The Huntsville Tornado

On the morning of Wednesday, November 15, 1989, it appeared that a significant severe weather outbreak was likely. The early morning convective outlook called for a moderate risk for severe weather over much of Alabama, Mississippi, southern Tennessee, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, warning that there could be significant tornadoes. The NWS Birmingham called the system impressive.

By midmorning, the risk category was upgraded to high. The system was becoming more impressive according to forecasters. All Weather Service offices in Alabama were urged to review staffing levels and bring in additional personnel for the event. Huntsville was short staffed, so an intern was dispatched from Birmingham.

PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) tornado watches were issued; the first coming just after noon for Northwest Alabama. At 1:20 p.m., it was noted that storms were intensifying over Northeast Mississippi. At 1:35 p.m., a tornado watch was issued for the rest of Alabama. Lifted indices over Mississippi were as low as -9. Very strong upper level winds associated with a jet max were moving into position over Alabama and Mississippi. Winds were divergent in the upper atmosphere and there was a strong dry punch moving across Mississippi.

At 2 p.m., I sat at my desk at the Sheraton Perimeter Hotel with a late lunch and plotted the latest surface observations. I drew this surface map. The dewpoint at Birmingham was an impressive 68F. As I connected the pressure plots in isobars, I gasped at the sight of a strong mesolow over Northeast Mississippi.

This meant trouble. That low would provide the backing winds at the surface that could help spin up tornadoes. I packed my things and headed home so that I could watch the situation unfold on television as the impressive squall line appraoched Northwest Alabama.

The first severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Northwest Alabama’s Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale Counties at 2:43 p.m. It was extended to Lawrence County just after 3 p.m. At 3:40 p.m., the warning was upgraded to a tornado warning based on a hook echo indication.

Just before 4 p.m., the warning was moved over to include Limestone and Morgan Counties. At 4:13 p.m., a warning was issued for Limestone, Madison and Morgan Counties, but it was a severe thunderstorm warning since the hook had disappeared on radar.. The text did state that severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes. Large hail was falling at Decatur. At 4:15, a wall cloud was observed from the NWS office at the Huntsville International Airport, but it dissipated.

At 4:20 p.m., a wall cloud was reported by NASA meteorologists at redstone Arsenal. At 4:25, rotation was observed.

By 4:27, the radar became useless as the storm moved overhead, its beam attenuated by heavy rain and hail.

The tornado was forming over the Arsenal, however, near Fowler Road and Mills Road. It touched down and started moving northeast.

The amateur radio network was up and operating in Huntsville with an operator at the NWS. At 4:30 p.m., conflicting reports came in from spotters about a tornado on the ground in the old Airport area of Huntsville.

By 4:33 p.m. as the sunset, the sky over Huntsville was ominously black. And the tornado reports were starting to pour in. The tornado had hit the Police Academy.

A deadly situation was developing, right in the middle of rush hour.

At 4:35 p.m., a meteorologist began creating a tornado warning in the SRWarn program on a PC. This allowed for rapid composition of messages. At the same time, the warning was given live on the NOAA Weatheradio with the tone alert. The location was incorrectly given. It would be corrected in the formal warning.

There was a short delay as the warning was transmitted over the AFOS computer, the backbone of the Weather Service automation at the time. The warning was sent out at 4:39 p.m.

But on WAAY, CHannel 31, meteorologist Gary Dobbs was live. He reported that there had been damage in Leighton in Colbert County, including a building collapse, as well as other damage. He have the severe thunderstorm warning for Limeston, Morgan and Madison County. He mentioned reports of funnel clouds.

A producer handed him a report of a tornado on the ground at the Huntsville Golf Course. A few seconds later, the producer told him that a tornado was on the ground at the Municipal Golf Course near the Armory.

The tornado was moving into a heavily populated area. It immediately crossed Memorial Parkway, which was highly congested with rush hour traffic.

The City of Huntsville was ensconced in an inky blackness as the 55,000 foot thunderstorm knocked out the electricity. Eerie bright flashes of light punctuated the darkness as the tornado ripped down power lines and tranformers blew.

Dobbs relayed the frightening reports to his audience as they were given directly to him. “The tornado is over the Parkway at Airport Road. Lots of damage.”

Between the Parkway and Whitesburg Road, the F4 tornado found plenty to detsroy, including apartment complexes, office buildings, churches and shoppng malls. Nineteen of the 21 fatalities occurred in this short stretch of the path, including eleven people in cars. Another fatality occurred in an automobile on Garth Road. Many never saw the tornado, and had no chance to escape.

At Jones Valley Elementary School, thirty seven students and 12 adults were present. An extended daycare program was in progress.

Principal Marilyn Dawson was concerned about the weather. Dawson was very weather aware. She had attended an emergency preparedness seminar in Birmingham in the spring.

The principal had been monitoring the NOAA Weatheradio all day. She gave the Weatheradio to lead teacher Penny Cato before leaving at 4:15 p.m.

Ms. Cato and the four other teachers led the students from their second floor classrooms to a stairwell on the lowest floor. She took the Weatheradio outside at 4:20 p.m., and heard the severe thunderstorm warning. It was raining heavily and there was lots of ligthning.

The lights flickered at 4:33. At 4:36, the tornado struck the school. The seven painters and teachers threw themselves over the kids, as glass and concrete rained down on them.

The actions of Ms. Dawson, Ms. Cato, the teachers and the painters likley saved several lives.

The tornado caused lots of destruction in the Jones Valley subdivision.

The Huntsville Tornado was on the ground for 18.5 miles. It destroyed 259 homes, 80 businesses and two schools. Twenty one people died and 463 people were injured.

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