Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 54, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 27, 1994, 10:41 PM CST for Walker County, Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 34 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 27, 1994, 10:41 PM CST (04:41 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 27, 1994, 11:15 PM CST
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 102 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
- 313 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -20 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 761 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 189 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 189 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 280442 TORBHM ALC127-133-280515- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1041 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...WALKER COUNTY IN NORTH ALABAMA...SOUTHEASTERN WINSTON COUNTY AT 10:38PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR MANCHESTER IN NORTHERN WALKER COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TOWARD ARLEY IN SOUTHEAST WINSTON COUNTY AT 40 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, Nov 27, 4:45 PM CST, 5 hours 56 minutes before
ALZALL-280300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 450 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES STILL POSSIBLE FOR NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS SPECIFIED PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA FOR A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HIGH RISK AREA IS NORTH OF A LINE FROM FORT PAYNE TO JUST SOUTH OF BIRMINGHAM...TO LIVINGSTON IN SUMTER COUNTY. THIS MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE OR WILL BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA. A STRONG COLD FRONT WAS PUSHING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND STRETCHED FROM CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SOUTH SOUTHWESTWARD TO NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. AHEAD OF THE FRONT... STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS CONTINUED TO TRANSPORT WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE REGION. AS OF LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THERE WERE NO SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNING IN ALABAMA. HOWEVER...TORNADO WATCHES COVERED MUCH OF WESTERN TENNESSEE AND MOST OF MISSISSIPPI. SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UNDER THOSE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED SEVERAL BANDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF WESTERN TENNESSEE... AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE BANDS OF STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST TOWARD ALABAMA. THESE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES OF ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS AS THE STORMS MOVE TOWARD ALABAMA AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR. THEY WILL THEN SPREAD INTO CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY 800 TO 900 PM. BECAUSE THE AIRMASS IS NOW VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE STATE...OTHER ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP AT JUST ABOUT ANY TIME. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION FOR NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...VERY STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND LARGE DAMAGING TORNADOES AREA POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE AREAS. EVERYONE ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL NEWS AND RADIO STATIONS...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS THROUGHOUT FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Nov 27, 4:50 PM CST, 5 hours 51 minutes before
ALZALL-280300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TYPOS... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 450 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES STILL POSSIBLE FOR NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS SPECIFIED PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA FOR A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HIGH RISK AREA IS NORTH OF A LINE FROM FORT PAYNE TO JUST SOUTH OF BIRMINGHAM...TO LIVINGSTON IN SUMTER COUNTY. THIS MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE OR WILL BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA. A STRONG COLD FRONT WAS PUSHING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND STRETCHED FROM CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SOUTH SOUTHWESTWARD TO NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. AHEAD OF THE FRONT... STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS CONTINUED TO TRANSPORT WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE REGION. AS OF LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THERE WERE NO SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN ALABAMA. HOWEVER...TORNADO WATCHES COVERED MUCH OF WESTERN TENNESSEE AND MOST OF MISSISSIPPI. SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UNDER THOSE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED SEVERAL BANDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF WESTERN TENNESSEE...AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE BANDS OF STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST TOWARD ALABAMA. THESE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES OF ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS AS THE STORMS MOVE TOWARD ALABAMA AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR. THEY WILL THEN SPREAD INTO CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY 800 TO 900 PM. BECAUSE THE AIRMASS IS NOW VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE STATE...OTHER ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP AT JUST ABOUT ANY TIME. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION FOR NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...VERY STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND LARGE DAMAGING TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE AREAS. EVERYONE ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL NEWS AND RADIO STATIONS...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS THIS EVENING FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Nov 27, 4:54 PM CST, 5 hours 47 minutes before
