Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 14, 1991Walker County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 1991, 8:41 PM CDT for Walker County, Alabama. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 14, 1991, 8:41 PM CDT (01:41 UTC)
Expired
Apr 14, 1991, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Walker County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 14, 9:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Walker, AL

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 101 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1991-04-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 726 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, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 00:00Z on 1991-04-15The 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
726 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1069 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
169 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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 14, 5:41 PM CDT, 3 hours before
ALZ004-006-008-142330

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
540 PM CDT SUN APR 14 1991

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IS APPROACHING WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  AT 540 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A VERY
STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHERN LAMAR COUNTY CLOSE TO SULLIGENT.
RADAR INDICATED POSSIBLE HAIL WITH THIS STORM.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO MARION COUNTY AND WILL PASS VERY CLOSE
TO THE CITY OF HAMILTON WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES. RESIDENTS IN MARION
COUNTY SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES.  OTHER WEATHER RADARS SHOWED MORE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
IN EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND WILL BE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN COUNTIES
OF ALABAMA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE
LOCAL MEDIA.
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 6:14 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
ALZ004-006-150030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
615 PM CDT SUN APR 14 1991

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS
EVENING.  AT 615 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN LAMAR AND SOUTHERN MARION COUNTIES  MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  A WEATHER OBSERVER REPORTED
A 50 MILE AN HOUR WIND GUST AS THIS LINE OF STORMS PASSED THROUGH
COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI.

THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL AFFECT THE COMMUNTIES OF VERNON...SULLIGENT
AND HAMILTON WITHIN THE NEXT THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.  RESIDENTS IN MARION
AND LAMAR COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

PERSONS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE
LOCAL MEDIA.
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 6:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
ALZ004-006-150100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
645 PM CDT SUN APR 14 1991

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS
EVENING.  AT 645 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN LAMAR AND SOUTHERN MARION COUNTIES  MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THE LINE STRETCHED FROM
HAMILTON IN MARION COUNTY SOUTH TO MILLPORT IN SOUTHERN LAMAR COUNTY.
LAMAR SHERIFF COUNTY OFFICE REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS
WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS.

THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL AFFECT THE COMMUNTIES OF BRILLANT...WINFIELD
AND FAYETTE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.  RESIDENTS IN WINSTON...WALKER AND
FAYETTE COUNTIES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF THIS
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHES YOU.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO.
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 8:20 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
ALZ004-006-008-150200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
815PM CDT SUN APR 14 1991

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA THIS
EVENING.  AT 815 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL WALKER COUNTY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.
THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE COMMUNITIES OF TOWNLEY...
JASPER...CORDOVA AND PARRISH WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.  RADAR
INDICATED VERY STORNG GUSTY WINDS WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS.  AS THIS
LINE PASSED THROUGH DETROIT IN LAMAR COUNTY SEVERAL TREES WERE DOWNED
BY STRONG WINDS.

RESIDENTS IN WINSTON...WALKER AND NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES SHOULD
BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE SHELTER IF THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
APPROACHES YOU.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION AND LISTEN FOR
UPCOMING STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 8:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Limestone, Morgan63 min
Apr 14, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker25 min
Apr 14, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman40 min
Apr 14, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone, Madison, Morgan64 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.