Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 165, NWS Mobile, AL

August 22, 1990Covington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 1990, 3:36 PM CDT for Covington County, Alabama. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 22, 1990, 3:36 PM CDT (20:36 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 1990, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Covington 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, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 197 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 1990-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1231 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 1990-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 50 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1231 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1143 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 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 KMGM 222039
SVRMGM
ALC039-222145-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
336 PM CDT WED AUG 22 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  445 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
 
   ...COVINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 3 40PM CDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM
NEAR DOZIER TO NEAR MCKENZIE ABOUT TO MOVE INTO NORTHERN COVINGTON
COUNTY. THE LINE WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT
10 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, Aug 22, 2:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-222100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
215 PM CDT WED AUG 22 1990

...THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 670 IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
   AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES EXCEPT FOR HANCOCK AND PEARL-
   RIVER COUNTIES UNTIL 8 PM CDT...

MOBILE RADAR AT 210 PM CDT SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. THE
STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS IN NORTHERN
CLARKE COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND JUST NORTH OF THE CITY OF MOBILE
IN MOBILE COUNTY ALABAMA.

RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT FOR CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARE TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS FOR SAFETY.
THE STRONGER STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS... SMALL
SIZE HAIL... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... AND HEAVY RAINFALL AS THEY TRACK
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS.
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 2:38 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
FLZ001>004-222035-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
230 PM CDT WED AUG 22 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA...
OKALOOSA...WALTON...WASHINGTON...HOLMES...AND BAY COUNTIES IN THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE UNTIL 800 PM CDT....

AT 230 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH ALABAMA...THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THE
GULF OF MEXICO 25 TO 50 SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLE.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 2:40 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
FLZ001>004-222035-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
230 PM CDT WED AUG 22 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA...
OKALOOSA...WALTON...WASHINGTON...HOLMES...AND BAY COUNTIES IN THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE UNTIL 800 PM CDT....

AT 230 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH ALABAMA...THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THE
GULF OF MEXICO 25 TO 50 MILES SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLE.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 3:35 PM CDT, 1 minute before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-222300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
335 PM CDT WED AUG 22 1990

...THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 670 IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
   AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES EXCEPT FOR HANCOCK AND PEARL-
   RIVER COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI UNTIL 8 PM CDT...

MOBILE RADAR AT 330 PM CDT SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA. THE
STRONGEST STORMS WERE FROM 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF WILMER ALABAMA TO 5
MILES SOUTH OF LUCEDALE IN GEORGE COUNTY MISSISSIPPI. THE STORMS WERE
DRIFTING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH.

RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ON THE ALERT FOR CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARE TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS FOR SAFETY.
THE STRONGER STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS... SMALL
SIZE HAIL... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... AND HEAVY RAINFALL... CAUSING
TEMPORARY STREET AND LOWLYING FLOODING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 22, 1:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDale, Henry, Houston67 min
Aug 22, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMontgomery51 min
Aug 22, 2:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw67 min
Aug 22, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia57 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.