Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 1, 1990Madison County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 1, 1990, 2:15 PM CDT for Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 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: May 1, 1990, 2:15 PM CDT (19:15 UTC)
Expired: May 1, 1990, 2:55 PM CDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Madison 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
May 1, 2:30 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Madison, 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 152 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 728 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 618 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 142 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 011919
TORHSV
ALC089-012000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
ISSUED BY BIRMINGHAM AL
215 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  300 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...MADISON COUNTY
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED THROUGH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS IN THE
WESTERN PORTION OF MADISON COUNTY. NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS
AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT.
 
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 1, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Limestone	60 min
May 1, 2:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lawrence	30 min
May 1, 2:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson, Marshall	52 min
May 1, 2:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	DeKalb	47 min
May 1, 4:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	48 min
May 1, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Winston	59 min
May 1, 4:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	59 min
May 1, 6:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	65 min
May 1, 6:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Tuscaloosa	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1990 Every tornado warning in 1990 Tornadoes 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.