Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 29, 1991, 7:58 AM CDT for Hale County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 29, 1991, 7:58 AM CDT (12:58 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 29, 1991, 8:30 AM CDT
- In force
- 32 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Hale County, AL
The nearest sounding before it
Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 43 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1218 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -13 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 639 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 357 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 397 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.0
- Supercell composite
- 10.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 291259 TORBHM ALC065-291330- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 758 AM CDT MON APR 29 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH ALABAMA ...HALE COUNTY NWS RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHERN HALE COUNTY MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT NEAR 40 MILES AN HOUR. THIS PATH WILL TAKE THIS STORM INTO THE VICINITY OF GREENSBORO. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH FAS 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, Apr 29, 3:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 50 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-291000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 305 AM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... AT 3 AM RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS FROM MUSCLE SHOALS ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO JACKSON MISSISSIPPI. THE RAIN WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH AND WILL MAINLY AFFECT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF ALABAMA FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING OVER WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEASTWARD. FOR THIS REASON...THE TORNADAO WATCH WAS ISSUED TO INCLUDE NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA. HOWEVER THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO ALABAMA UNTIL LATER THIS MORNING. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 5:13 AM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-291200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 512 AM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... AT 5 AM RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM MUSCLE SHOALS ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO JACKSON MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOVING INTO LAMAR AND MARION COUNTIES. RADAR DETECTED THAT THESE STORMS WERE LIKELY PRODUCING SOME SMALL HAIL. STRONG GUSTY WINDS CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED WITH THE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AROUND 45 MPH. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.H
Special weather statement, Apr 29, 6:20 AM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-291300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 620 AM CDT MON APR 29 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... ...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... AT 6 AM RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM MUSCLE SHOALS ALABAMA SOUTHWEST TO JACKSON MISSISSIPPI. THE STRONGEST STORMS HAD FORMED A LINE FROM MUSCLE SHOALS SOUTH TO FAYETTE. THIS LINE WAS MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD THROUGH FRANKLIN...MARION AND FAYETTE COUNTIES AND WILL SOON BE AFFECTING SUCH TOWNS AS HALEYVILLE...DOUBLE SPRINGS AND JASPER. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 7:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Madison | 60 min |
| Apr 29, 7:15 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 33 min |
| Apr 29, 7:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 45 min |
| Apr 29, 7:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene, Hale, Marengo | 40 min |
| Apr 29, 8:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 44 min |
| Apr 29, 8:19 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 35 min |
| Apr 29, 8:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 29 min |
| Apr 29, 8:53 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 67 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.