ALZALL-280300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TYPOS... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 450 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES STILL POSSIBLE FOR NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS SPECIFIED PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA FOR A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HIGH RISK AREA IS NORTH OF A LINE FROM FORT PAYNE TO JUST SOUTH OF BIRMINGHAM...TO LIVINGSTON IN SUMTER COUNTY. THIS MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE OR WILL BECOME FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF ALABAMA. A STRONG COLD FRONT WAS PUSHING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND STRETCHED FROM CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SOUTH SOUTHWESTWARD TO NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. AHEAD OF THE FRONT... STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS CONTINUED TO TRANSPORT WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE REGION. AS OF LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THERE WERE NO SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN ALABAMA. HOWEVER...TORNADO WATCHES COVERED MUCH OF WESTERN TENNESSEE AND MOST OF MISSISSIPPI. SEVERAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UNDER THOSE SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED SEVERAL BANDS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN PORTIONS OF WESTERN TENNESSEE...AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE BANDS OF STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST TOWARD ALABAMA. THESE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHWESTERN AND WEST CENTRAL COUNTIES OF ALABAMA DURING THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS AS THE STORMS MOVE TOWARD ALABAMA AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR. THEY WILL THEN SPREAD INTO CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY 800 TO 900 PM. BECAUSE THE AIRMASS IS NOW VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE STATE...OTHER ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP AT JUST ABOUT ANY TIME. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION FOR NORTH AND WEST ALABAMA. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...VERY STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND LARGE DAMAGING TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THES4E AREAS. EVERYONE ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN ALABAMA SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL NEWS AND RADIO STATIONS...OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS THIS EVENING FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Nov 27, 8:34 PM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes before
ALZ011>029-031>035-039-280335- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 834 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA UNTIL 1 AM. AT 830 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARDS MARION COUNTY AND OTHER PARTS OF NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA. THESE STORMS WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SHOTTSVILLE...HACKLEBURG...AND HAMILTON BY 900 PM. THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR TO BE PRODUCING VERY STRONG WINDS AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IF THESE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HOLD TOGETHER...A WARNING WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED AS THEY MOVE INTO NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA. 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.
Special weather statement, Nov 27, 10:29 PM CST, 12 minutes before
ALZ040-054-280630- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 1029 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR DALLAS AND WILCOX COUNTIES UNTIL 5:00 AM MONDAY MORNING... AT 10:25 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED THAT A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT LOCATED TO THE WEST OF THE STATE WAS MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF ALABAMA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS LOCATED THROUGH BIRMINGHAM...AND EXTENDED SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH OF TUSCALOOSA AND INTO MISSISSIPPI WITH NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING BEHIND THIS LEADING EDGE. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERATING SEVERE WEATHER...WITH HIGH WIND GUSTS...LARGE HAIL...AND EVEN TORNADOES EITHER HAVING BEEN SPOTTED OR INDICATED BY RADAR. PERSONS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIALLY SEVERE CONDITIONS WHICH EXIST...AND NEED TO TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO APPROACH THE LOCAL AREA.
Special weather statement, Nov 27, 10:33 PM CST, 8 minutes before
ALZ040-054-280630- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 1029 PM CST SUN NOV 27 1994 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR DALLAS AND WILCOX COUNTIES UNTIL 5:00 AM MONDAY MORNING... AT 10:25 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT MONTGOMERY INDICATED THAT A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT LOCATED TO THE WEST OF THE STATE WAS MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST THIRD OF ALABAMA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS LOCATED THROUGH BIRMINGHAM...AND EXTENDED SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH OF TUSCALOOSA AND INTO MISSISSIPPI WITH NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING BEHIND THIS LEADING EDGE. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERATING SEVERE WEATHER...WITH HIGH WIND GUSTS...LARGE HAIL...AND EVEN TORNADOES EITHER HAVING BEEN SPOTTED OR INDICATED BY RADAR. PERSONS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIALLY SEVERE CONDITIONS WHICH EXIST...AND NEED TO TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO APPROACH THE LOCAL AREA.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 6:04 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lamar | 41 min |
| Nov 27, 6:21 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Pickens | 54 min |
| Nov 27, 7:13 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette | 47 min |
| Nov 27, 7:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale | 61 min |
| Nov 27, 8:47 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 43 min |
| Nov 27, 8:54 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 51 min |
| Nov 27, 9:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 50 min |
| Nov 27, 9:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Winston | 31 min |
| Nov 27, 10:04 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Marion, Walker | 56 min |
| Nov 27, 10:12 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Pickens | 63 min |
| Nov 27, 10:16 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Morgan | 44 min |
| Nov 27, 10:27 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 63 min |
| Nov 27, 10:48 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 57 min |
| Nov 27, 10:48 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 12 min |
| Nov 27, 11:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 61 min |
| Nov 27, 11:52 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount, Jefferson | 53 min |
| Nov 28, 12:25 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Tuscaloosa | 50 min |
| Nov 28, 12:50 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 40 min |
| Nov 28, 12:59 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marengo | 31 min |
| Nov 28, 1:09 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 51 min |
| Nov 28, 1:09 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 51 min |
| Nov 28, 1:31 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 44 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.