Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 231, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1995, 9:47 PM CDT for Franklin County, Alabama. It was in force for 58 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 1995, 9:47 PM CDT (02:47 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1995, 10:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Franklin County, AL
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 171 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
- 2545 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -14 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 873 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 234 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 233 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 4.1
- Supercell composite
- 17.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHSV 190247 SVRHSV ALC059-190345- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 947 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...FRANKLIN COUNTY AT 945 PM CDT RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HUNTSVILLE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY NEAR RED BAY. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES0 OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 18, 7:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
ALZ040-041-190105- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 705 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995 AT 6 PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN MONTGOMERY INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM EMBEDDED WITHIN AN AREA OF RAINSHOWERS. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN HALE COUNTY AND WESTERN PERRY COUNTY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MPH. EXPECT THE THUNDERSTORM TO MOVE INTO NORTHERN DALLAS COUNTY AND WESTERN AUTAUGA COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY IN AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN. YOU SHOULD WATCH FOR PONDING ON AREA ROADWAYS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE HYDROPLANING.
Special weather statement, May 18, 8:55 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
ALZ036-190300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MONTGOMERY AL 855 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995 AT 850 PM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED IN SOUTHERN CHILTON COUNTY MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. EXPECT THE THUNDERSTORM TO BE ENTERING INTO COOSA COUNTY WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY IN AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN. YOU SHOULD WATCH FOR PONDING ON AREA ROADWAYS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE HYDROPLANING.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 44 min |
| May 18, 7:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lauderdale | 62 min |
| May 18, 8:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Morgan | 57 min |
| May 18, 8:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 51 min |
| May 18, 8:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 29 min |
| May 18, 9:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Sumter | 52 min |
| May 18, 9:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Sumter | 33 min |
| May 18, 10:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison, Morgan | 61 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1995Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1995
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.