Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Mobile, AL

April 4, 1989Montgomery County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 1989, 3:22 PM CDT for Montgomery County, Alabama. It was in force for 68 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
Apr 4, 1989, 3:22 PM CDT (20:22 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1989, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Montgomery 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
Apr 4, 3:37 PM CDTHail 1Montgomery, 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, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 1989-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1111 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 12:00Z on 1989-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 174 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
1111 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
190 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
6.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 042026
TORMGM
ALC101-042130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
322 PM CDT TUE APR 4 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ...MONTGOMERY
 
AT 3 25 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NORTH
MONTGOMERY MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 40MPH.
 
 
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...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 1:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCoosa59 min
Apr 4, 2:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery58 min
Apr 4, 2:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBTallapoosa68 min
Apr 4, 2:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBAutauga, Dallas68 min
Apr 4, 2:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBElmore, Macon58 min
Apr 4, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLee67 min
Apr 4, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw67 min
Apr 4, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery66 min
Apr 4, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBAutauga, Dallas61 min
Apr 4, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBElmore61 min
Apr 4, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMacon64 min
Apr 4, 3:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLee65 min
Apr 4, 3:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke, Washington62 min
Apr 4, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBullock60 min
Apr 4, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLowndes60 min
Apr 4, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery58 min
Apr 4, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke54 min
Apr 4, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox62 min
Apr 4, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBPike66 min
Apr 4, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler66 min
Apr 4, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke46 min

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.