Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Mobile, AL

May 22, 1989Coosa County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1989, 7:47 PM CDT for Coosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 43 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 22, 1989, 7:47 PM CDT (00:47 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Coosa 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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 00:00Z on 1989-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2344 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1989-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 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
2344 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1151 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 230049
TORMGM
ALC037-230145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
747 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ...COOSA
 
AT 745 PM CDT MONTGOMERY RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
LAKE MITCHEL MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 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 ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
O^R 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, May 22, 2:43 PM CDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
240 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989

...THUDERSTORMS FIRING UP ALONG THE GULF COAST...

AT 235 PM MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM CHATOM
ALABAMA SOUTHWESTWARD TO LEAKESVILE MISSISSIPPI AND CONTINUING TO
GULFPORT. THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING ACROSS THE STATE LINE INTO
NORTHWEST MOBILE COUNTY. THIS STORM SHOULD MOVE INTO THE CITRONELLE AREA
AROUND 300 PM. ELSEWHERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN HATTIESBURG
AND LAUREL MISSISSIPPI AND NEAR BAY MINETTE ALABAMA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY DOWNPOURS
...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY SM;ALL HAIL.
Special weather statement, May 22, 3:27 PM CDT, 4 hours 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
330 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALABAMA HEAD FOR NORTHWEST FLORIDA...

AT 325 PM CDT...LARGE CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN...WERE MOVING ACROSS MOBILE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST
ALABAMA. THEY EXTENDED WEST INTO SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. THESE STORMS
WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH ESCAMBIA COUNTY OF FLORIDA AROUND OR SHORTLY
AFTER 4 PM.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE NORTH PORTIONS OF SANTA ROSA AND
OKALOOSA COUNTIES OF FLORIDA.

MOVEMENTS WERE TOWARD THE EAST ABOUT 15 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 22, 4:04 PM CDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
400 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989

...LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TRACKING EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHWEST
   ALABAMA AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...

AT 355 PM A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED
FROM GROVE HILL ALABAMA TO BAY MINETTE AND THEN SOUTHWEST TO MOBILE AND
PASCAGOULA. THE LINE WAS MOVING EASTWARD AT 25 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS CLARKE...
NORTHERN BALDWIN AND MOBILE COUTIES. THE LINE OF STORMS WILL MOVE INTO
MONROE...CONECUH AND ESCAMBIA COUNTIES BEFORE 6 PM. EXPECT STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THE LINE
MOVES ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, May 22, 4:53 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
445 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989

A LARGE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EASTWARD FROM SANTA ROSA
INTO OKALOOSA COUNTY...NORTHWEST OF CRESTVIEW.

A DEVELOPING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTHERN
ESCAMBIA COUNTY AND INTO SANTA ROSA COUNTY. THIS LINE EXTENDED FROM
BREWTON ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO FOLEY IN BALDWIN COUNTY OF ALABAMA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATING VERY HEAY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY HAIL.

RESIDENTS OF ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA...AND OKALOOSA COUMTIES OF FLORIDA
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSILBLE SEVERE WEATHER UNTIL THESE STORMS
PASS OR WEAKEN.
Special weather statement, May 22, 5:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
540 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989

SEVERAL LARGE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST ACROSS THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE. THE STORMS WERE PART OF A THUNDERSTORM LINE THAT EXTENDED
SOUTH THROUGH SOUTHERN ALABAMA TO MUNSON...IN NORTHEAST SANTA ROSA
COUNTY OF FLORIDA...THEN SOUTHWEST ACROSS MILTON TO PENSACOLA. THE
THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE WERE VERY STRONG AND WERE INDICATING
POSSIBLE HAIL.

PERSONS IN SANTA ROSA AND OKALOOSA COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR
WARNINGS.

IF DAMAGING WINDS...OR LARGE HAIL...SHOULD OCCUR REPORT THE EVENT TO
THE NEAREST COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSES OFFICE FOR RELAY TO THE WEATER
SERVICE.

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.