Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 75, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 20, 1990Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1990, 7:34 PM CDT for Limestone County, Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 1990, 7:34 PM CDT (00:34 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Limestone County, AL, Morgan 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 1990-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 107 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 1990-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
107 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
951 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 210036
SVRHSV
ALC083-103-210100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
734 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
IN NORTH ALABAMA...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...LIMESTONE COUNTY...MORGAN COUNTY
 
AT 7:30 PM CDT... POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
INTO NORTHWEST MORGAN COUNTY BETWEEN DECATUR AND HARTSELLE.
 
A WARNING CONTINUES TO 7:45 PM FOR LAWRENCE COUNTY.
 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
 
VERY HIGH WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE REPORTED IN
NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTY AT 7:25 PM.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTOR*MS 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.  MOTORISTS 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, 3:03 PM CDT, 4 hours 31 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, 4 hours 28 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.
Special weather statement, May 20, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
ALZ010-014-202330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
529 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #285 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

AT 525 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ALONG THE
DALLAS-PERRY COUNTY BORDER SOUTHEAST OF MARION. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SOME
SMALL HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH MODERATE
RAINFALL WAS LOCATED ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SELMA ON THE ALABAMA
RIVER.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF MONTGOMERY HAVE DISSIPATED.

PERSONS IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA SHOULD STAY TUNED FOR LATER
DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

SNELL
Special weather statement, May 20, 6:43 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
ALZ010-012-014-017-210045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
639 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #285 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR
CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW AND DISSIPATE IN SOUTH CENTRAL
ALABAMA ALABAMA. AT 630 PM CDT MONTGOMERY WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SEVERAL
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.  THE
STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER PRATTVILLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE OBSERVED OVER SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND NORTH OF TROY IN
NORTHERN PIKE COUNTY.

RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

SNELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 7:01 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXTuscaloosa59 min
May 20, 7:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence39 min
May 20, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison35 min
May 20, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan43 min
May 21, 7:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale36 min
May 21, 8:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar54 min
May 21, 9:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens41 min
May 21, 10:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens46 min
May 21, 11:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Shelby57 min
May 21, 11:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene58 min
May 21, 11:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega38 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.