Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 38, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 1989, 7:27 PM CDT for Walker County, Alabama. It was in force for 18 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jun 12, 1989, 7:27 PM CDT (00:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 12, 1989, 7:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 18 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Walker 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
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 101 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
- 1061 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -15 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1357 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 82 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 112 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 2.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KBHM 130032 COR
TORBHM
ALC127-130045-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
727 PM CDT MON JUN 12 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...NORTHERN WALKER
AT 723 PM THE PUBLIC REPORTED NUMEROUS SIGHTINGS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS
NEAR THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER IN WALKER COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORM
PRODUCING THESE FUNNEL CLOUDS WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT
30 MPH.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM 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, Jun 12, 4:14 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 413 PM CDT MON JUN 12 1989 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROCHING WEST-CENTRAL ALABAMA. AT 410 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN MISSISSIPPI MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO MARION AND LAMAR COUNTIES BY 5 PM. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS... BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME HAIL.
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 547 PM CDT MON JUN 12 1989 AT 540 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA. VERY HEAVY RAIN...INTENSE LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER EASTERN DALLAS THROUGH SOUTHERN AUTAUGA AND ELMORE COUNTIES. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTHEAST MONTGOMERY AND SOUTHERN TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES. MOVEMENTS WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH. PERSONS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 6:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 623 PM CDT MON JUN 12 1989 AT 615 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA IN AUTAUGA...ELMORE...EASTERN MONTGOMERY AND ALONG THE MACON...TALLAPOOSA...AND LEE COUNTY LINES. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN...INTENSE LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.| PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 59 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.