Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 15, 1989Calhoun County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 15, 1989, 5:05 PM CST for Calhoun County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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
Nov 15, 1989, 5:05 PM CST (23:05 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 1989, 5:30 PM CST
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Calhoun 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Nov 15, 5:15 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Calhoun, 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, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 160 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1989-11-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1103 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1989-11-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 126 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1103 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 152306 RRA
TORBHM
ALC015-152330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
505 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...CALHOUN COUNTY
 
AT 502 PM RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO MOVING INTO EXTREME NORTHERN
CALHOUN COUNTY.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 15, 1:32 PM CST, 3 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
125 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...

AT 120 PM CST MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM
WITH HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL OVER THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF COOSA COUNTY
AND ANOTHER ONE NEAR JEMISON ALABAMA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT NEARLY 40 MPH.

ALONG WITH THE HEAVY RAINS AND POSSIBLE HAIL THE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PRODUCE STRONGf GUSTY SURFACE WINDS.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO AND DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA.
Local storm report, Nov 15, 2:34 PM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
232 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

...AT 215PM CST...TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN NEAR THE CLAY/TALLADEGA
   COUNTY LINE AT THE BULL GAP COMMUNITY

...AT 225 PM CST...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL FELL AT HAMILTON IN MARION
   COUNTY.

...A APPROXMATELY 200 PM CST...A CONFIRMED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN THE
   MELLOW VALLEY COMMUNITY IN CLAY COUNTY WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED IN A
   COLLAPSED HOUSE.
Local storm report, Nov 15, 3:28 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
229 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

    ...UPDATED REPORT ON THE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN CLAY COUNTY...

...CORRECTION ON TIME...OCCURRED AT 130 PM CST...TOUCHDOWN 7IN THE
   MELLOW VALLEY COMMUNITY. PEOPLE WERE REPORTED TRAPPED IN A
   COLLAPSED HOUSE WITH SEVERAL INJURIES. IT IS NOT KNOWN OF THE
   EXTENT OF INJURIES OR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INJURED.
Local storm report, Nov 15, 4:04 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
355 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

1527 REPORT OF TORNADO CROSSING COOSA RIVER TOWARD TITUS ALABAMA
     ALSO HAIL SIZE NOT DETERMINED...BY LOCAL TV STATION.
{
1535 REPORT OF HAIL MARBLE TO NICKEL SIZE AND FUNNEL CLOUD VCNTY
     OF SLAPOUT...HAIL COVERED GROUND...BY PUBLIC/DPS/LOCAL TV.

1535 REPORT OF TREES DOWN AND HAIL NEAR CLOUD IN ELMORE COUNTY
     ALABAMA...BY DPS
Local storm report, Nov 15, 4:55 PM CST, 10 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
450 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

...AT 255 PM CST...FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED BY BEAR CREEK PD AT
   BEAR CREEK IN MARION COUNTY.
...AT 255 PM CST...FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED AT WOODLAND HIGH SCHOOL
   IN RANDOLPH COUNTY.
...AT 421 PM CST...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED
   IN SOUTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY.
...AT 430 PM CST...40-50 MPH WINDS REPORTED AT ALICEVILLE IN PICKENS
   COUNTY.
...AT 440 PM CST...FUNNEL CLOUND AT BACON LEVEL COMMUNITY IN
   SOUTHEASTERN RANDOLPH COUNTY.
...AT 440 PM CST...TREES DOWN ON HWY 43 5 NORTH HAMILTON.
...AT 440 PM CST...TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN WINSTON COUNTY
   5 NORTH HALEYVILLE.
...AT 442 PM CST...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND STREET FLOODING IN THE
   ROANOKE AREA OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.
Local storm report, Nov 15, 5:00 PM CST, 5 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
450 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

...AT 440 PM CST...AT MCALLA IN JEFFERSON COUNTY...DOWNED TELEPHONE
   POLES.
...AT 443 PM CST...TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT EITHER ROANOKE OR ROCK MILLS
   ...AT LEAST 2 MOBILE HOMES OVERTURNED AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL FELL.
...AT 455 PM CST...GUST NEAR 60 MPH AT WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
   BIRMINGHAM.
...AT 455 PM CST...DIME SIZE HAIL AT LAKESHORE DRIVE IN HOMEWOOD.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 1:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion49 min
Nov 15, 1:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion42 min
Nov 15, 1:53 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXClay, Randolph52 min
Nov 15, 2:09 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLamar, Marion51 min
Nov 15, 3:39 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRandolph36 min
Nov 15, 3:40 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLawrence, Morgan65 min
Nov 15, 3:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion46 min
Nov 15, 3:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston46 min
Nov 15, 3:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo34 min
Nov 15, 3:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Limestone, Morgan66 min
Nov 15, 4:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone, Madison, Morgan62 min
Nov 15, 4:13 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRandolph47 min
Nov 15, 4:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb44 min
Nov 15, 4:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby52 min
Nov 15, 4:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman, Walker, Winston43 min
Nov 15, 4:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa40 min
Nov 15, 4:39 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMadison39 min
Nov 15, 4:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair, Talladega43 min
Nov 15, 4:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton43 min
Nov 15, 5:00 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah45 min
Nov 15, 5:02 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJackson, Madison, Marshall58 min
Nov 15, 5:14 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXShelby46 min
Nov 15, 5:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa27 min
Nov 15, 5:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson49 min
Nov 15, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee45 min
Nov 15, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount46 min
Nov 15, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby46 min
Nov 15, 5:59 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb, Marshall61 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.