Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Mobile, AL
NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 5, 1989, 2:47 PM CST for Dallas County, Alabama. It was in force for 43 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, 2:47 PM CST (20:47 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 5, 1989, 3:30 PM CST
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Mobile, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Dallas 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, 3:25 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Dallas, 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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 64 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
- 771 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -19 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 581 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 266 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 304 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMGM 052050
SVRMGM
ALC047-052130-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
247 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
...DALLAS
A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES IN WEST CENTRAL DALLAS COUNTY
MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.
PERSONS IN PROTECTED AREAS SHOULD REMAIN-OTHERS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER
FROM HIGH WINDS AND HAIL ACCOMPANIED BY TORRENTIAL RAIN. WALL CLOUDS
HAVE BEEN OBSERVED WITH THIS STORM.
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT 1FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT 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, Mar 5, 10:43 AM CST, 4 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1040 AM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH 23 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST FOR ALL SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA COUNTIES... NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN INDICATED OR REPORTED IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI OR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA THIS MORNING. AT 1030 AM MOBILE RADAR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MOST OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...AND ONLY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...TO THE NORTH OF A LINE FROM MAGEE TO MERIDIAN.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 11:59 AM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1205 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH 23 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST FOR ALL SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA COUNTIES... AT 1155 AM MOBILE RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MOST OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THIS ACTIVITY WAS ALONG AND AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WAS LOCATED FROM MERIDIAN TO JUST WEST OF GULFPORT MISSISSIPPI. THE FRONT WAS MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI OR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA BUT THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR SEVERE WEATHER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON.2
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 1:34 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 135 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH 23 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...HANCOCK...HARRISON...JACKSON...PEARL RIVER... STONE...GEORGE...LAMAR...FORREST...PERRY...GREENE... ...TORNADO WATCH 23 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... AT 130 PM MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERTORMS FROM CHATOM ALABAMA SOUTHWARD TO THE MOBILE BAY. ANOTHER LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM 10 MILES EAST OF LEAKESVILLE MISSISSIPPI TO WILMER ALABAMA. BOTH LINES WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA CAN EXPECT PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS AS THESE THUNDESTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER STILL EXISTS IN THOSE COUNTIES STILL IN THE WATCH AREA.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 1:44 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 145 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 AT 130 PM CST...A LINE OF SBOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF ALABAMA...OVER MOBILE BAY...AND ON SOUTH ACROSS THE GULF. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE LINE HAD SLOWED DURING THE PAST HOUR BUT WAS STILL PROGRESSING TOWARD NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE COASTAL WATERS. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRESENTLY INDICATED OVER THE NORTH END OF MOBILE BAY AND ALONG THE COAST NEAR GULF SHORES ALABAMA. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED IN WESTERN ALABAMA WITH A FEW LINGERING IN EAST MISSISSIPPI. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHERLY 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 2:38 PM CST, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 238 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH 23 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA... AT 230 PM MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSIFYING THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES WEST OF MONROEVILLE TO ATMORE TO ROBERTSDALE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTH AT 40 MILES AN HOUR WHILE THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AS THEY MOVE ACROSS ESCAMBIA...MONROE AND CONECUH COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Mar 5, 2:41 PM CST, 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL 245 PM CST SUN MAR 5 1989 AT 230 PM CST...A SOLID LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RAN NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF BALDWIN COUNTY IN ALABAMA. THE LINE EXTENDED DUE SOUTH 150 MILES INTO THE GULF. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...IN THE LINE...WILL SOON BE ENTERING ESCAMBIA COUNTY OF FLORIDA. SHORT PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH WIND GUSTS OF 35 MILES AN HOUR OR GREATER. THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN WESTERN ALABAMA. INDIVIDUAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHWARD AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 1:43 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Dallas | 62 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.