Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 171, NWS Mobile, AL

August 30, 1990Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 30, 1990, 1:44 PM CDT for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 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
Aug 30, 1990, 1:44 PM CDT (18:44 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 1990, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Washington 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 30, 1:45 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Washington, 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

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 191 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 1990-08-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2253 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 1990-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -28 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
2253 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1256 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
13 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 KMOB 301844
SVRMOB
ALC129-301945-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
144 PM CDT THU AUG 30 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 140 PM...MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR MILLRY.
THIS THUNDERSTORM BLEW TREES DOWN AS IT MOVED THROUGH WAYNE COUNTY
MISSISSIPPI EARLIER. THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL
MOVE INTO THE CHATOM AREA IN THE NEXT 1/2 HOUR.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGZING 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, Aug 30, 1:38 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
FLZ001>004-282125-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
130 PM CDT THU AUG 30 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA
UNTIL 8 PM CDT.

AT 130 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN LINES AND CLUSTERS
ACROSS NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.

ONE QUARTER INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE FT. WALTON BEACH VICINITY AT
112 PM CDT AND WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.

VUERY HEAVY RAINFALL..GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HAIL IS
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 30, 12:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBGeneva, Houston66 min
Aug 30, 12:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke56 min
Aug 30, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia45 min
Aug 30, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile48 min
Aug 30, 4:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin40 min
Aug 30, 4:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDale, Henry69 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.