Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 3:29 PM CDT for Pickens County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 1990, 3:29 PM CDT (20:29 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 1990, 4:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Pickens County, AL, Tuscaloosa 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, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 71 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
- 429 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -34 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 689 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 35 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 92 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 1.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 202032 SVRBHM ALC107-125-202115- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 329 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...PICKENS COUNTY...TUSCALOOSA COUNTY AT 330 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN PICKENS COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTRORISTS 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, May 20, 12:04 PM CDT, 3 hours 25 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-201800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL NOON CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CDT...FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA... WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWS A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR DEMOPOLIS TO NORTHEAST OF BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA. THIS LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH. COOSA...AUTAUGA...AND DALLAS COUNTIES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS L>INE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN ONE TO TWO HOURS. ALSO STORM DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED WITH THE NORTHERN PART OF THIS LINE.
Local storm report, May 20, 12:52 PM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1251 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990
1003 AM...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND SEVERAL BUILDINGS DAMAGED IN WESTERN
LAMAR COUNTY.
1035 AM...HIGH WINDS IN CARBON HILL /WALKER COUNTY/. WIDESPREAD POWER
OUTAGES...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND MOBILE HOME DAMAGED.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR WALKER
COUNTY.
1140 AM...WIND GUSTS 30-40 MPH ON I465 JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY IN EFFECT.
1142 AM...POWER LINES DOWN...CARS DAMAGED AND PEA SIZED HAIL AT CIVIC
CENTER IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM.
1148 AM...POWER OUTAGES AT THE BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT VINICITY.
1150 AM...58 MPH WIND GUST AND POWER OUTAGE IN ARGO /ST. CLAIR COUNTY/
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
1218 PM...56 MPH WIND GUST IN GADSDEN /ETOWAH COUNTY/ REPORTED BY
HAM OPERATORS ANDw EMA DIRECTOR. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
IN EFFECT FOR ETOWAH COUNTY.Special weather statement, May 20, 1:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-201915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 117 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CDT FOR SECTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA... AT 110 PM CST... RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM ASHLAND IN CLAY COUNTY SOUTHWEST TO LAKE MITCHELL IN COOSA COUNTY ON INTO DALLAS COUNTY NEAR SELMA. THE LINE WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT AROUND 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN TALLAPOOSA AND CHAMBERS COUNTIES. THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS CENTRAL AUTAUGA COUNTY...EASTERN DALLAS COUNTY...AND MOVING INTO NORTHWEST ELMORE COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH TALLAPOOSA...ELMORE...LOWNDES.... AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS. PERSONS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ALABAMA CAN EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL WITH THESE STORMS.
Local storm report, May 20, 1:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTION TO 1140 AM REPORT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1251 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990
1003 AM...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND SEVERAL BUILDINGS DAMAGED IN WESTERN
LAMAR COUNTY.
1035 AM...HIGH WINDS IN CARBON HILL /WALKER COUNTY/. WIDESPREAD POWER
OUTAGES...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND MOBILE HOME DAMAGED.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR WALKER
COUNTY.
1140 AM...WIND GUSTS 30-40 MPH ON I459 JUST WEST OF BIRMINGHAM. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY IN EFFECT.
1142 AM...POWER LINES DOWN...CARS DAMAGED AND PEA SIZED HAIL AT CIVIC
CENTER IN DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM.
1148 AM...POWER OUTAGES AT THE BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT VINICITY.
1150 AM...58 MPH WIND GUST AND POWER OUTAGE IN ARGO /ST. CLAIR COUNTY/
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
1218 PM...56 MPH WIND GUST IN GADSDEN /ETOWAH COUNTY/ REPORTED BY
HAM OPERATORS AND EMA DIRECTOR. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
IN EFFECT FOR ETOWAH COUNTY.Special weather statement, May 20, 3:03 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-202100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...ALL WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR ALABAMA HAVE EXPIRED OR ARE CANCELLED AT T.HIS TIME... AT 300 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS DIMINISHED OVER ALABAMA. ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS EXISTED OVER THE STATE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 20, 3:06 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-202100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 300 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990 ...ALL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR ALABAMA HA1VE EXPIRED OR ARE CANCELLED AT THIS TIME... AT 300 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS DIMINISHED OVER ALABAMA. ONLY ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS EXISTED OVER THE STATE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 1:22 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Marion | 2 hr |
| May 20, 10:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar | 69 min |
| May 20, 10:36 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 54 min |
| May 20, 11:03 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount, Cullman | 57 min |
| May 20, 11:08 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 67 min |
| May 20, 11:12 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 48 min |
| May 20, 11:47 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair, Shelby | 43 min |
| May 20, 11:47 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Etowah | 43 min |
| May 20, 11:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 35 min |
| May 20, 12:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 45 min |
| May 20, 12:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Talladega | 62 min |
| May 20, 12:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee, Etowah | 62 min |
| May 20, 12:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Cleburne | 60 min |
| May 20, 1:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Randolph | 53 min |
| May 20, 4:07 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 53 min |
| May 20, 4:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 63 min |
| May 20, 6:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 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.