Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 5, 1995Fayette County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1995, 5:51 PM CDT for Fayette County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 5, 1995, 5:51 PM CDT (22:51 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 1995, 6:22 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Fayette County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 107 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 12:00Z on 1995-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 795 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 12:00Z on 1995-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 121 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
795 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-119 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
937 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
5.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 052252
TORBHM
ALC057-052330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
551 PM CDT WED JUL 5 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...FAYETTE COUNTY
 
AT 550 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT A TORNADO IS LIKELY WITH A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN THE BERRY AREA. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THIS REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR FAYETTE COUNTY.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A$ TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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, Jul 5, 3:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
ALZ011>035-039-052100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
310 PM CDT WED JUL 5 1995

... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE ...
         ... NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF ALABAMA ...

     SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA CAN
BE FOUND IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NOWCAST ISSUED BY THE
FORECAST OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.  THIS PRODUCT IS IDENTIFIED AS
'BHMNOWBHM' AND IS USED TO IDENTIFY CHANGING WEATHER ON A COUNTY-
BY-COUNTY BASIS.  THE NOWCAST INCLUDES INFORMATION FROM DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR SYSTEMS INCLUDING A FORECAST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS.  THE INFORMATION IN NOWCASTS RESEMBLES THE INFORMATION
THAT WAS  PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED IN SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS AND
RADAR  SUMMARIES.  NOWCASTS ARE ISSUED NON-ROUTINELY AS THE
WEATHER CHANGES.

    WEATHER WIRE SUBSCRIBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROGRAM THE BHMNOWBHM
PRODUCT INTO THEIR WEATHER WIRE DATABASE.
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 3:11 PM CDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
ALZ011>035-039-052100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
310 PM CDT WED JUL 5 1995

... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE ...
         ... NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF ALABAMA ...

     SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA CAN
BE FOUND IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NOWCAST ISSUED BY THE
FORECAST OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.  THIS PRODUCT IS IDENTIFIED AS
'BHMNOWBHM' AND IS USED TO IDENTIFY CHANGING WEATHER ON A COUNTY-
BY-COUNTY BASIS.  THE NOWCAST INCLUDES INFORMATION FROM DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR SYSTEMS INCLUDING A FORECAST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS.  THE INFORMATION IN NOWCASTS RESEMBLES THE INFORMATION
THAT WAS  PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED IN SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS AND
RADAR  SUMMARIES.  NOWCASTS ARE ISSUED NON-ROUTINELY AS THE
WEATHER CHANGES.

    WEATHER WIRE SUBSCRIBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROGRAM THE BHMNOWBHM
PRODUCT INTO THEIR WEATHER WIRE DATABASE.
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 4:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
ALZ011>035-039-052230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
432 PM CDT WED JUL 5 1995

... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE ...
         ... NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF ALABAMA ...

     SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA CAN
BE FOUND IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NOWCAST ISSUED BY THE
FORECAST OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.  THIS PRODUCT IS IDENTIFIED AS
'BHMNOWBHM' AND IS USED TO IDENTIFY CHANGING WEATHER ON A COUNTY-
BY-COUNTY BASIS.  THE NOWCAST INCLUDES INFORMATION FROM DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR SYSTEMS INCLUDING A FORECAST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS.  THE INFORMATION IN NOWCASTS RESEMBLES THE INFORMATION
THAT WAS  PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED IN SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS AND
RADAR  SUMMARIES.  NOWCASTS ARE ISSUED NON-ROUTINELY AS THE
WEATHER CHANGES.

    WEATHER WIRE SUBSCRIBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROGRAM THE BHMNOWBHM
PRODUCT INTO THEIR WEATHER WIRE DATABASE.
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 4:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
ALZ011>035-039-052230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
432 PM CDT WED JUL 5 1995

... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE ...
         ... NORTHWESTERN PORTION OF ALABAMA ...

     SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA CAN
BE FOUND IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NOWCAST ISSUED BY THE
FORECAST OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.  THIS PRODUCT IS IDENTIFIED AS
'BHMNOWBHM' AND IS USED TO IDENTIFY CHANGING WEATHER ON A COUNTY-
BY-COUNTY BASIS.  THE NOWCAST INCLUDES INFORMATION FROM DOPPLER
WEATHER RADAR SYSTEMS INCLUDING A FORECAST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
HOURS.  THE INFORMATION IN NOWCASTS RESEMBLES THE INFORMATION
THAT WAS  PREVIOUSLY INCLUD<ED IN SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS AND
RADAR  SUMMARIES.  NOWCASTS ARE ISSUED NON-ROUTINELY AS THE
WEATHER CHANGES.

    WEATHER WIRE SUBSCRIBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROGRAM THE BHMNOWBHM
PRODUCT INTO THEIR WEATHER WIRE DATABASE.

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, 9:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston35 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, 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.