National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Huntsville Tornado, Nov. 15, 1989 - Southern Region Disaster Survey

Appendix B

Chronology of Releases Related to the Huntsville Tornado

 

The following are the actual releases made by the National Weather Service prior to and during the Huntsville Tornado of November 15, 1989. In some cases, especially with the Alabama Zone Forecasts, only the portion of the release relating to the Huntsville area are reproduced here, but any release reproduced in part will be so annotated. Following the releases are a listing of the Centreville WSMO radar observations and a list of the actions/reports recorded on the severe weather log at WSO Huntsville.

Note: Huntsville and Madison County are in Alabama Zone 2.

... Original text included the remainder of Alabama Zones 6 through 18... Releases:

			ZCZC BHMZFPAL
TTAA00 KBHM 150316

ALABAMA ZONE FORECASTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
935 PM CST TUE NOV 14 1989

ALZ001>005-151100-
AL01-AL02-AL03-AL04-AL05-
ALABAMA ZONES 1 2 3 4 5
935 PM CST TUE NOV 14 1989

.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS 
AND THUNDERSTORMS.  LOW IN THE UPPER 50S.  SOUTHEAST
WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.  CHANCE OF RAIN 30 PERCENT.
.WEDNESDAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME MAY
BE SEVERE.  WINDY WITH SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH.  HIGH
NEAR 70.  CHANCE OF RAIN IS 90 PERCENT.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THUNDERSTORMS ENDING EARLY AND
TURNING COLDER. LOW AROUND 40.  CONTINUED WINDY
WITH NORTH WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH.  CHANCE OF RAIN 80
PERCENT.
.THURSDAY...WINDY AND COLD.  HIGH IN THE MID 40S.

$$

NNNN
			
ZCZC MKCSWODY1
ACUS1 KMKC 150616
MKC AC 150700

CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK...REF AFOS NMCGPH940

VALID 151200 - 161200

THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS TDA OVR MS AND
AL...MUCH OF SRN TN...MNS OF WRN AND NRN GA ... AND THE
WRN FL PNHDL.  THE MDT AREA IS TO THE RGT OF A LN FM 40
WSW GPT HEZ GLH MEM BNA CSV AHN MCN PAM.

SURROUNDING THE AREA OF MDT RISIC..TUERE IS A SLGT RISK
OF SVR TSTMS TO THE RGT OF A LN FM BPT TXK 60 NW JBR MDH
LEX BLF HKY AGS 30 SE TLH.

GEN TSTMS ARE FCST TO THE RGT OF A LN FM LRD ACT HRO
STL MKG OSC.

SHRT WV TROF INITIALLY OVR CNTRL ROCKIES AT 15/OOZ IS
FCST TO MOVE RPDLY ESEWD ACRS MID/LWR MS VLY AND
ASSUME A SMWHT NEG TILT ACRS SERN U.S. BY END OF PD.
ASSOCD STG CDFNT PUSHES EWD FM MID MS VLY...TX AT
15/12Z TO SRN APPLCNS ... FL PNHDL AT 16/12Z.  AMS AHD OF
CDFNT EXPCD TO BE MDTLY UNSTABLE FM TN VLY SWD TO
GULFCOAST ... WITH SFC DEWPTS IN LO TO MID 60S AND LIS IN
-4 TO -6 RANGE. 500MB WINDS OVR FNLT BNDRY ARE FCST TO
INCR FM ARND 5OKTS TO NR 7OKTS BY END OF PD.  SSWLY 850MB
JET ALSO FCST TO STGTHN TO OVR 40 KTS FM SE LA TO SRN
APLCNS BY 16/OOZ. STG DYNAMICS COMBINED WITH MDT
INTBY EXPCD TO RESULT IN SGFNT SVR DVLPMT TDA FM MID 
TN VLY SWD TO GULF COAST.

TSTMS DVLPG ALG CDFNT ATTM OVR SW MO ARE EXPCD TO
INCR DURG RMNDR TNGT .. PSBLY REACHING SVR LIMITS BY
12Z.  ACTVTY EXPCD TO INTSFY FURTHER DURG THE DAY
AND DVLP SWD ALG CDFNT ALG LWR MS VLY.  AS ACTVTY
MOVES EWD ACRS MS/AL...STG WIND FIELDS INDC PSBLTY OF
SGFNT TORNADOS...AND TORNADO THRT MAY EXTD EWD
INTO WRN/NRN GA BY END OF PD.  OTR SVR TSTMS ARE PSBL
TO N ACRS NRN TN AND KY...HWVR PRIND INSMY WILL BE
MORE LIMITED THERE.

..COPE.. 11/15/89
			
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