Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1993

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Mobile, AL

March 31, 1993Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 1993, 1:20 AM CST for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 31, 1993, 1:20 AM CST (07:20 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 1993, 2:15 AM CST
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Mobile County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 152 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1993-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2175 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1993-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
2175 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
535 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
192 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
10.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 310720
SVRMOB
ALC097-310815-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
120 AM CST WED MAR 31 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  215 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...MOBILE COUNTY
 
AT 120 AM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDER STORM OVER WEST CENTRAL
MOBILE COUNTY. THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
 
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, Mar 30, 10:42 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
FLZ001>004-ALZ010-013>018-MSZ012>014-310535-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1040 PM CST TUE MAR 30 1993

AT 1035 PM CST...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA
AND OFFSHORE FOR 80 MILES OF THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA COASTLINE.

IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOVING ASHORE
BETWEEN PENSACOLA AND FORT WALTON BEACH.  STRONG STORMS WERE ALSO
BETWEEN CENTURY AND MILTON.  BY 1100 PM MOST OF THE HEAVIER RAINS
SHOULD END FOR A FEW HOURS ACROSS ESCAMBIA AND SANTA ROSA COUNTIES.
FOR THE AREA FROM FORT WALTON TO PANAMA CITY...SOME STRONGER
THUNDERSTORMS OFFSHORE COULD MOVE INTO THESE AREAS BY 1130 PM.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO ACROSS SOUTH ALABAMA.  THESE STORMS
WERE AGAIN GENERALLY SCATTERED BETWEEN MOBILE AND MONTGOMERY.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES...SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 40
MILES AN HOUR.  HEAVY RAINS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE TEMPORARY
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND POOR DRAINGAE AREAS ESPECIALLY
ON THE ROADWAYS.

OFFSHORE...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM 40 TO 75 MILES SOUTH OF
FORT WALTON BEACH.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR.  VERY ROUGH SEAS AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE
STORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 10:43 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-310645-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1043 PM CST TUE MAR 30 1993

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI AND MOBILE...BALDWIN...CLARKE...AND WASHINGTION COUNTIES OF
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

AT 1040 PM MOBILE WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS AND WIDELY SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE
LOCATED IN NORTHEAST PERRY COUNTY MISSISSIPPI NEAR RICHTON AND IN SOUTH
CLARKE COUNTY ALABAMA JUST EAST OF JACKSON.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING
EAST AT 35 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND RESIDENTS IN OR
NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 30, 11:42 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
FLZ001>004-ALZ010-013>018-MSZ012>014-310635-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1140 PM CST TUE MAR 30 1993

AT 1135 PM CST...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTH ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.
SHOWERS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED TO 60 MILES OFFSHORE OF THE
NORTHWEST FLORIDA COASTLINE.

IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED NORTH
OF THE AREA.  THERE WERE STILL SOME SCATTERED STORMS BETWEEN FORT
WALTON BEACH AND CENTURY.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN SOUTH ALABAMA.  THESE STORMS
WERE ALONG THE YELLOW RIVER JUST SOUTHEAST OF ANDALUSIA TO NEAR
MILLRY.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES...SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS
CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 40
MILES AN HOUR.  HEAVY RAINS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE TEMPORARY
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND POOR DRAINGAE AREAS ESPECIALLY
ON THE ROADWAYS.

OFFSHORE...ONLY A FEW SHOWERS REMAIN OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS OF
NORTHWEST FLORIDA.  STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS CAN STILL BE
EXPECTED OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AS WINDS WERE GUSTING FROM 30
TO 35 KNOTS AS A WARM FRONT WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS THE
NORTHWEST FLORIDA COASTLINE.
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 12:27 AM CST, 53 minutes before
ALZ013-015-016-MSZ014-013-310830-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1228 AM CST WED MAR 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO INCLUDE ALL COUNTIES IN
SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 600 AM CST...

AT 1225 AM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND
WIDELY SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTH
WASHINGTON COUNTY AND NORTH CLARKE COUNTY OF ALABAMA AND WERE LIKELY
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND SMALL HAIL.
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI
AND SOUTHWEST ALABAMA UNTIL 600 AM AND RESIDENTS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH
AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 12:37 AM CST, 43 minutes before
FLZ001>004-ALZ010-013>018-MSZ012>014-310635-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1235 AM CST WED MAR 31 1993

AT 1230 AM CST...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SPREAD NORTH FROM
THE COASTS OF MISSISSIPPI...ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
THE STORMS WERE HEAVIEST IN ALABAMA ABOUT 80 MILES NORTH OF MOBILE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO IN THE COASTAL WATERS. A VERY
STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTH OF PENSACOLA.

MOVEMENTS WERE GENERALLY NORTHEAST AROUND 40 MPH.
FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND POOR DRAINGAE AREAS ESPECIALLY
ON THE ROADWAYS.

OFFSHORE...ONLY A FEW SHOWERS REMAIN OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS OF
NORTHWEST FLORIDA.  STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS CAN STILL BE
EXPECTED OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AS WINDS WERE GUSTING FROM 30
TO 35 KNOTS AS A WARM FRONT WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS THE
NORTHWEST FLORIDA COASTLINE.
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 12:45 AM CST, 35 minutes before
FLZ001>004-ALZ010-013>018-MSZ012>014-310735-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
1235 AM CST WED MAR 31 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6AM CST FOR ESCAMBIA...SANTA ROSA
...AND OKALOOSA COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 1230 AM CST...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SPREAD NORTH FROM
THE COASTS OF MISSISSIPPI...ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
THE STORMS WERE HEAVIEST IN ALABAMA ABOUT 80 MILES NORTH OF MOBILE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO IN THE COASTAL WATERS. A VERY
STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTH OF PENSACOLA.

MOVEMENTS WERE GENERALLY NORTHEAST AROUND 40 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 10:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDallas40 min
Mar 31, 2:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin48 min
Mar 31, 6:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBDale46 min
Mar 31, 6:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBarbour61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1993Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1993

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.