Twenty six years ago today...Alabamians were carefully monitoring Hurricane Frederic in the Gulf of Mexico. J.B. Elliott was working at the National Weather Service. James Spann had just arrived on the Birmingham television weather scene.
For many of us, J.B. was a weather life line with his informative and interesting NOAA Weatheradio broadcasts. I used to record those transmissions (wish I still had them) and transcribe the significant information. I found these copies of the morning and afternoon Alabama Weather Summaries that J.B. wrote.
ALABAMA WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1120 AM CDT TUE SEP 11 1979
…ALL EYES ON HURRICANE FREDERIC…
ITS TOO EARLY TO BE SPECIFIC BUT PERSONS PLANNING TO TRAVEL TO THE ALABAMA…NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST SHOULD KEEP CLOSELY INFORMAED ON HURRICANE FREDERIC.
THE HURRICANE HAS BEEN GROWING STRONGER ALL MORNING AS IT MOVES NORTHWESTWARD SLOWLY FROM THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO. THE PROJECTED PATH OF THE HURRICANE IS TOWARD THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA…ALABAMA COASTAL AREA…ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT A SPECIFIC FORECAST AT THIS TIME.
SMALL CRAFT..HOWEVER...HAVE BEN ADVISED TO STAY IN PORT ALL THE WAY FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA TO APALACHICOLA FLORIDA.
THE HURRICANE WILL LIKELY HAVE A PRONOUNCED EFFECT ON ALABAMA WEATHER. A FEW SHOWERS MAY OCCUR OVER THE EXTREME SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON…HOWEVER…RAIN AND THUNDERSHOWERS WILL INCREASE OVER SOUTH ALABAMA WEDNESDAY ALONG WITH INCREASING WINDS.
MEANWHILE…FOR NORTH ALABAMA…IT SHOULD BE FAIR THROUGH TONIGHT BUT SOME SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO NORTH ALABAMA ON WEDNESDAY. FOR ALABAMA…THURSDAY WILL BE OVERALL THE WORST DAY FOR HURRICANE FREDERIC.
REPEATING…ALABAMA RESIDENTS…ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST…SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO GROWING HURRICANE FREDERIC.
TEMPERATURES WILL NOT CHANGE MUCH IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS…MAINLY 60S NORTH AND 70S SOUTH DURING THE NIGHT AND 80S IN THE AFTERNOON.
LAST NIGHTS LOWS WERE IN THE 50S OVER THE NORTHERN COUNTIES WITH MAINLY 60S IN THE SOUTH.
ALABAMA WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
400 PM CDT TUE SEP 11 1979
…FREDERIC IS NO LADY…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD KEEP POSTED…
ALL THAT SUNSHINE…PLEASANT READINGS AND LOW HUMIDITY ACROSS ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON CAN’T LAST MUCH LONGER…THANKS TO THE GROWING THREAT OF HURRICANE FREDERIC.
FREDERIC HAS BEEN GAINING STRENGTH ALL MORNING. IT IS TOO EARLY TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHERE FREDERIC MAY EVENTUALLY HIT SHORE. HOWEVER…THE PROJECTED PATH SUGGESTS THAT IT MAY BE ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COASTEARLY THURSDAY…POSSIBLY IN THE MOBILE AREA OR TO THE WEST OF MOBILE.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPHASIZES THAT THIS IS NOT A SPECIFIC FORECAST AND THE LANDFALL PICTURE MAY COME INTO SHARPER FOCUS LATER ON WEDNESDAY.
NEEDLESS TO SAY…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS DEVELOPING STORM. THE STATE COULD GET VERY HEAVY RAINFALL NOT TO MENTION THE WIND.
SOME SHOWERS SHOULD REACH THE MOBILE AREA TONIGHT SPREADING INLAND INTO NORTH ALABAMA BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
INCREASING WIND AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST FOR SOUTH ALABAMA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.
AGAIN…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LATEST ON HURRICANE FREDERIC. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAN BE MUCH MORE SPECIFIC LATER ON WEDNESDAY ABOUT THE PROJECTED TRACK.
