Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 5, 1989, 12:52 AM CST for Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 68 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, 12:52 AM CST (06:52 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 5, 1989, 2:00 AM CST
- In force
- 68 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin 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, 2:10 AM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Colbert, 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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 195 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
- 270 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -99 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 535 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 61 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 333 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 424 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KHSV 050653
TORHSV
ALC033-059-050800-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1252 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH ALABAMA
...COLBERT...FRANKLIN
AT 12:47 AM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR VINA IN SOUTHWEST
FRANKLIN COUNTY. THE TORNADO AND ITS PARENT THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 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 INTERIOR ROO M
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 4, 7:06 PM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 705 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 AT 700 PM CST MONTGOMERY'S WEATHER RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN COOSA COUNTY WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN NORTHEAST. RAIN AND THUNDERSHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER COOSA COUNTY AND THE THUNDERSHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN TALLAPOOSA COUNTY BY 715 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOWED VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SOME ISOLATED SMALL HAIL. THESE THUNDERSTORMS LIKE ALL THUNDERSTORMS WILL CARRY VERY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT AT THIS TIME IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA..NEVERTHELESS LISTENERS ARE ADVISED TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER DETAILS. THE ISSUANCE OF WATCHES AND/OR WARNINGS IS QUITE POSSIBLE SINCE CONDITIONS ARE UNSTABLE AND THE GROUND IN MANY AREAS IS SATURATED AND SUBJECT TO FLOODING IN HEAVY RAINS. SNELL
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 8:08 PM CST, 4 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 800 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH ALABAMA TONIGHT... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH COVERS ABOUT THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA...ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CLANTON TO ANNISTON. FLOODING WAS REPORTED ACROSS A BAND OF NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO BE EMBEDDED IN WIDESPREAD RAIN OVER MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA. EVEN HEAVIER AND MORE NUMEROUS RAINS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING TO THE WEST OF ALABAMA. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY ADVANCE INTO THE STATE BY AROUND 10 PM AND MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST ALABAMA AFTER MI0DNIGHT. WITH THE GROUND SATURATED...ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS MAY CAUSE FLOODING ESPECIALLY NEAR CREEKS AND STREAMS ALREADY NEAR BANKFULL FROM TODAY S RAINFALL.
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 9:25 PM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes before
HSV SP 0320 5 SCT M10 BKN 40 OVC 4TF 1108/990/ T N MOVG N LTGIC
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 10:08 PM CST, 2 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1000 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR 14 COUNTIES OF WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA TONIGHT... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH ALABAMA TONIGHT... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM CST FOR A PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH COVERS ABOUT THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA...ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CLANTON TO ANNISTON. AT 10 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WEST OF COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI MOVING TOWARD ALABAMAS LAMAR COUNTY. THIS STORM HAD A HISTORY OF SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS AS IT TRACKED ACROSS MISSISSIPPI. THE STORM HAS WEAKENED DURING THE PAST 30 MINUTES. ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED FURTHER WEST IN MISSISSIPPI. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW A SIMILAR PATH TOWARD NORTHWEST ALABAMA. AT 10 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 10:58 PM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1100 PM CST SAT MAR 4 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 4 AM CST... ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH ALABAMA TONIGHT... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH COVERS ABOUT THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA...ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM LIVINGSTON TO CLANTON TO ANNISTON. HEAVY RAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HAVE SATURATED THE GROUND AND CAUSED STREAMS AND CREEKS ACROSS A BAND OF NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA TO EXCEED ITS BANKS. FLOODING OF MANY ROADS AND HOMES IN MAINLY SOUTH JEFFERSON AND NORTH SHELBY COUNTIES WAS REPORTED. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS TONIGHT MAY CAUSE FURTHER FLOODING AND WARNINGS MAY NEED TO BE ISSUED. MOST OF THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WEAKENED OVER NORTH ALABAMA. HOWEVER STRONG...POSSIBLE SEVERE...THUNDERSTORMS WERE SEEN OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI AND MOVING TOWARD NORTHWEST ALABAMA. ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ALABAMA AFTER MIDNIGHT.
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, 6:02 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Franklin, Lawrence | 58 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.