Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 108, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 7, 1996, 6:25 PM CST for Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 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
- Nov 7, 1996, 6:25 PM CST (00:25 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 7, 1996, 7:00 PM CST
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Talladega County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:26 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 6:33 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Sylacauga, 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, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 61 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 984 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 746 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 60 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 297 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 349 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.3
- Supercell composite
- 13.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 080026 TORBHM ALC121-080100- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 625 PM CST THU NOV 7 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL ALABAMA ...SOUTHEASTERN TALLADEGA COUNTY A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF TALLADEGA COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL MOVE A FEW MILES SOUTHEAST OF SYLACAUGA AND WILL CROSS HIGHWAY 280. 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
Special weather statement, Nov 7, 4:00 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
ALZ004-005-013-014-022-072300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 400 PM CST THU NOV 7 1996 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN WEST AND NORTHWEST ALABAMA HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1121... LIMESTONE...LAWRENCE...WINSTON...FAYETTE...PICKENS.
Special weather statement, Nov 7, 5:20 PM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
ALZ006-007-015-016-080000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 520 PM CST THU NOV 7 1996 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH ALABAMA HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1121.... MADISON...MORGAN...CULLMAN...WALKER.
Special weather statement, Nov 7, 5:21 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
ALZ006-007-015-016-080000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 520 PM CST THU NOV 7 1996 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTH ALABAMA HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER &1121.... MADISON...MORGAN...CULLMAN...WALKER.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 6:03 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 27 min |
| Nov 7, 6:08 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Elmore | 37 min |
| Nov 7, 6:15 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay | 45 min |
| Nov 7, 6:40 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Elmore, Tallapoosa | 50 min |
| Nov 7, 7:02 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay | 28 min |
| Nov 7, 7:33 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tallapoosa | 27 min |
| Nov 7, 7:44 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chambers | 46 min |
| Nov 7, 7:56 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Randolph | 49 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes 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.