Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Mobile, AL

March 29, 1991Bullock County, Montgomery County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 29, 1991, 11:49 AM CST for Bullock County, Montgomery County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 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
Mar 29, 1991, 11:49 AM CST (17:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 29, 1991, 12:15 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bullock County, AL, Montgomery County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 29, 12:05 PM CSTHail 1.75Bullock, 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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 1991-03-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 1991-03-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 267 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
267 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
528 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMGM 291752
TORMGM
ALC011-101-291815-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
1149 AM CST FRI MAR 29 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MONTGOMERY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
 
   ...BULLOCK COUNTY...SOUTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
 
WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR PINE LEVEL
IN SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
THIS STORM WILL PASS ACROSS U.S. 231 NEAR PINE LEVEL AND ACROSS U.S.
82 NEAR HECTOR IN BULLOCK COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS AF
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Mar 29, 5:59 AM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before
ALZ013-016-MSZ014-013-291400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
557 AM CST FRI MAR 29 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85 REMAINS IN EFFECT UTIL 9 AM CST FOR ALL
COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS OCCURED IN SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

AT 6 AM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA TO NEAR BATON
ROUGE LOUISIANA.  THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
LATER THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 29, 8:11 AM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-291615-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
808 AM CST FRI MAR 29 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST FOR ALL
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 87 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM CST FOR ALL
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA COUNTIES...

AT 800 AM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR THOMASVILLE ALABAMA TO NEAR PICAYUNE
MISSISSIPPI.  THE STORMS HAVE BEEN INCREASING IN STRENGTH AND
BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST
AT 45 MPH.

RESIDENTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA SHOULD BE ON
THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 29, 9:11 AM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-291715-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
908 AM CST FRI MAR 29 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 87 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
COUNTIES UNTIL 100 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 900 AM CST...

AT 900 AM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR MONTGOMERY ALABAMA TO NEAR GULFPORT
MISSISSIPPI.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

STRONG SOUTH WINDS AHEAD OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE CAUSED TIDES TO BE
HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND THE EAST BOUND LANE OF THE MOBILE BAY CAUSEWAY
HAS BEEN CLOSED.  WINDS HAVE BEEN GUSTING AS HIGH AS 55 MPH AT MOBILE
BATES FIELD AIRPORT.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 85 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 900 AM CST.  THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IN
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI HAS DEMINISHED.
 
Special weather statement, Mar 29, 11:05 AM CST, 44 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-291900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1102 AM CST FRI MAR 29 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 87 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
COUNTIES EXCEPT CLARKE AND WASHINGTON...

AT 1100 AM CST MOBILE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR MONTGOMERY TO MOBILE TO THE MOUTH OF THE
MISSISSIPPI.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN CONECUH
COUNTY.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS MOVED EAST OF WASHINGTON AND CLARKE
COUNTIES AND THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THESE COUNTIES.

WINDS ARE DIMINISHING AND SHIFTING TO THE WEST ALONG THE ALABAMA
COAST AND HIGH TIDES CAUSED BY THE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD
SUBSIDE THIS AFTERNOON.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 29, 5:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke36 min
Mar 29, 7:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDallas51 min
Mar 29, 7:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBElmore51 min
Mar 29, 9:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBLee, Macon45 min
Mar 29, 11:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.