Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 27, 1994Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1994, 10:37 AM CST for Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 53 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 1994, 10:37 AM CST (16:37 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1994, 11:30 AM CST
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Morgan County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Centreville/Bibb, AL (KCKL), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 1994-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1055 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Centreville/Bibb, AL at 12:00Z on 1994-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 365 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
1055 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
564 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
365 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
399 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
10.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 271637
TORHSV
ALC103-271730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1037 AM CST SUN MAR 27 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 AM CST
...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...MORGAN COUNTY
 
RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO AT 1640 AM CST MOVIING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES
AN HOUR.
 
 
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.

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, Mar 27, 5:47 AM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
ALZALL-271500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
545 AM CST SUN MAR 27 1994

...DEVELOPING STORM SYSTEM WILL EFFECT ALABAMA TODAY AND TONIGHT...

A DEVLOPING LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER NORTHERN LOUISIANA WILL CONTINUE
TO STRENGTHEN AND MOVE INTO AND ACROSS THE STATE LATER THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT.  IN ADDITION...A COLD FRONT JUST ENTERING NORTHWEST
ALABAMA THIS MORNING WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE
TODAY AND TONIGHT.  A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET COUPLED WITH ABUNDANT
GULF MOISTURE AND THE INTERACTION WITH BOTH THE COLD FRONT AND
LOW PRESSURE AREA...HAS ALLOWED THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST
CENTER TO PLACE THE ENTIRE STATE OF ALABAMA UNDER A MODERATE RISK
TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

ALL ALABAMIANS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT AND LISTEN FOR LATER WEATHER UPDATES
AND ANY POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS.  BE SURE TO STAY TUNED TO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL NEWS AGENCIES FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
REMEMBER THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES AND THAT
QUICK ACTION MAY BE REQUIRED...BE SURE TO HAVE A SEVERE WEATHER PLAN
SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

IN ADDITION TO THE POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER...HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO
POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF ALABAMA.  A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.
IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA THAT IS EASILY PRONE TO FLOODING BE SURE AND
HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE PLANNED SHOULD THE WATER BEGIN TO RISE RAPIDLY.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 9:53 AM CST, 44 minutes before
ALZ036>038-040-041-043-044-054-271755-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL
952 AM CST SUN MAR 27 1994

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 41 IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA
UNTIL 4PM CST...

WEATHER RADAR AT MONTGOMERY SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA AT 945 AM CST.  THE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS INDICATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AT THIS
TIME...HOWEVER CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES IN...AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.  NOW IS
THE TIME TO REVIEW TORNADO SAFETY RULES...THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WILL DO
IF A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA...IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.  STAY
TUNED TO THE LOCAL BROADCAST MEDIA...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 6:25 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarshall65 min
Mar 27, 9:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Pickens44 min
Mar 27, 9:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker44 min
Mar 27, 9:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman, Winston58 min
Mar 27, 10:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker67 min
Mar 27, 10:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan67 min
Mar 27, 10:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, St. Clair51 min
Mar 27, 10:33 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCullman42 min
Mar 27, 10:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker60 min
Mar 27, 10:47 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarshall43 min
Mar 27, 10:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Etowah41 min
Mar 27, 10:53 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair52 min
Mar 27, 11:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount52 min
Mar 27, 11:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall48 min
Mar 27, 11:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman37 min
Mar 27, 11:27 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Etowah33 min
Mar 27, 11:33 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall57 min
Mar 27, 11:33 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson, Madison47 min
Mar 27, 11:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar65 min
Mar 27, 11:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker47 min
Mar 27, 11:43 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb, Jackson47 min
Mar 27, 11:56 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount49 min
Mar 27, 12:25 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarshall37 min
Mar 27, 12:27 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXEtowah48 min
Mar 27, 12:30 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair, Shelby45 min
Mar 27, 12:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Pickens51 min
Mar 27, 12:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker, Winston49 min
Mar 27, 12:41 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb64 min
Mar 27, 12:41 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJackson21 min
Mar 27, 12:45 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee45 min
Mar 27, 12:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman42 min
Mar 27, 1:10 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Etowah65 min
Mar 27, 1:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker51 min
Mar 27, 1:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXLauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan12 hr
Mar 27, 1:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXColbert, Franklin12 hr
Mar 27, 1:30 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXDeKalb, Jackson, Marshall12 hr
Mar 27, 2:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman, Winston44 min
Mar 27, 2:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb, Marshall69 min
Mar 27, 2:35 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens55 min
Mar 27, 3:11 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Tuscaloosa49 min
Mar 27, 3:36 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens39 min
Mar 27, 3:46 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXWalker44 min
Mar 27, 3:52 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa38 min
Mar 27, 3:54 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson66 min
Mar 27, 4:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount53 min
Mar 27, 4:33 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair57 min
Mar 27, 4:37 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarshall38 min
Mar 27, 4:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Tuscaloosa51 min
Mar 27, 4:51 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Etowah54 min
Mar 27, 5:06 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun54 min
Mar 27, 5:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby57 min
Mar 27, 5:18 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby57 min
Mar 27, 5:28 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCherokee47 min
Mar 27, 5:32 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBibb43 min
Mar 27, 5:35 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair55 min
Mar 27, 5:45 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXChilton60 min
Mar 27, 5:54 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Etowah51 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.