Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 6, 1992Calhoun County, Cherokee County, Cleburne County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 6, 1992, 3:47 PM CST for Calhoun County, Cherokee County, Cleburne County, Alabama. It was in force for 58 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
Mar 6, 1992, 3:47 PM CST (21:47 UTC)
Expired
Mar 6, 1992, 4:45 PM CST
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Calhoun County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Cleburne County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 6, 4:15 PM CSTHail 1Cherokee, 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 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 12:00Z on 1992-03-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1992-03-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 83 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
887 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 062147
SVRBHM
ALC015-019-029-062245-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
347 PM CST FRI MAR 6 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  445 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...NORTHERN CALHOUN COUNTY...SOUTHERN CHEROKEE COUNTY
   ...NORTHERN CLEBURNE COUNTY
 
AT 345 PM CST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST AT 35 MPH AND
WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN CALHOUN, SOUTHERN CHEROKEE, AND NORTHERN
CLEBURNE COUNTIES. SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WILL LIKELY BE AFFECTED
ARE COLOMA, ROCK RUN, AND PLEASANT GAP IN CHEROKEE COUNTY...PIEDMONT IN
CALHOUN COUNTY...AND BORDEN SPRINGS IN CLEBURNE COUNTY.
 
THIS STORM HAS BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WIND.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Mar 6, 1:38 PM CST, 2 hours 9 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-062100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
138 PM CST FRI MAR 6 1992

AT 135 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM ALONG
THE BORDERS OF WINSTON...WALKER AND CULLMAN COUNTIES NEAR SMITH LAKE.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE TOWN OF
CULLMAN BY 2 PM.

STRONG WINDS...HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.  ALL INTERESTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND
SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD
USE EXTREME CAUTION AS HEAVY RAIN WILL GREATLY REDUCE VISIBITIES
AND MAKE ROADS HAZARDOUS.
Special weather statement, Mar 6, 2:16 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes before
ALZ004>009-011-062115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
215 PM CST FRI MAR 6 1992

AT 212 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING
EAST-NORTHEAST THROUGH CULLMAN COUNTY AT 30 TO 35 MPH.  CULLMAN COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL IN VINEMONT JUST
NORTH OF CULLMAN WITH REPORTS OF SOME TREE LIMBS DOWN.

STRONG WIND...HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM SIMILAR TO CONDITIONS ALREADY REPORTED.  ALL INTERESTS
SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND SEEK SHELTER IF THE WEATHER TURNS UNUSALLY
THREATENING.  MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION SINCE HEAVY RAIN
WILL GREATLY REDUCE VISIBILITY AND MAKE TRAVEL HAZAR%DOUS.

WITH THE PRESENT MOVEMENT...THE STORM SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH
CULLMAN COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 6, 2:46 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before
ALZ004>009-011-062130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
248 PM CST FRI MAR 6 1992

AT 246 PM WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING
EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN BLOUNT COUNTY.  THE STORM WAS
MOVING AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THIS IS THE SAME STORM ASSOCIATED
WITH SMALL HAIL AND STRONG...GUSTY WIND WHEN IT MOVED OVER CULLMAN
COUNTY EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.

STRONG WIND...HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.  ALL INTERESTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND SEEK SHELTER IF
THE WEATHER TURNS UNUSALLY THREATENING.  MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY
CAUTIOUS SINCE HEAVY RAIN WILL GREATLY REDUCE VISIBILITY AND MAKE
TRAVEL HAZARDOUS.

WITH THE PRESENT MOVEMENT...THE STORM SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
NORTHERN BLOUNT COUNTY AND WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERN
MARSHALL AND NORTHERN ETOWAH COUNTY DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 3:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall39 min
Mar 6, 3:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah43 min
Mar 6, 3:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1992Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1992

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.