Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 5, 1996Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 5, 1996, 9:45 PM CST for Franklin County, Lawrence County, Alabama. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 5, 1996, 9:45 PM CST (03:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 5, 1996, 10:45 PM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, AL, Lawrence County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:46 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 5, 9:55 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 50Hodges, AL

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 1996-03-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 1996-03-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 249 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1011 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
322 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, Mar 5, 6:55 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
ALZ011>035-039-060155-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
654 PM CST TUE MAR 5 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WALKER COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

AT 650 PM RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN JEFFERSON
AND WESTERN CULLMAN COUNTY.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST
AT 30 MPH AND ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WIDS...BRIEF HEAVY
DOWNPOURS AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA COUNTY.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.  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.
Local storm report, Mar 5, 9:40 PM CST, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
935 PM CST MON APR 19 1995

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

 630 PM     PARRISH                  AL    QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
 03/05/96   WALKER

 930 PM     HACKELBURG               AL    GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
 03/05/96   MARION                         COVERING GROUND.
Local storm report, Mar 5, 9:41 PM CST, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
935 PM CST TUE MAR 05 1996

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

630 PM     PARRISH                  AL    QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
03/05/96   WALKER

930 PM     HACKELBURG               AL    GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
03/05/96   MARION                         COVERING GROUND.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 5, 6:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker54 min
Mar 5, 9:04 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion41 min
Mar 5, 9:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston41 min
Mar 5, 10:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan69 min
Mar 6, 12:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence64 min
Mar 6, 1:26 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale3 hr
Mar 6, 2:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter45 min
Mar 6, 3:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry31 min
Mar 6, 3:52 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXDallas53 min
Mar 6, 3:59 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton46 min
Mar 6, 4:12 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga48 min
Mar 6, 4:19 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes41 min
Mar 6, 4:58 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes47 min
Mar 6, 5:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery57 min
Mar 6, 5:11 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery49 min
Mar 6, 5:27 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBullock, Macon63 min
Mar 6, 5:51 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLee, Russell69 min
Mar 6, 6:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock38 min
Mar 6, 7:31 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson3 hr
Mar 6, 8:50 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBarbour40 min
Mar 6, 12:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lawrence66 min
Mar 6, 1:39 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLawrence66 min
Mar 6, 2:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker50 min
Mar 6, 2:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman53 min
Mar 6, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson38 min
Mar 6, 3:14 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson46 min
Mar 6, 3:19 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker41 min
Mar 6, 3:26 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair49 min
Mar 6, 4:11 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Talladega34 min
Mar 6, 4:40 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Talladega35 min
Mar 6, 4:52 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXClay, Cleburne53 min
Mar 6, 4:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair49 min
Mar 6, 4:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale, Limestone62 min
Mar 6, 5:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison68 min
Mar 6, 5:31 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLimestone59 min
Mar 6, 6:23 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChattahoochee, Muscogee52 min
Mar 6, 6:48 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXStewart57 min
Mar 6, 12:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMuscogee36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.