Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 137, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 27, 1997Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 27, 1997, 1:03 AM CST for Colbert County, Lauderdale County, Alabama. It was in force for 57 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
Feb 27, 1997, 1:03 AM CST (07:03 UTC)
Expired
Feb 27, 1997, 2:00 AM CST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Colbert County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 27, 1:34 AM CSTThunderstorm WindSheffield, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 27, 12:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 00:00Z on 1997-02-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1997-02-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 482 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
589 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
482 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
523 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 KHSV 270703 RRA
SVRHSV
ALC033-077-270800-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
103 AM CST THU FEB 27 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  200 AM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONSS...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...COLBERT COUNTY...LAUDERDALE COUNTY
 
AT 1259 AM CST WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN HUNTSVILLE INDICATED A LINE OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STRECHING FROM NORTH OF WATERLOO IN LAUDERDALE
COUNTY INTO SOUTHWEST FRANKLIN COUNTY. 50 MILE AN HOUR WINDS HAVE BEEN
REPORTED AT ALLSBORO IN WESTERN COLBERT COUNTY.
 
MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 55 TO 60 MILES AN HOUR.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 27, 1:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion47 min
Feb 27, 1:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin58 min
Feb 27, 1:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert64 min
Feb 27, 2:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence69 min
Feb 27, 2:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone60 min
Feb 27, 2:58 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence, Morgan62 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.