Alert archive / Alabama / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Mobile, AL

June 8, 1989Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this flash flood warning at Jun 8, 1989, 3:41 PM CDT for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jun 8, 1989, 3:41 PM CDT (20:41 UTC)
Expired: Jun 8, 1989, 7:45 PM CDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Mobile 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 152 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2984 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 522 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 217 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 324 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 4.9
Supercell composite: 26.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 082055
FFWMOB
ALC097-090045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
341 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  745 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
          ...SOUTHERN MOBILE
 
AT 335 PM CDT THE MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS JACKSON COUNTY MISSISSIPPI MOVING TOWARD THE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE LINE WILL MOVE INTO MOBILE COUNTY AND
BRING HEAVY RAINFALL. SINCE 3 OR MORE INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN
TODAY...THIS WILL AGGRAVATE FLOOD THE SITUATION.   AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO
2 INCHES OF RAIN IS LIKELY BEFORE DARK...MOSTLY FROM THE CITY OF
MOBILE SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE COUNTY.
 
THE MOBILE PD REPORTED A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT DAUPHIN ISLAND
PARKWAY IS CLOSED DUE TO FLOOD WATERS AT PERCH CREEK.
 
 
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE W\ATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Jun 8, 10:56 AM CDT, 4 hours 45 minutes before

ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1055 AM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
951AM     BALDWIN/AL       TORNADO REPORTED AT BEAR POINT IN ORANGE
                           BEACH WITH PROPERTY DAMAGE.  REPORTED BY
                           GULF SHORES PD.

955AM     BALDWIN/AL       TORNADO REPORTED AT LILLIAN.  MOBILE HOME
                           UNROOFED...OTHER PROPERTY DAMAGE.
                           UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF INJURIES.  BALDWIN
                           EMA IS ENROUTE TO THE SCENE.

Local storm report, Jun 8, 11:55 AM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before

ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1155 AM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
955AM     BALDWIN/AL       UPDATE ON TORNADO AT LILLIAN...BALDWIN EMA
                           REPORTS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WITH INJURIES AT
                           BEAR POINT MOBILE HOME PARK.  RESIDENTS ARE
                           NOW BEING EVACUATED TO SHELTERS AND THE MAYOR
                           HAS REQUESTED ASSISTANCE.  THE NUMBER AND
                           SEVEREITY OF INJURIES IS NOT KNOWN AT THIS
                           TIME BUT INDICATIONS ARE THERE WERE NO
                           SERIOUS.   WILL SEND UPDATES AS INFORMAMTION
             z              BECOMES AVAILABLE.

Special weather statement, Jun 8, 12:13 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
12 NOON CDT THU JUN 8 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND
   SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND THE MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA COASTAL
   WATERS UNTIL 2 PM CDT...

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

WHILE NO WARNINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT...THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY
UNSTABLE AND A WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED AT ANY TIME.

WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...WITH A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA MOVING TOWARD HANCOCK COUNTY MISSISSIPPI.  A
WARNING MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THIS COUNTY WITHIN THE HOUR.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE TOTALLED 2 TO 3 INCHES SINCE MIDNIGHT...HENCE
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED.  RESIDENTS SHOULD WATCH FOR
RISING WATER AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE LOCATION QUICKLY.
SOME AREAS MAY RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL THIS
AFTERNOON.

AS A RESULT OF STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS...TIDES HAVE RISEN ALONG THE
ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI COASTS.  THE TIDE IS NOW 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
AT THE MOUTH OF MOBILE RIVER.  SOME TIDAL FLOODING MAY OCCUR ALONG
COASTAL HIGHWAYS AND ROADS.  THE HIGH TIDES WILL ALSO RETARD DRAINAGE
OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT FOR WEATHER EVENTS THIS AFTERNOON.  THIS IS A STRONG WEATHER
SYSTEM AND THERE IS A RATHER HIGH PROBABILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER.

Local storm report, Jun 8, 2:29 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before

ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
230 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
130 PM    JACKSON/MS       CD DIRECTOR REPORTED THAT NUMEROUS TREES
                           DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH MANY ROADS
                           BLOCKED.  ONE COMMERCIAL BUIDING AND ONE
                           RESIDENCE DAMAGED.  A TREE FELL ON A TRUCK
                           AND SEVERELY DAMAGED IT.  OCEAN SPRINGS
                           HARBOR REPORTED BOAT DAMAGE...AMOUNT UNKNOWN.
                           WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 70 TO 75 MPH ACROSS
                           THE COUNTY.

Local storm report, Jun 8, 2:44 PM CDT, 57 minutes before

ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
240 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
200 PM    MOBILE/AL        MOBILE EMA REPORTED THAT THUNDERSTORM WINDS
                           PARTIALLY UNROOFED THE OLD BATTLE HOUSE HOTEL
                           IN DOWNTOWN MOBILE.  A 30 FOOT LEDGE CAME
                           LOOSE FROM THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND FELL
                           INTO THE STREET.  THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK
                           BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN REPORTED SWAYED DURING
                           THE STORM WITH WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 80 TO
                           100 MPH.

                           NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN
                           ACROSS THE COUNTY.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 7, 8:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Houston	66 min
Jun 8, 9:46 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	29 min
Jun 8, 10:17 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	28 min
Jun 8, 10:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile	49 min
Jun 8, 11:09 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	36 min
Jun 8, 1:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile	49 min
Jun 8, 1:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin	47 min
Jun 8, 2:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Escambia	44 min
Jun 8, 2:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	45 min
Jun 8, 4:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	27 min
Jun 8, 6:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	45 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Alabama, 1989 Every flash flood warning 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.