Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Mobile, AL

February 22, 1990Coffee County, Dale County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 22, 1990, 6:14 AM CST for Coffee County, Dale County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 min. 2 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
Feb 22, 1990, 6:14 AM CST (12:14 UTC)
Expired
Feb 22, 1990, 7:15 AM CST
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coffee County, AL, Dale 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
Feb 22, 6:20 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Coffee, AL
Feb 22, 6:30 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Dale, 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

Apalachicola Mun, FL (KAQQ), launched 12:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 203 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, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1990-02-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 138 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1990-02-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 381 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
138 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-126 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
745 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
381 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
392 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 221217
SVRMGM
ALC031-045-069-221315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
614 AM CST THU FEB 22 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
          ...COFFEE...DALE...HOUSTON
 
RADAR SHOWS A SHORT LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEW BROCKTON TO
HARTFORD MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 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 BUSGINESS.  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, Feb 22, 1:32 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ013-220930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
130 AM CST THU FEB 22 1990

AT 115 AM MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH
HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS FROM NEAR MERIDAN MISSISSIPPI TO BILOXI.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

AS THIS LINE OF STORMS PASS WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MILES AN HOUR AND
1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE.

BY 300 AM THE LINE OF STORMS SHOULD BE FROM NEAR CHATOM ALABAMA TO
MOBILE TO FORT MORGAN.
Special weather statement, Feb 22, 2:44 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
FLZ002-220930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
245 AM CST THU FEB 22 1990

...A SPECIAL MARINE WARNIGH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400AM CST FOR THE
COASTAL WATERS OF ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

A LINE OF VERY SRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING EASTWARD THROUGH BALDWIN
COUNTY OF ALABAMA TOWARD THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THUNDERSTORMS
IN THE LINE WILL PRODUCE VERY STRONG...POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS AND
SMALL HAIL AS THEY PASS.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Local storm report, Feb 22, 3:04 AM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes before
ATTN SELS
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
300 AM CST THU FEB 22 1990

TIME        EVENT
0245C       THUNDERSTORM WINDS DOWNED TREES BLOCKING ALABAMA 59
            SOUTH OF I-65 AND NORTH OF STOCKTON IN BALDWIN COUNTY
            ALABAMA. BALDWIN COUNTY UNIT TRAPPED BY TREES. REPORTED
            BY BALDWIN COUNTY EMA.  (SVR MOB)
Special weather statement, Feb 22, 3:40 AM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before
FLZ002-221030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
340 AM CST THU FEB 22 1990

...A SPECIAL MARINE WARNIGH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400AM CST FOR THE
COASTAL WATERS OF ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

AT 330AM CST...A SOLID LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ESTENDED SOUTH FROM
ALABAMA THROUGH CENTRAL ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA...ACROSS PENSACOLA...
AND INTO THE GULF 80 MILES. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH AND
WAS DUMPING HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND ROUGH WATER CONDITIONS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE EMBEDDED IN A RAIN AREA THAT HAD MOVED AS FAR
EAST AS CRESTVIEW FLORIDA AND MONTGOMERY ALABAMA.

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS GWILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS
WARRANT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 22, 2:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin53 min
Feb 22, 6:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBHouston61 min
Feb 22, 7:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBHenry, Houston68 min
Feb 22, 7:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBarbour68 min
Feb 22, 7:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMacon65 min
Feb 22, 7:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLee61 min
Feb 22, 8:07 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBChambers68 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.