For many of us, J.B. was a weather life line with his informative and interesting NOAA Weatheradio broadcasts. I used to record those transmissions (wish I still had them) and transcribe the significant information. I found these copies of the morning and afternoon Alabama Weather Summaries that J.B. wrote.
ALABAMA WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1120 AM CDT TUE SEP 11 1979
…ALL EYES ON HURRICANE FREDERIC…
ITS TOO EARLY TO BE SPECIFIC BUT PERSONS PLANNING TO TRAVEL TO THE ALABAMA…NORTHWEST FLORIDA COAST SHOULD KEEP CLOSELY INFORMAED ON HURRICANE FREDERIC.
THE HURRICANE HAS BEEN GROWING STRONGER ALL MORNING AS IT MOVES NORTHWESTWARD SLOWLY FROM THE SOUTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO. THE PROJECTED PATH OF THE HURRICANE IS TOWARD THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA…ALABAMA COASTAL AREA…ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT A SPECIFIC FORECAST AT THIS TIME.
SMALL CRAFT..HOWEVER...HAVE BEN ADVISED TO STAY IN PORT ALL THE WAY FROM GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA TO APALACHICOLA FLORIDA.
THE HURRICANE WILL LIKELY HAVE A PRONOUNCED EFFECT ON ALABAMA WEATHER. A FEW SHOWERS MAY OCCUR OVER THE EXTREME SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON…HOWEVER…RAIN AND THUNDERSHOWERS WILL INCREASE OVER SOUTH ALABAMA WEDNESDAY ALONG WITH INCREASING WINDS.
MEANWHILE…FOR NORTH ALABAMA…IT SHOULD BE FAIR THROUGH TONIGHT BUT SOME SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO NORTH ALABAMA ON WEDNESDAY. FOR ALABAMA…THURSDAY WILL BE OVERALL THE WORST DAY FOR HURRICANE FREDERIC.
REPEATING…ALABAMA RESIDENTS…ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST…SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO GROWING HURRICANE FREDERIC.
TEMPERATURES WILL NOT CHANGE MUCH IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS…MAINLY 60S NORTH AND 70S SOUTH DURING THE NIGHT AND 80S IN THE AFTERNOON.
LAST NIGHTS LOWS WERE IN THE 50S OVER THE NORTHERN COUNTIES WITH MAINLY 60S IN THE SOUTH.
ALABAMA WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
400 PM CDT TUE SEP 11 1979
…FREDERIC IS NO LADY…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD KEEP POSTED…
ALL THAT SUNSHINE…PLEASANT READINGS AND LOW HUMIDITY ACROSS ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON CAN’T LAST MUCH LONGER…THANKS TO THE GROWING THREAT OF HURRICANE FREDERIC.
FREDERIC HAS BEEN GAINING STRENGTH ALL MORNING. IT IS TOO EARLY TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHERE FREDERIC MAY EVENTUALLY HIT SHORE. HOWEVER…THE PROJECTED PATH SUGGESTS THAT IT MAY BE ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COASTEARLY THURSDAY…POSSIBLY IN THE MOBILE AREA OR TO THE WEST OF MOBILE.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EMPHASIZES THAT THIS IS NOT A SPECIFIC FORECAST AND THE LANDFALL PICTURE MAY COME INTO SHARPER FOCUS LATER ON WEDNESDAY.
NEEDLESS TO SAY…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS DEVELOPING STORM. THE STATE COULD GET VERY HEAVY RAINFALL NOT TO MENTION THE WIND.
SOME SHOWERS SHOULD REACH THE MOBILE AREA TONIGHT SPREADING INLAND INTO NORTH ALABAMA BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
INCREASING WIND AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST FOR SOUTH ALABAMA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.
AGAIN…ALABAMA RESIDENTS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LATEST ON HURRICANE FREDERIC. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAN BE MUCH MORE SPECIFIC LATER ON WEDNESDAY ABOUT THE PROJECTED TRACK.