Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 151, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 1990, 5:43 PM CDT for Clay County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 21, 1990, 5:43 PM CDT (22:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 21, 1990, 6:28 PM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clay 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
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 131 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1027 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -101 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1239 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -27 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 212244 SVRBHM ALC027-212345- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 543 PM CDT TUE AUG 21 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...CLAY COUNTY AT 542 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF SYLACAUGA MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST CLAY COUNTY. ANOTHER INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO LOCATED IN NORTHERN CLAY COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH CLAY COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT ST0AND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
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, Aug 21, 1:33 PM CDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-013-211930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 132 PM CDT TUE AUG 21 1990 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON. AT 132 PM CDT A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUBD LIGHTNING STRIKES WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF CULLMAN ...OR JUST NORTH OF LEWIS SMITH LAKE. THIS STORM WAS DRIFTING SLOWLY EAST ACROSS NORTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY. ELSEWHERE SHOWERS WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED BETWEEN FAYETTE AND MUSCLE SHOALS IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...AND BETWEEN BIRMINGHAM AND THE GEORGIA BORDER. SINCE THE AIR ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA IS UNSTABLE...MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BE BRIEFLY SEVERE PRODUCING HAIL AND WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH. PERSONS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA NEED TO MONITOR THEIR LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO TAK"E SHELTER IF THE WEATHER TURNS THREATENING.
Local storm report, Aug 21, 3:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
340 PM CDT TUE AUG 21 1990
STORM REPORT FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 19 1990
2 PERSONS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN PRATTVILLE. ONE HOSPITALIZED THE OTHER
RELEASED. ST{ATEMENTS IN EFFECT FOR THUNDERSTORMS.
REPORT FROM PRATTVILLE PD...TIME PRESUMED BETWEEN 330 AND 4 30PM CDT.
PETTITSpecial weather statement, Aug 21, 3:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 4:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-212230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 400 PM CDT TUE AUG 21 1990 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 9PM CDT... ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER SOUTH ALABAMA AT 4PM CDT...HOWEVER...AFTERNOON HEATING MAY SET OFF THUNDERSTORMS VERY QUICKLY. A FEW MODERATE THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST NORTH OF COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES AND THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST. PERSONS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT. PETTIT
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 4:45 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, Aug 21, 5:14 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-212330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 510 PM CDT TUE AUG 21 1990 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 9PM CDT... ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER SOUTH ALABAMA AT 5PM CDT. STRONGER STORMS WERE IN A LINE FROM NORTH OF ANNISTON WESTWARD TO NEAR TUSCALOOSA. THE LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST SLOWLY. A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS PERSISTED OVER EASTERN WILCOX COUNTY. WITH THE SLOW MOVEMENT...HEAVY RAIN MAY BE EXPECTED OVER EASTERN WILCOX COUNTY WITH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS POSSIBLE. SEVERAL OF THE STORMS HAVE SHOWN SIGNS OF HAIL AND SOME DAMAGING WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. STORMS MAY DEVELOP QUICKLY AND PERSONS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 7:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marengo | 54 min |
| Aug 21, 2:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Madison, Morgan | 65 min |
| Aug 21, 4:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 49 min |
| Aug 21, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 55 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.