Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 89, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 16, 1996, 6:39 PM CDT for Dallas County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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, 6:39 PM CDT (23:39 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 16, 1996, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 36 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Dallas County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 7:00 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Selma, 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, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 100 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
- 776 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 573 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 278 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 319 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 162340 TORBHM ALC047-170015- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 639 PM CDT MON SEP 16 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL ALABAMA ...SOUTHERN DALLAS COUNTY AT 638 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER THE EXTREME SOUTH DALLAS COUNTY NEAR HIGHWAY 41 AND 89. RADAR INDICATED THAT A TORNADO IS LIKELY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORMS. THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THIS WARNING UPGRADES THE PREIVOUS WARNING FOR DALLAS COUNTY. 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.
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, Sep 16, 12:41 PM CDT, 5 hours 58 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.
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 4:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
ALZ001>057-170200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 413 PM CDT MON SEP 16 1996 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 1022 FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN ALABAMA HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 1024 UNTIL 900 PM CDT. BELOW IS A LISTING OF COUNTIES INCLUDED IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 1023 AND 1024. BOTH ARE IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT. NORTH WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL EAST CENTRAL SOUTHWEST SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE... ANNISTON ASHLAND ATHENS BIRMINGHAM BUTLER CAMDEN CARROLLTON CENTRE CENTREVILLE CLANTON COLUMBIANA CULLMAN DADEVILLE DECATUR DOUBLE SPRINGS EUTAW FAYETTE FLORENCE FORT PAYNE GADSDEN GREENSBORO GREENVILLE GROVE HILL GUNTERSVILLE HAMILTON HAYNEVILLE HEFLIN HUNTSVILLE JASPER LINDEN LIVINGSTON LUVERNE MARION MONTGOMERY MOULTON MUSCLE SHOALS ONEONTA PELL CITY PRATTVILLE ROCKFORD RUSSELLVILLE SCOTTSBORO SELMA TALLADEGA TUSCALOOSA VERNON WEDOWEE WETUMPKA IN ALABAMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... ALC077-033-059-079-083-089-103-095-071-049-093-133-043-009-055-019- 170200- ...NORTH... LAUDERDALE COLBERT FRANKLIN LAWRENCE LIMESTONE MADISON MORGAN MARSHALL JACKSON DEKALB MARION WINSTON CULLMAN BLOUNT ETOWAH CHEROKEE ALC075-057-107-125-119-063-065-091-170200- ...WEST CENTRAL... LAMAR FAYETTE PICKENS TUSCALOOSA SUMTER GREENE HALE MARENGO ALC127-073-117-115-121-105-007-021-037-047-001-085-051-101-170200- ...CENTRAL... WALKER JEFFERSON SHELBY ST. CLAIR TALLADEGA PERRY BIBB CHILTON COOSA DALLAS AUTAUGA LOWNDES ELMORE MONTGOMERY ALC015-029-027-111-123-170200- ...EAST CENTRAL... CALHOUN CLEBURNE CLAY RANDOLPH TALLAPOOSA ALC023-025-131-013-041-170200- ...SOUTHWEST... CHOCTAW CLARKE WILCOX BUTLER CRENSHAW
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 6:45 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lamar | 45 min |
| Sep 16, 7:08 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marion | 52 min |
| Sep 16, 7:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 65 min |
| Sep 16, 7:47 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Winston | 43 min |
| Sep 16, 8:14 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 46 min |
| Sep 16, 8:18 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 57 min |
| Sep 16, 8:27 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 63 min |
| Sep 16, 9:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Morgan | 45 min |
| Sep 16, 9:40 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 65 min |
| Sep 16, 9:49 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marshall | 56 min |
| Sep 16, 9:59 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 61 min |
| Sep 16, 10:11 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 64 min |
| Sep 16, 2:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 65 min |
| Sep 16, 2:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 47 min |
| Sep 16, 2:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert | 68 min |
| Sep 16, 3:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lauderdale, Lawrence | 63 min |
| Sep 16, 3:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Sumter | 37 min |
| Sep 16, 4:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 55 min |
| Sep 16, 4:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bibb | 38 min |
| Sep 16, 4:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 48 min |
| Sep 16, 4:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 69 min |
| Sep 16, 4:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall, Morgan | 63 min |
| Sep 16, 4:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 40 min |
| Sep 16, 5:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount | 43 min |
| Sep 16, 5:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 69 min |
| Sep 16, 5:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Cullman | 2 hr |
| Sep 16, 5:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 61 min |
| Sep 16, 5:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 31 min |
| Sep 16, 5:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 29 min |
| Sep 16, 5:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Dallas, Marengo, Perry | 41 min |
| Sep 16, 5:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 58 min |
| Sep 16, 6:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Autauga | 45 min |
| Sep 16, 6:01 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Coosa, Elmore | 44 min |
| Sep 16, 6:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 40 min |
| Sep 16, 6:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Dallas | 33 min |
| Sep 16, 6:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Etowah | 30 min |
| Sep 16, 6:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 44 min |
| Sep 16, 6:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lowndes | 41 min |
| Sep 16, 6:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 55 min |
| Sep 16, 6:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Autauga | 31 min |
| Sep 16, 6:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Coosa, Elmore | 45 min |
| Sep 16, 6:54 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lowndes | 36 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.