Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 29, 1996Coosa County, Tallapoosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 29, 1996, 2:52 PM CDT for Coosa County, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 68 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
Apr 29, 1996, 2:52 PM CDT (19:52 UTC)
Expired
Apr 29, 1996, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
68 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coosa County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 29, 3:03 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Alexander City, 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 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 1996-04-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 9 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1996-04-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-385 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1052 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 291954
TORBHM
ALC037-123-292100-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
252 PM CDT MON APR 29 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...EASTERN COOSA COUNTY
 
IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...TALLAPOOSA COUNTY
 
AT 250 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER THE THE LAKE MARTIN
AREA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MPH AND WILL
MOVE ACROSS LAKE MARTIN AND WILL AFFECT ALEXANDER CITY BETWEEN
300 AND 315 PM.
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 29, 12:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert57 min
Apr 29, 1:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale58 min
Apr 29, 1:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas65 min
Apr 29, 1:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion55 min
Apr 29, 1:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens55 min
Apr 29, 1:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette25 min
Apr 29, 1:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter62 min
Apr 29, 1:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore, Montgomery54 min
Apr 29, 2:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery43 min
Apr 29, 2:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence56 min
Apr 29, 2:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell53 min
Apr 29, 2:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXElmore36 min
Apr 29, 2:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone64 min
Apr 29, 2:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan66 min
Apr 29, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison66 min
Apr 29, 3:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Randolph58 min
Apr 29, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers47 min
Apr 29, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall64 min
Apr 29, 3:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne48 min
Apr 29, 4:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount39 min
Apr 29, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell30 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.