Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 10, 1990Calhoun County, Etowah County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 10, 1990, 2:55 PM CDT for Calhoun County, Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 50 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
Apr 10, 1990, 2:55 PM CDT (19:55 UTC)
Expired
Apr 10, 1990, 3:45 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Calhoun County, AL, Etowah 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
Apr 10, 3:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Etowah, AL
Apr 10, 3:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Calhoun, 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 163 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1990-04-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1990-04-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
830 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
340 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 101956 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC015-055-102045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
255 PM CDT TUE APR 10 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  345 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...CALHOUN COUNTY...ETOWAH COUNTY
 
AT 255 PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING FROM SOUTHERN ETOWAH
COUNTY INTO CALHOUN COUNTY AT 30 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, Apr 10, 12:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-013-101900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1240 PM CDT TUE APR 10 1990

AT 1240 PM CST A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED OVER WEST ALABAMA.
THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER WALKER...FAYETTE...AND
PICKENS COUNTIES. THE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
40 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE TUSCALOOSA AREA BY 100
PM AND WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING
...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE THROUGH.

PERSONS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER AS THIS APPROACHING
WEATHER SYSTEM FURTHER DEVELOPS.
Special weather statement, Apr 10, 2:18 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-102015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
2 15 PM CDT TUE APR 10 1990

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 119 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT
FOR A LARGE PART OF ALABAMA...
AT 2 15PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
NEAR BIRMINGHAM TO DEMOPOLIS AND ON SOUTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST OF MERIDIAN.
THE LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 40 MPH.

AT THE PRESENT RATE OF MOVEMENT THIS LINE WILL BE MOVING INTO DALLAS
AND WILCOX COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR SO AND INTO COOSA...AUTAUGA
AND LOWNDES COUNTIES IN ABOUT 2 HOURS.

THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS HIGH AND PERSONS IN CENTRAL
AND SOUTH ALABAMA SHOULD RMEMAIN ON THE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION.
PETTIT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 10, 12:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa68 min
Apr 10, 1:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson55 min
Apr 10, 2:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby55 min
Apr 10, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Cleburne43 min
Apr 10, 4:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph67 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.