Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 85, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 2, 1990Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 2, 1990, 9:13 PM CDT for Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 42 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 2, 1990, 9:13 PM CDT (02:13 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 1990, 9:55 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Shelby County, AL, Talladega 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 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 87 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 00:00Z on 1990-06-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1921 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 00:00Z on 1990-06-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 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
1921 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1189 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 030216
SVRBHM
ALC117-121-030315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
913 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTY...SOUTHERN TALLADEGA COUNTY
 
AT 912PM WEATHER SERVICE SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
COLUMBIANA IN SOUTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTY MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. THIS
STORM WAS PRODUCING MARBLE TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. THIS STORM WILL BE
AFFECTING CHILDERSBURG AND SYLACAUGA IN THE NEXT HOUR.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK> SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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, Jun 2, 6:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
ALZ006-008-009-030300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
656 PM CDT SAT JUN 02 1990

AT 645 PM RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR
TUSCALOOSA SOUTHWEST TO MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI.  A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DETECTED IN THE BIRMINGHAM AREA.

THE HEAVIEST STORM WAS LOCATED JUST WEST OF TUSCALOOSA.  THIS STORM
WAS MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD AND WILL AFFECT THE TUSCALOOSA AREA IN THE
NEXT HOUR.

STRONG GUSeTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND SOME
SMALL HAIL MAY ACOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE EAST AROUND 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 7:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
ALZ010-011-012-014-017-018-020115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
730 PM CDT SAT JUN 2 1990

AT 725 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED A CLUSTER OF RAPIDLY
DEVELOPING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND
MOST OF CRENSHOW COUNTY ALABAMA.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOW LITTLE
MOVEMENT THEREFORE SOME FLOODING OF LOW PLACES WILL OCCUR ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SOME
HAIL.
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 7:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before
ALZ006-008-009-030300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
745 PM CDT SAT JUN 02 1990

AT 740 PM RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
SOUTHWEST JEFFERSON COUNTY TO NORTHERN HALE COUNTY.

THE HEAVIEST STORM WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY NEAR THE
TOWN OF VANCE...ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS JUST EAST OF MOUNDVILLE IN
NORTHERN HALE COUNTY. PEA SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED IN TUSCALOOSA WHEN
THESE STORMS MOVED THROUGH THAT AREA.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AS WELL AS
SMALL HAIL MAY ACOMPANY THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE EAST AROUND 35 MPH.

BIBB...SHELBY...AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES WILL BE AFFECTED BY
THESE STORMS WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.

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.