Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 124, NWS Mobile, AL

November 15, 1989Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 15, 1989, 3:54 PM CST for Chambers 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
Nov 15, 1989, 3:54 PM CST (21:54 UTC)
Expired
Nov 15, 1989, 5:00 PM CST
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Chambers 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, 5:00 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Chambers, 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 KMGM 152158
SVRMGM
ALC017-152300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
354 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ...CHAMBERS
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS OBSERVED ON MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR 10
MILES SOUTHWEST OF MILLTOWN. THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MILES AN HOUR.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALmERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, 1:15 PM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
115 PM CST TUE NOV 14 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...

AT 110 PM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE INLAND SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST MISSISPPI.
THESE STORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM EVERGREEN TO FORT STOCKTON
ALABAMA TO HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI TO KENTWOOK LOUISIANA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 60 MILESS AN HOUR AND
LOCALLY SEVERE WEATHER COULD DEVELOP VERY RAPIDLY.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 1:19 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
115 PM CST TUE NOV 14 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...

AT 110 PM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE INLAND SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
THESE STORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM EVERGREEN TO FORT STOCKTON
ALABAMA TO HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI TO KENTWOOD LOUISIANA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEASXT AT 60 MILES AN HOUR AND
LOCALLY SEVERE WEATHER COULD DEVELOP VERY RAPIDLY.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 1:37 PM CST, 2 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION (DATE)
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
115 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...

AT 110 PM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE INLAND SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
THESE STORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM EVERGREEN TO FORT STOCKTON
ALABAMA TO HATTIESBURG MISSISSIPPI TO KENTWOOD LOUISIANA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NvORTHEAST AT 60 MILES AN HOUR AND
LOCALLY SEVERE WEATHER COULD DEVELOP VERY RAPIDLY.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 2:23 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
220 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST FLORIDA
TONIGHT.

A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO AND THROUGH THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE TONIGHT.  THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BEGIN IN THE AREA LATER
THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING.  SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD
BE SEVERE AND RESIDENTS ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE SHOULD REVIEW
SEVERE WEATHER SAFTEY RULES NOW BEFORE THE WEATHER TURNS THREATENING.

PRESENT MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT WOULD PUT IT NEAR THE PENSACOLA AREA
AROUND MIDNIGHT.  THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING RAPIDLY
EAST AND THROUGH NORTHWEST FLORIDA AROUND SUNRISE THURSDAY MORNING.

MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD MAKE PLANS NOW FOR THE STRONG GUSTY WINDS
AND VERY ROUGH SEAS EXPECTED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT.  GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS ALONG WITH VERY ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE
FRONT THURSDAY.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO INVADE THE PANHANDLE.
THE HIGHS ON THURSDAY SHOULD ONLY BE AROUND 60 WITH THE LOWS THURSDAY
NIGHT EXPECTED TO BE BELOW FREEZING.  IF THE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW
FREEZING FRIDAY MORNING...IT WOULD BE THE FIRST FREEZE THIS SEASON.
LAST MONTH THE TEMPERATURE IN PENSACOLA DROPPED TO 34 DEGREES ON
OCTOBER 21.
Special weather statement, Nov 15, 3:34 PM CST, 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
335 PM CST WED NOV 15 1989

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CST FOR ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA
...OKALOOSA...WALTON...HOLMES...WASHINGTON...AND BAY COUNTIES OF
NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

AT 3:30 PM CST...SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE BECOMING MORE
NUMEROUS FROM COASTAL MISSISSIPPI NORTHEASTWARD INTO WESTERN ALABAMA.

THE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST WHILE THE
INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MILES PER HOUR.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO INVADE THE PANHANDLE.
THE HIGHS ON THURSDAY SHOULD ONLY BE AROUND 60 WITH THE LOWS THURSDAY
NIGHT EXPECTED TO BE BEL=OW FREEZING.  IF THE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW
FREEZING FRIDAY MORNING...IT WOULD BE THE FIRST FREEZE THIS SEASON.
LAST MONTH THE TEMPERATURE IN PENSACOLA DROPPED TO 34 DEGREES ON
OCTOBER 21.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 15, 3:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBTallapoosa55 min
Nov 15, 4:08 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBChambers, Tallapoosa67 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1989Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.