY DURING THE PAST HOUR OR SO... BUT THE HEAVIER ONES MAY STILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. DEVAUGHN
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 12:29 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 1226 AM CST TUE MAR 21 1989 RADAR SHOWED A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS REMAINING OVER EAST AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AT 1220 AM. THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE BETWEEN LOUISVILLE AND NEW BROCKTON...NEAR ANDALUSIA...AND JUST NORTH OF ALEXANDER CITY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH AND MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN.5.. AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. DEVAUGHN
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 12:44 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1241 AM CST TUE MAR 21 1989 THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY DOWNPOURS WERE OCCUURING OVER SECTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. AT 1240 AM CST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST NORTH OF DEMOPOLIS IN SOUTHERN HALE COUNTY...MOVING INTO RANDOLPH COUNTY FROM TALLAPOOSA COUNTY...AND NEAR COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI MOVING INTO PICKENS AND LAMAR COUNTIES. BESIDES HEAVY RAIN...THE STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 40 MPH. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. PERSONS IN NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE ALERT A THESE STORMS PASS THROUGH THE REGION. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERAE OCCURRING IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI AND SHOULD BE MOVING INTO WESTERN ALABAMA BEFORE 2 AM CST.
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:28 AM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 127 AM CST TUE MAR 21 1989 ....A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING TOWARD WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA.... AT 125 AM CST A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN MISSISSIPPI NEAR THE TOWN OF MACON. THIS STORM SHOULD MOVE INTO PICKENS COUNTY ALABAMA BY 2 AM CST. THE STORM WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY DOWNPOURS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH. ELSEWHERE...PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN COVERED A LARGE SECTION OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERALLY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.
Special weather statement, Mar 21, 1:53 AM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 152 AM CST TUE MAR 21 1989 ....SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS WESTERN ALABAMA.... AT 152 AM CST A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING ACROSS WESTERN ALABAMA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED OVER PICKENS COUNTY MOVING TOWARD TUSCALOOSA. HOWEVER THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MARION COUNTY WERE PRODUCING A LOT OF LIGHTNING AS REPORTED BY THE MARION COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE. BESIDES THE FREQUENT LIGHTNING...THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS ...AND WIND GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH AND SHOULD BE AFFECTING SUCH CITIES AS CULLMAN...ONEONTA AND BIRMINGHAM WITHIN THE HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 6:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 59 min |
| Mar 20, 6:40 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 65 min |
| Mar 20, 7:04 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 56 min |
| Mar 20, 7:17 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 58 min |
| Mar 20, 7:39 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 66 min |
| Mar 20, 8:35 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cleburne | 55 min |
| Mar 21, 2:14 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 46 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.