Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Mobile, AL

June 8, 1989Baldwin County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 1989, 6:45 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jun 8, 1989, 6:45 PM CDT (23:45 UTC)
Expired: Jun 8, 1989, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Baldwin 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, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 192 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 082346
TORMOB
ALC003-090030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
645 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
          ...SOUTHERN BALDWIN
 
AT 644 PM CDT A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR AND REPORTED
BY THE BALDWIN COUNTY EMA NEAR THE TOWN OF BARNWELL. THE TORNADO WAS
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST TOWARD ROBERTSDALE AND LOXLEY.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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

Local storm report, Jun 8, 2:29 PM CDT, 4 hours 16 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, 4 hours 1 minute 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.

Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
420 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MOBILE COUNTY UNTIL 745 PM...

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
COUNTIES UNTIL 8PM CDT BUT IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY COUNTY
IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...

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

THE MOBILE RADAR AT 410 PM SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
THE CITY OF MOBILE SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS JACKSON COUNTY MISSISSIPPI TO
THE NORTHERN GULF SOUTH OF BILOXI.  THE LINE WAS MOVING TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

OVER SOUTH MOBILE COUNTY ROADS AND STREETS ARE FLOODING AND SOME
STREAMS ARE NOW OUT OF THEIR BANKS.  RESIDENTS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND IN AREAS WHERE STREAMS ARE RISING.

MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION.  DON'T DRIVE INTO WATER
ACROSS A ROADWAY UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE HOW DEEP IT IS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TV FOR
LATER INFORMATION.

Local storm report, Jun 8, 4:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before

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

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
955 AM    BALDWIN/AL       UPDATE ON ORANGE BEACH AND LILLIAN TORNADOES
                           ...INSPECTION BY BALDWIN COUNTY EMA SHOWED
                           THAT SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE DAMAGED IN
                           ORANGE BEACH WITH SEVERAL MINOR INJURIES.

                           INJURIES WERE REPORTED EARLIER IN LILLIAN...
                           BUT LATER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THERE
                           WERE NONE....SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES WERE
                           HEAVILY DAMAGED.

200 PM    BALDWIN/AL       TWO HOUSES WITH WIND DAMAGE IN WHITEHOUSE
                           FORK...ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BAY MINETTE
                           AND 10 MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED ON HIGHWAY 31
                           JUST SOUTH OF BAY MINETTE.

Local storm report, Jun 8, 5:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before

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

TIME      CO/STATE         EVENT
955 AM    BALDWIN/AL       ADDITIONAL ON ORANGE BEACH TORNADO THIS
                           MORNING...

                           1 HOME TOTALLY DESTROYED
                           5 HOMES MAJOR DAMAGE
                           17 HOMES MINOR DAMAGE
                           1 MOBILE HOME DESTROYED
                           1 MOBILE HOME WITH MAJOR DAMAGE
                           10 INJURIES...ALL MINOR
                           2 HEART ATTACKS...STORM RELATED

                           STORM SURVEY NOW COMPLETE...LAST UPDATE!

Special weather statement, Jun 8, 6:30 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
630 PM CDT THU JUN 8 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MOBILE COUNTY UNTIL 745 PM...

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
COUNTIES UNTIL 8PM CDT...

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

THE MOBILE RADAR AT 620 PM SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
SOUTHERN BALDWIN COUNTY AND MOBILE COUNTY INTO THE GULF SOUTH OF
PASCAGOULA.  THE LINE WAS SINKING SLOWLY TO THE SOUTH AS THE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVED TO EAST ALONG IT AT 20 MPH.

A SECOND LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME STRONG...HAS DEVELOPED FROM
NORTHERN CLARKE COUNTY ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO NEAR WIGGINS MISSISSIPPI.
IT WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 20 MPH.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING
WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

AS THE THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE COAST MOVE INTO THE GULF...THE
FLOODING OVER SOUTHERN MOBILE COUNTY WILL DECREASE.  AS MUCH AS
5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS LIKELY FALLEN OVER MOBILE COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON
AND SOME ROADS ARE IMPASSABLE.

IN ADDITION...TIDAL FLOODING HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE ALONG THE ALABAMA
COAST.   MANY ROADS BECAME IMPASSABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND SOME PIERS
AND WARFS WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.   THE SOUTH WIND HAS LESSENED
AND THE TIDE IS FALLING TOWARD THE LOW AT 3 AM FRIDAY...SO THE SITUATION
IS EXPECTED TO IMPROVE RAPIDLY.

RESIDENTS OF THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE POSSIBLIWLTY OF SEVERE
WEATHER FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.   PLEASE DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS
REPORTING FLOODING UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND THEN USE
EXTREME CAUTION.

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, 3:41 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MOB	Mobile	4 hr
Jun 8, 4:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	27 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1989 Every tornado warning in 1989 Tornadoes 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.