Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 137, NWS Birmingham, AL

August 20, 1990Blount County, Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 20, 1990, 2:54 PM CDT for Blount County, Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 min. 2 reports 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: Aug 20, 1990, 2:54 PM CDT (19:54 UTC)
Expired: Aug 20, 1990, 3:30 PM CDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Blount County, AL, Jefferson 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 20, 3:10 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Blount, AL
Aug 20, 3:35 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Jefferson, 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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 106 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 13 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 KBHM 201956
SVRBHM
ALC009-073-202030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
254 PM CDT MON AUG 20 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...BLOUNT COUNTY...NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY
 
AT 255 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
THE JEFFERSON BLOUNT COUNTY LINE. THE STORM WAS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE
SOUTH AT ABOUT 5 MPH.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING HARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

Local storm report, Aug 20, 10:07 AM CDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
1000AM CDT MON AUG 20 1990

ADDITIONAL STORM REPORTS FOR STORMS OF AUGUST 19TH, 1990DAY'S STORM..
PIKE COUNTY...5 30PM CDT...TREES DOWN SEVERAL LOCATION  IN COUNTY...
CHICKEN HOUSE DAMAGED IN GOSHEN AND HENDERSON. CITY OF TROY WITHOUT
ELECTRICITY UNTIL 1030PM CDT. SMALL HAIL AND 3 INCHES OF RAIN.
WARNINGS IN EFFECT...NONE

CRENSHAW COUNTY...AROUND 5PM CDT...TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AT
HIGHLAND HOME. REPORT FROM CO-OP OBSERVER.
WARNINGS IN EFFECT...NONE.
PETTIT

Local storm report, Aug 20, 12:13 PM CDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1215 PM CDT MON AUG 20 1990

...DELAYED STORM REPORTS FOR AUGUST 19 1990...

THESE EVENTS OCCURRED AROUND 5 PM AT UNION GROVE CLOSE TO THE JEMISON EXIT.
ON I 65.

    ...21 ACRES OF APPLE TREES WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED BY WINDS
       AS WELL AS ROOF BLOWN OFF NEARBY BARN.

    ...AT KOA CAMPGROUND...ROOF OFF ADMINSTRATION BUILDING
       RESULTING IN WATER DAMAGE TO OFFICES.

    ...SEVERAL LIGHT^ POLES AND SIGN WERE BLOWN DOWN.

    NO WARNINGS WERE IN EFFECT.

INFORMATION RELAYED TO STATE EMA BY CHILTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OFFICAL

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 1:31 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before

ALZ004>009-011-201930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
130 PM CDT MON AUG 20 1990

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE FIRING UP QUICKLY ACROSS CENTRAL
ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 125 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT CENTREVILLE INDICATED A BROKEN LINE
OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM NEAR COLLINSVILLE IN DE KALB
COUNTY WESTWARD INTO NORTHERN CULLMAN...WINSTON AND MARION COUNTIES.
ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS IN CLAY COUNTY ABOUT 10 MILES EAST OF ASHLAND.

MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WERE SLOW AND ERRATIC AND BECAUSE OF THIS...VERY
HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE RESULTING IN LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN A
SHORT TIME.  IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

PERSONS SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACH.  CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL TV OR RADIO
FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS.

Special weather statement, Aug 20, 2:04 PM CDT, 50 minutes before

ALZ004>009-011-202000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
202 PM CDT MON AUG 20 1990

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 200 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT CENTREVILLE SHOWED NUMEROUS SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF ALABAMA.  SOME OF THE STORMS
WERE QUITE STRONG.  ONE OF THE STORMS...IN CULLMAN COUNTY...PRODUCED
MARBLE SIZED HAIL...VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS AROUND
140 PM.

LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA.
WITH HOT AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES...A FEW THESE SHOWERS MAY BUILD INTO
THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME.  ALABAMIANS NEED TO KEEP THIS
IN MIND THIS AFTERNOON AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU.

CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR LATER
WEATHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 20, 2:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	25 min
Aug 20, 2:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	25 min
Aug 20, 3:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	35 min
Aug 20, 3:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	33 min
Aug 20, 4:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	34 min
Aug 20, 4:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette	30 min
Aug 20, 4:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb	26 min
Aug 20, 4:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette	32 min
Aug 20, 4:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb	34 min
Aug 20, 5:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	32 min
Aug 20, 6:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale	45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1990 Every 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.