Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 21, 1990Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 21, 1990, 2:20 PM CDT for Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 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
Jun 21, 1990, 2:20 PM CDT (19:20 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1990, 3:15 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Lawrence 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
Jun 21, 2:36 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Lawrence, 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, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 1990-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1904 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 1990-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -37 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1904 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1025 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-10 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 KHSV 211923
SVRHSV
ALC079-212015-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
220 PM CDT THU JUN 21 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM CDT
 
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS OBSERVED ON THE HUNTSVILLE RADAR JUST TO THE
SOUTHWEST OF MOULTON ALABAMA. LARGE HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM
BY THE MOULTON EOC
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEAhDLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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, Jun 21, 9:22 AM CDT, 4 hours 58 minutes before
ALZ004>007-011-181530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
920 AM CDT THU JUN 21 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FORMING IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

AT 917 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A BROKEN LINE OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FORMING RAPIDLY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
STRETCHING FROM BLOUNT COUNTY INTO CULLMAN...WALKER...AND FAYETTE
COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST STORM AT THAT TIME WAS IN EXTREME NORTHERN
BLOUNT COUNTY. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST
AT AROUND 25 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WIND...BRIEF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL...AND
RESIDENTS IN THE EFFECsTED AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 10:06 AM CDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
ALZ004>007-011-181600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1005 AM CDT THU JUN 21 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

AT 1003 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...MOVING INTO ETOWAH COUNTY
AND STRETCHING SOUTHWESTWARD INTO BLOUNT...CULLMAN...AND WALKER
COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST STORMS AT THAT TIME WERE IN NORTHERN BLOUNT
COUNTY JUST EAST OF BLOUNTSVILLE...IN SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY NEAR
SMITH DAM...AND IN SOUTHERN WALKER COUNTY NEAR OAKMAN.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WIND...BRIEF
HEAVY DOWNPOURS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLE SOME HAIL...AS THEY
MOVE TO THE EAST AT AROUND 25 MPH. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN
ALERT...AND STAYED TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS.
Local storm report, Jun 21, 12:20 PM CDT, 2 hours before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1218 PM CDT THU JUN 21 1989

1030 AM...NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES IN THE TOWNS OF BLOUNTSVILLE AND
          BROOKSVILLE (NORTH BLOUNTY COUNTY).
1035 AM...NUMEROUS FIRES CAUSED BY LIGHTNING REPORTED NEAR THE TOWN
          OF SNEAD (NORTH BLOUNT COUNTY).
1035 AM...HOUSE DETROYED BY FIRE CAUSED BY LIGHTNING NEAR TOWN OF
          SNEAD.
1058 AM...STRONG WINDS REPORTED NORTH OF BLOUNTSVILLE IN NORTHERN
x          BLOUNT COUNTY BY INDIVIDUAL DRIVING INTO TOWN...NO
          ESTIMATED WINDS GIVEN.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 10:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount62 min
Jun 21, 11:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair58 min
Jun 21, 12:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby35 min
Jun 21, 1:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman68 min
Jun 21, 1:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby47 min
Jun 21, 2:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby51 min
Jun 21, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker67 min
Jun 21, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa41 min
Jun 21, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar35 min
Jun 21, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.