Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 1993Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1993, 8:14 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1993, 8:14 PM CDT (01:14 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1993, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 78 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 1993-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1622 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1993-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 243 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1622 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
664 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.1
Supercell composite
10.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 040114
TORBHM
ALC073-040215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
814 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...JEFFERSON COUNTY
 
THE TORNADO WARNING ISSUED AT 713 PM CDT FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY HAS BEEN
EXTENDED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
CONTINUED TO SHOW A STRONG POTENTIAL FOR TORNADO FORMATION FROM THIS
STORM. DUE TO REFORMATION OF THE STORM TO THE SOUTHWEST, THE RELATIVE
STORM MOTION APPEARS TO HAVE SLOWED DOWN. ADDITIONALLY THE WIND PROFILE
OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA CONTINUED TO BE VERY FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO
FORMATION.
 
STORM SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD IN HUEYTOWN.  THIS CONTINUES
TO BE A VERY DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION SO EVERYONE IN THE WARNED AREA IS
ADVISED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND STAY IN SHELTER.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
 
 
&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 7:13 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson62 min
May 3, 7:18 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCullman27 min
May 3, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan55 min
May 3, 8:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa64 min
May 3, 9:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXLawrence4 hr
May 3, 9:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXMadison4 hr
May 3, 10:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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.