Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 186, NWS Mobile, AL

December 3, 1990Covington County, Crenshaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 3, 1990, 9:57 AM CST for Covington County, Crenshaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 63 min. 3 reports 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: Dec 3, 1990, 9:57 AM CST (15:57 UTC)
Expired: Dec 3, 1990, 11:00 AM CST
In force: 63 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Covington County, AL, Crenshaw 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
Dec 3, 10:10 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Covington, AL
Dec 3, 10:10 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Crenshaw, AL
Dec 3, 10:25 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Covington, 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

Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL (KVPS), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 113 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: 143 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 233 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 279 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 031604
SVRMGM
ALC039-041-031700-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
957 AM CST MON DEC 3 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1100 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
 
   ...COVINGTON COUNTY...CRENSHAW COUNTY
 
WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY IS SHOWING A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR THAT HAVE PRODUCED DAMAGE IN THE LAST
TWO HOURS. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ABOUT TO ENTER CRENSHAW COUNTY FROM
BUTLER AND COVINGTON COUNITIES. DAMAGE IN COVINGTON COUNTY IS STILL
POSSIBLE.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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, Dec 3, 8:34 AM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

FLZ001>004-031535-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
835 AM CST MON DEC 3 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST FOR ALL OF THE
COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

...AT 830 AM CST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM NORTH
BALDWIN COUNTY ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO DAUPHIN ISLAND ALABAMA THEN
CONTINUED SOUTHWEST TO THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A TORNADO.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND
WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA DURING THE NEXT FEW
MINUTES.

Special weather statement, Dec 3, 8:37 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

FLZ001>004-031535-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
835 AM CST MON DEC 3 1990

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST FOR ALL OF THE
COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

...AT 830 AM CST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM NORTH
BALDWIN COUNTY ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO DAUPHIN ISLAND ALABAMA THEN
CONTINUED SOUTHWEST TO THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A TORNADO.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND
WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA DURING THE NEXT FEW
MINUTES.

Local storm report, Dec 3, 9:44 AM CST, 13 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
940 AM CST MON DEC 3 1990

TIME             EVENT      ...PARTIAL LIST...

745AM            MOBILE COUNTY...12 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT AT
                 LOTT ROAD MILE MARKERS 14 THROUGH 19...MANY TREES AND
                 POWER LINES DOWN...NUMEROUS HOUSES DAMAGED.  ONE
                 MOBILE HOME TOTALLY DESTROYED.  A WOMAN WAS TRAPPED
                 FOR A TIME BUT HAS NOW BEEN FREED AND TAKEN TO THE
                 HOSPITAL WITH INJURIES. APPARENT TORNADO.

750AM            MOBILE COUNTY...GRAND BAY-WILMER ROAD A HALF MILE
                 NORTH OF AIRPORT BOULEVARD...TREES DOWN.

802AM            MOBILE COUNTY...CELESTE ROAD AREA...15 TO 20 MILES
                 NORTH OF THE AIRPORT...MANY TREES AND POWER LINES
                 DOWN...NUMEROUS HOMES DAMAGED...TWO MOBILE HOMES
                 OVERTURNED.  NO INJURIES.  APPARENT TORNADO.

b

Local storm report, Dec 3, 9:52 AM CST, 5 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
950 AM CST MON DEC 3 1990

TIME             EVENT

CONTINUATION OF THE PREVIOUS REPORTS...

842 AM          BALDWIN COUNTY AL...TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN LOTTIE.  TREES
                 DOWN. REPORTED BY SHERIFF.
                 ...DAMAGE AT LITTLE RIVER.  TREES DOWN. HOMES
                 DAMAGED.
                 ...TENSAW...TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. HOMES DAMAGED

LATE REPORT...
615 AM      o     CIVIL DEFENSE IN PEARL-RIVER COUNTY MISSISSIPPI REPORTED
                 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH TREES AND PROPERTY DAMAGED.
                 NO REPORTED TORNADOES.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 3, 7:18 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Mobile	57 min
Dec 3, 7:39 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Mobile	66 min
Dec 3, 8:20 AM CST	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin	55 min
Dec 3, 9:03 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Covington	57 min
Dec 3, 9:20 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Conecuh	25 min
Dec 3, 10:25 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Coffee, Pike	65 min
Dec 3, 10:51 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Barbour, Dale	69 min
Dec 3, 10:51 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Geneva, Houston	69 min
Dec 3, 11:05 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Henry	55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1990 Every 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.