Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Mobile, AL

May 19, 1989Baldwin County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at May 19, 1989, 2:33 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Alabama. It was in force for 12 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 19, 1989, 2:33 PM CDT (19:33 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1989, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
12 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 19, 2:40 PM CDTTornado F0Baldwin, 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

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1989-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1927 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 1989-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 111 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
1927 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
623 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
7.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 191935
TORMOB
ALC003-191945-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
233 PM CDT FRI MAY 19 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING AND
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
          ...SOUTHWESTERN BALDWIN
 
AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF BON SECOUR BAY.
 
 
AT 227 PM CDT NUMEROUS REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED OF A LARGE
WATERSPOUT IN LOWER MOBILE BAY JUST NORTH OF THE FORT MORGAN
PENINSULA. IT WAS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH
AND WILL MOVE ONSHORE NEAR THE MOUTH OF WEEKS BAY.
 
 
 
DO NOT USE YOURR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 12:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile49 min
May 19, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington47 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.