Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 421, NWS Birmingham, AL

September 16, 1996Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 16, 1996, 4:05 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 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
Sep 16, 1996, 4:05 PM CDT (21:05 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 1996, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Limestone County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 16, 4:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Athens, 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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 151 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 1996-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 351 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 1996-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 327 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
351 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
564 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
327 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.6

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, Sep 16, 11:35 AM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
ALZ001>007-011>013-161835-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1135 AM CDT MON SEP 16 1996

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TORNADO WATCH...

...MADISON...MORGAN...LAUDERDALE...LIMESTONE...LAWRENCE...COLBERT...
FRANKLIN...MARION...LAMAR...AND FAYETTE.

AT 1134AM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED EASTWARD AND ONLY A FEW
RAIN SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF NORTH AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA.
THUND"ERSTORMS WILL LIKELY RETURN TO PARTS OF NORTH ALABAMA LATER THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING AND CONDITIONS MAY ONCE AGAIN IMPROVE
FOR SEVERE WEATHER.
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 12:41 PM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
ALZ001>057-161835-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1235 PM CDT MON SEP 16 1996

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1020 FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN ALABAMA
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  A NEW TORNADO WATCH #1022 IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR MUCH
OF EAST AND EAST-CENTRAL SECTIONS UNTIL 800 PM.  THIS NEW WATCH IS
EAST OF A LINE FROM CALHOUN COUNTY TO TALLADEGA TO CHILTON
TO DALLAS TO WILCOX COUNTIES AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM BUTLER TO CRENSHAW
TO PIKE TO BARBOUR COUNTIES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 16, 6:45 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLamar45 min
Sep 16, 7:08 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarion52 min
Sep 16, 7:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan65 min
Sep 16, 7:47 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston43 min
Sep 16, 8:14 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXLimestone46 min
Sep 16, 8:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman57 min
Sep 16, 8:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison63 min
Sep 16, 9:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan45 min
Sep 16, 9:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall65 min
Sep 16, 9:49 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarshall56 min
Sep 16, 9:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson61 min
Sep 16, 10:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb64 min
Sep 16, 2:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin65 min
Sep 16, 2:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion47 min
Sep 16, 2:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert68 min
Sep 16, 3:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale, Lawrence63 min
Sep 16, 3:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter37 min
Sep 16, 4:22 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb38 min
Sep 16, 4:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman48 min
Sep 16, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison69 min
Sep 16, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall, Morgan63 min
Sep 16, 4:50 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChilton40 min
Sep 16, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount43 min
Sep 16, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin69 min
Sep 16, 5:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCullman2 hr
Sep 16, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb61 min
Sep 16, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount31 min
Sep 16, 5:31 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChilton29 min
Sep 16, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas, Marengo, Perry41 min
Sep 16, 5:47 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair58 min
Sep 16, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga45 min
Sep 16, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Elmore44 min
Sep 16, 6:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee40 min
Sep 16, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas33 min
Sep 16, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah30 min
Sep 16, 6:16 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun44 min
Sep 16, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes41 min
Sep 16, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery55 min
Sep 16, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas36 min
Sep 16, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga31 min
Sep 16, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Elmore45 min
Sep 16, 6:54 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes36 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.