Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 70, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 4, 1995Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jul 4, 1995, 9:55 PM CDT for Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 4, 1995, 9:55 PM CDT (02:55 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 1995, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Winston County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 121 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1995-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2359 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1995-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 136 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2359 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
909 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
9.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 050257
TORBHM
ALC133-050330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
955 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...WINSTON COUNTY
 
AT 955 PM...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM OVER WESTERN WINSTON COUNTY...NEAR ASHRIDGE.
DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE A PROBABLE TORNADO WITH THIS STORM.
 
THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH...AND WILL BE AFFECTING
THE ASHRIDGE...GRAYSON..AND FORKVILLE AREAS DURING THE NEXT 10 TO 20
MINUTES.
 
THIS WARNING IS A CONTINUATION OF THE TORNADO WARNING WHICH WAS
PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT FOR WINSTON COUNTY.
 
 
 
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

Local storm report, Jul 4, 8:20 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
820 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

435 PM     GADSDEN                   AL   GADSDEN/ETOWAH EMA
7/4/95     ETOWAH                         REPORTED A WIND GUST TO
                                          75 MPH.

430 PM     BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   TREES/POWER LINES BLOWN
7/4/95                                    DOWN HWY 132 BETWEEN ONEONTA
                                          AND ALTOONA.

415-435PM  BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   BOATHOUSE COLLAPSED ON A
7/4/95                                    HOUSEBOAT.  SAINT CLAIR EMA
                                          REPORTED 3 FATALITIES AND
                                          2 CRITICAL INJURIES.
                                                                       .
455 PM     TUSCALOOSA COUNTY         AL   TORNADO REPORTED NEAR THE
7/4/95                                    ELROD/ECHOLA AREAS.
                                          REPORTED BY FIRE DEPT TO
                                          TUSCALOOSA EMA.  ONE TREE
                                          REPORTED BLOWN DOWN.

520 PM     TUSCALOOSA COUNTY         AL   FUNNEL CLOUD OBSERVED BY
7/4/95                                    SHERIFF DEPUTY ON AL HWY
                                          65 IN BROWNSVILLE AREA.

435 PM     ETOWAH COUNTY             AL   ROOF BLOWN OFF BUILDING
7/4/95                                    IN GADSDEN.  NUMEROUS TREES
                                          BLOWN DOWN ON COUNTY.
Local storm report, Jul 4, 9:14 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
915 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

410 PM     BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   LIGHTNING STRUCK AN ABOVE
                                          GROUND ETHANOL TANK SETTING
                                          ON FIRE.

505 PM     BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   TREE BLOWN ONTO A HOUSE IN
                                          SUMMIT AREA OF NORTH BLOUNT
                                          COUNTY.  MOBILE HOME IN SAME
                                          AREA DAMAGED.

835 PM     ELMORE COUNTY             AL   TREES BLOWN DOWN IN TALLASSEE
                                          AREA.

910 PM     MARION COUNTY             AL   DIME SIZE HAIL IN HAMILTON.
Local storm report, Jul 4, 9:15 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
915 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

410 PM     BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   LIGHTNING STRUCK AN ABOVE
                                          GROUND ETHANOL TANK SETTING
                                          ON FIRE.

505 PM     BLOUNT COUNTY             AL   TREE BLOWN ONTO A HOUSE IN
                                          SUMMIT AREA OF NORTH BLOUNT
                                          COUNTY.  MOBILE HOME IN SAME
                                          AREA DAMAGED.

835 PM     ELMORE COUNTY             AL   TREES BLOWN DOWN IN TALLASSEE
                                          AREA.

910 PM     MARION COUNTY             AL   DIME SIZE HAIL IN HAMILTON.
Local storm report, Jul 4, 9:45 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
945 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

912 PM     LAMAR COUNTY              AL   TORNADO SEEN AT HENSON
                                          SPRINGS AREA OF NORTH LAMAR
                                          COUNTY.

930 PM     MARION COUNTY             AL   FUNNEL CLOUD SEEN NEAR
                                          WHITEHOUSE.

945 PM     WINSTON COUNTY            AL   DIME SIZE HAIL FELL AT
                                          HALEYVILLE.
Local storm report, Jul 4, 9:49 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
945 PM CDT TUE JUL 4 1995

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

912 PM     LAMAR COUNTY              AL   TORNADO SEEN AT HENSON
                                          SPRINGS AREA OF NORTH LAMAR
                                          COUNTY.

930 PM     MARION COUNTY             AL   FUNNEL CLOUD SEEN NEAR
                                          WHITEHOUSE.

945 PM     WINSTON COUNTY            AL   DIME SIZE HAIL FELL AT
                                          HALEYVILLE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 8:38 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLamar52 min
Jul 4, 9:01 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarion44 min
Jul 4, 9:18 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston42 min
Jul 4, 9:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFranklin38 min
Jul 4, 9:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence65 min
Jul 4, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone, Morgan57 min
Jul 4, 10:32 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLawrence32 min
Jul 5, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette28 min
Jul 5, 5:51 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette31 min
Jul 5, 6:03 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWalker42 min
Jul 5, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston33 min
Jul 5, 6:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCullman49 min
Jul 5, 6:49 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWalker25 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.