Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1993
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1993, 2:31 PM CDT for Colbert County, Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 59 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
- May 3, 1993, 2:31 PM CDT (19:31 UTC)
- Expired
- May 3, 1993, 3:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 59 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Colbert County, AL, Franklin County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2:37 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Franklin, AL | At 1326CST a wall cloud was sighted in the Russellville vicinity. At 1337CST a tornado touched down in the same area and moved northeast about one half mile. One inch-size hail fell at about the same time. |
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, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 195 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
- 62 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -37 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 566 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 204 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 264 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHSV 031933 COR TORHSV ALC033-059-032030- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 231 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CDT IN NORTH ALABAMA ...COLBERT COUNTY...FRANKLIN COUNTY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADDAR HAS DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDER- STORM AND FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR RUSSELLVILLE. THED POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTH AT 35 MILLES AN HOUR.
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, May 3, 1:27 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
ALZ004-008-013-031930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 127 PM CDT MON MAY 03 1993 AT 125 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST PICKENS COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH AND WAS LIKELY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. IT WILL MOVE NEAR ALICEVILLE AND PICKENSVILLE BEFORE 2 PM.
Special weather statement, May 3, 1:29 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
ALZ004-008-013-031930- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 127 PM CDT MON MAY 03 1993 AT 125 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST PICKENS COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH AND WAS LIKELY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. IT WILL MOVE NEAR ALICEVILLE AND PICKENSVILLE BEFORE 2 PM.
Special weather statement, May 3, 2:26 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
ALZ004-008-013-032030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 227 PM CDT MON MAY 03 1993 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 9 PM FOR MUCH OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... RADAR AT 225 PM SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN PICKENS COUNTY. THESE STROMS WERE MOVING NORTH NEAR CARROLLTON AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE LIKLEY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ...AND GUSTY WIND. IT WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS REFORM BY 300 PM.
Special weather statement, May 3, 2:27 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
ALZ004-008-013-032030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 227 PM CDT MON MAY 03 1993 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 9 PM FOR MUCH OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... RADAR AT 225 PM SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN PICKENS COUNTY. THESE STROMS WERE MOVING NORTH NEAR CARROLLTON AROUND 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE LIKLEY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ...AND GUSTY WIND. IT WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS REFORM BY 300 PM.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 3:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale | 61 min |
| May 3, 4:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 56 min |
| May 3, 4:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 38 min |
| May 3, 4:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 51 min |
| May 3, 4:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 57 min |
| May 3, 5:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Morgan | 68 min |
| May 3, 5:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 57 min |
| May 3, 5:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lauderdale | 66 min |
| May 3, 5:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 66 min |
| May 3, 5:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 60 min |
| May 3, 5:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 65 min |
| May 3, 5:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 69 min |
| May 3, 6:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cullman | 61 min |
| May 3, 6:18 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 57 min |
| May 3, 6:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison | 65 min |
| May 3, 6:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 65 min |
| May 3, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker | 35 min |
| May 3, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 30 min |
| May 3, 6:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 66 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.