Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS Birmingham, AL

August 29, 1990Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 29, 1990, 9:18 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 57 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
Aug 29, 1990, 9:18 PM CDT (02:18 UTC)
Expired
Aug 29, 1990, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Limestone 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
Aug 29, 9:55 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Limestone, 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 151 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1990-08-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 517 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 1990-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 214 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
517 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-266 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1250 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
214 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 300219
SVRHSV
ALC083-300315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
918 PM CDT WED AUG 29 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT
 
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...LIMESTONE COUNTY
 
HUNTVILLE RADAR AT 917 THIS EVENING INDICATED A POSSIBLE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM MOVING OUT OF LAWRENCE COUNTY TENNESSEE INTO LIMESTONE
COUNTY OF NORTH LABAMA. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35
MPH AND MAY PASS NEAR THE CITY OF ATHENS DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10PM THIS
EVENING FOR MORGAN COUNTY OF NORTH ALABAMA. THE POSSIBLE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WAS BETWEEN PRICEVILLE AND DECATUR AND WAS MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
 
 
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.

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 29, 9:11 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-013-300330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
910 PM CDT WED AUG 29 1990

        ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 2AM CDT FOR PORTIONS
                    OF NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
         ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

AT 909 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN CENTREVILLE INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE MOVING INTO BLOUNT...CULLMAN...AND ETOWAH COUNTIES. MOVEMENT
WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG
WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAINFALL.

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER EAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA OVER CALHOUN...CLEBURNE...AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES.

PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO STAY INFORMED ON THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS BY
TUNING INTO LOCAL TV...RADIO...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST

STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 29, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Morgan69 min
Aug 29, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan58 min
Aug 29, 10:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison64 min
Aug 29, 10:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall, Morgan55 min
Aug 30, 5:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale47 min
Aug 30, 8:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb28 min
Aug 30, 8:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Shelby60 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.