Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 168, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 30, 1990, 3:00 PM CST for Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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
- Dec 30, 1990, 3:00 PM CST (21:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 30, 1990, 3:33 PM CST
- In force
- 33 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30, 3:30 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Lawrence, 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 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 190 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
- 165 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 566 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 70 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 327 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 360 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 1.6
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
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, Dec 30, 1:54 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
ALZ004>008-011-013-302100-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1:54 PM CST SAT DEC 29 1990
...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
AT 1:50 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN CENTREVILLE INDICATED A
LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE THE RESULT OF A VERY STRONG ARCTIC COLD FRONT
MOVING INTO THE WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE STATE OF
ALABAMA.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR MUSCLE SHOALS TO JUST WEST
OF THE MARION COUNTY AND MISSISSIPPI BORDER AND BACK INTO EAST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO MARION AND
LAMAR COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER
WEST CENTRAL ALABHAMA.Special weather statement, Dec 30, 2:53 PM CST, 7 minutes before
ALZ004>008-011-013-302200-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
2:50 PM CST SUN DEC 30 1990
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA
UNTIL 8PM CST...
AT 2:45 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN CENTREVILLE INDICATED A
LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL
ALABAMA. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR MUSCLE SHOALS
SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR DOUBLE SPRINGS IN WINSTON COUNTY TO NEAR SULLIGENT IN
LAMAR COUNTY AND BACK INTO EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. MOVEMENT OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR
BRILLIANT IN MARION COUNTY AND JUST WEST OF VERNON IN LAMAR COUNTY. THESE STORMSARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.
PEOPLE IN NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA ARE URGED TO STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST
WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS BY TUNING IN NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30, 2:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 46 min |
| Dec 30, 3:17 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison, Morgan | 16 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.