Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 57, NWS Mobile, AL

May 5, 1989Chambers County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1989, 1:47 PM CDT for Chambers County, Alabama. It was in force for 38 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
May 5, 1989, 1:47 PM CDT (18:47 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1989, 2:25 PM CDT
In force
38 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
May 5, 2:00 PM CDTThunderstorm 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, 6.8 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 1989-05-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 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 1989-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-224 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
882 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 051848
SVRMGM
ALC017-051945-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
147 PM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ...CHAMBERS
 
AT 145 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVER THUNDERSTORM IN CENTRAL
CHAMBERS COUNTY JUST NORTH OF LAFEYETTE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
 
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 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, May 5, 8:25 AM CDT, 5 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
825 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 182 FOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
   COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 825 AM MOBILE RADAR SHOWED THE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS
DECREASING IN INTENSITY AS IT MOVED EAST AT 35 MPH.  THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE FROM 10 EAST OF CITRONELLE ALABAMA TO SOUTH OF MOBILE.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALAdBAMA CAN EXPECT
BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THE STORMS
MOVES EAST ACROSS THE AREA.  BEHIND THE STORMS LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS
WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA FOR AN HOUR OR SO.
Special weather statement, May 5, 8:50 AM CDT, 4 hours 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
835 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND INTO
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...

AT 830 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND
WERE MOVING INTO THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
THE MAIN CONCENTRATION WAS OVER BALDWIN AND MOBILE COUNTIES OF ALABAMA.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED INTO SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE COASTAL
WATERS.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...
GUSTY WINDS AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE
HAIL.
PERSONS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE
CONDITIONS.
Local storm report, May 5, 9:30 AM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
.0708C   LAMAR S.O. REPORTED TREE BLOWN DOWN ACROSS COUNTY ROAD
         JUST SOUTH OF BAXTERVILLE 0645C.

.0735C   BARN ROOF DAMAGE IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF HARRISON COUNTY
         MISSISSIPPI NEAR H
Local storm report, May 5, 9:34 AM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
930 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

.0708 CDT   LAMAR S.O. REPORTED TREE BLOWN DOWN ACROSS COUNTY ROAD JUST
            SOUTH OF BAXTERVILLE AROUND 0"645 CST.

.0735 CDT   BARN ROOF DAMAGED IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF HARRISON COUNTY
            MISSISSIPPI NEAR HIGHWAY 53.
Special weather statement, May 5, 10:40 AM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1035 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...

AT 1030 AM CDT...A 10 MILE WIDE LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF CRESTVIEW AND SOUTH ACROSS THE FORT WALTON
AREA AND INTO THE GULF 80 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PENSACOLA.
THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR
WITH THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHER SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED
OVER THE WESTERN 75 MILES OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTH ALABAMA...
AND THE ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...
GUSTY WINDS AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE
HAIL...AND FOR MARINE INTERESTS ROUGH SEAS AND POSSIBLE WATERSPOUTS.
PERSONS SHOULD TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, May 5, 11:42 AM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1135 AM CDT FRI MAY 5 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH BAY COUNTY AND BAY COUNTY WATERS...

AT 1130 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WERE
AROUND THE PANAMA CITY AREA AND EXTENDED INTO THE GULF 80 MILES SOUTH-
WEST TO SOUTH OF PANAMA CITY.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN PANAMA CITY AND BLOUNTSTOWN...BETWEEN
DOTHAN ALABAMA AND ALBANY GEORGIA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...
GUSTY WINDS AROUND 45 MILES AN HOUR...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE
HAIL...AND FOR MARINE INTERESTS THE ADDITIONAL ROUGH SEAS AND POSSIBLE
WATERSPOUTS.
PERSONS SHOULD TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS FOR THESE CONDITIONS.

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.