Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1993
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1993, 3:14 PM CDT for Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 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, 3:14 PM CDT (20:14 UTC)
- Expired
- May 3, 1993, 4:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Colbert County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 3:20 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Lauderdale, AL | At 1420CST a tornado moved northeast a short distance through Killen. Power lines were snapped and trees were blown down. At 1647CST trees and power lines were blown down two miles east of Florence. At 1742CST trees and power lines were blown down in Floren |
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
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 22 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -19 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 539 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 250 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 348 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHSV 032013 TORHSV ALC033-077-032115- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 314 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1993 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM CDT S... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...COLBERT COUNTY...LAUDERDALE COUNTY RADAR AT 312 PM CDT INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 43 ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF MUSCLE SHOALS. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. 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 AS 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, May 3, 1:27 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 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 45 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, 48 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, 47 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, 2:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin | 59 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.