Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 18, 1995Colbert County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1995, 4:41 PM CDT for Colbert County, Alabama. It was in force for 64 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 1995, 4:41 PM CDT (21:41 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1995, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Colbert County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1995-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1151 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1995-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1151 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
674 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
189 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
4.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KHSV 182141
TORHSV
ALC033-182245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
441 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...COLBERT COUNTY
 
AT 435 PM CDT RADAR AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT HUNTSVILLE
INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO EXTENDING FROM
THE QUAD-CITY AREA IN LAUDERDALE COUNTY TO BARTON IN COLBERT COUNTY.
 
THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT AROUND 40 MILES PER HOUR.
 
THIS IS AN EXTENTION OF THE PREVIOUS WARNING FOR COLBERT COUNTY.
 
THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL.
 
1 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED AT CHEROKEE...WALL CLOUD WAS REPORTED AT THE
BARTON COMMUNITY AT 433 PM CDT...BASEBALL SIZE HAIL S OF CHEROKEE AT 432
PM CDT.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
 
 
&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 3:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXColbert64 min
May 18, 3:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFranklin39 min
May 18, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLauderdale60 min
May 18, 5:10 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone65 min
May 18, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone47 min
May 18, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter43 min
May 18, 5:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMadison63 min
May 18, 5:50 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFranklin55 min
May 18, 5:54 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter51 min
May 18, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Marengo66 min
May 18, 6:26 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale64 min
May 18, 6:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale69 min
May 18, 6:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes 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.