Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 3, 1990, 7:23 PM CST for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 67 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
- Feb 3, 1990, 7:23 PM CST (01:23 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 3, 1990, 8:30 PM CST
- In force
- 67 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Shelby 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3, 8:05 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Shelby, 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 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 64 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
- 297 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 962 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 139 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 164 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 040124 SVRBHM ALC117-040230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 723 PM CST SAT FEB 3 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...SHELBY COUNTY A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY RADAR JUST MOVING INTO WESTERN SHELBY COUNTY AT 721 PM CST. THIS STORM HAS BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY REPORTS OF HIGH WIND INCLUDING A REPORT OF WIND TO NEAR 50 MPH AT THE TUSCALOOSA AIRPORT. ON ITS PRESENT PATH...THE STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS SHELBY COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR SO...AFFECTING COMMUNITIES SUCH AS PELHAM AND THE OAK MOUNTAIN AREA. 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, Feb 3, 4:47 PM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
ALZALL-032330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 545 PM CST SAT FEB 3 1990 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 10 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 545 PM CST SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME EASTERN MISSISSIPPI MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE LINE WILL BE MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA BY 5 PM CST. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 40 MILES NORTH OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI...AND WILL BE MOVING INTO PICKENS COUNTY OF ALABAMA BY 5 PM CST. THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. PERSONS I]N WEST CENTRAL AND NORTH WEST ALABAMA SHOULD BE PREPAIRED TO SEEK SHELTER AS THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 4:48 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-040000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 445 PM CST SAT FEB 3 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR AUTAUGA...LOWNDES... DALLAS...WILCOX AND BUTLER COUNTIES... AT 440 PM CST RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER SOUTHEAST ALABAMA FROM ANDALUSIA TO EUFAULA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI THROUGH NORTHWEST ALABAMaA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN WEATHER ALERT TONIGHT AND LISTEN NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 4:53 PM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
ALZALL-032330- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...COR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 445 PM CST SAT FEB 3 1990 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 10 PM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT 445 PM CST SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME EASTERN MISSISSIPPI MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE LINE WILL BE MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA BY 5 PM CST. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 40 MILES NORTH OF MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI...AND WILL BE MOVING INTO PICKENS COUNTY OF ALABAMA BY 5 PM CST. THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.m PERSONS IN WEST CENTRAL AND NORTH WEST ALABAMA SHOULD BE PREPAIRED TO SEEK SHELTER AS THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Feb 3, 6:24 PM CST, 59 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-040000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 625 PM CST SAT FEB 3 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR AUTAUGA...LOWNDES... DALLAS...WILCOX AND BUTLER COUNTIES... AT 625 PM CST RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER SOUTH ALABAMA. THUNDERSTORMS WERE ENTERING WEST AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTH ALABAMA LATER THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA SHOULD REMAIN WEATHER ALERT TONIGHT AND LISTEN NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR LATER STAtTEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3, 6:22 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 53 min |
| Feb 3, 6:59 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 46 min |
| Feb 3, 7:41 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 49 min |
| Feb 3, 8:07 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 68 min |
| Feb 3, 8:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Talladega | 61 min |
| Feb 3, 9:26 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Shelby | 34 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.