Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 162, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 3, 1997, 2:59 AM CST for Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 3, 1997, 2:59 AM CST (08:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 3, 1997, 3:45 AM CST
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Etowah County, AL
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 11:45 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 118 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
- 18 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -90 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 588 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 70 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 323 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 420 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 030900 RRA SVRBHM ALC055-030945- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 259 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH ALABAMA ...ETOWAH COUNTY AT 259 AM CST...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING OVER THE WEST PART OF ETOWAH COUNTY IN THE WALNUT GROVE AND ALTOONA AREAS. THSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. 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. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALL6Y DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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, Mar 3, 1:35 AM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
ALZ011-012-022-030-051-052-030830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 135 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 49: MARION...LAMAR...PICKENS...SUMTER...CHOCTAW AND WASHINGTON. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 49 CONTINUES UNTIL 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 1:37 AM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
ALZ011-012-022-030-051-052-030830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 135 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 49: MARION...LAMAR...PICKENS...SUMTER...CHOCTAW AND WASHINGTON. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 49 CONTINUES UNTIL 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 1:55 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
ALZ001>003-030830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 155 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50: LAUDERDALE...COLBERT...AND FRANKLIN. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 50 CONTINUES UNTIL 500 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AS WELL AS TO 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES IN TORNADO WATCH 49.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 1:57 AM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
ALZ001>003-030830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 155 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50: LAUDERDALE...COLBERT.<..AND FRANKLIN. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 50 CONTINUES UNTIL 500 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AS WELL AS TO 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES IN TORNADO WATCH 49.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 2:30 AM CST, 29 minutes before
ALZ004-013-014-015-023-031-032-039-053-030900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 230 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50: LAWRENCE. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 49: WINSTON...FAYETTE...WALKER...TUSCALOOSA...GREENE...HALE MARENGO AND CLARKE. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 50 CONTINUES UNTIL 500 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AS WELL AS TO 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES IN TORNADO WATCH 49.
Special weather statement, Mar 3, 2:33 AM CST, 26 minutes before
ALZ004-013-014-015-023-031-032-039-053-030900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 230 AM CST MON MAR 3 1997 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 50: LAWRENCE. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 49: WINSTON...FAYETTE...WALKER...TUSCALOOSA...GREENE...HALE MARENGO AND CLARKE. A LINE OF POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE STATE. TORNADO WATCH 50 CONTINUES UNTIL 500 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH AS WELL AS TO 400 AM FOR OTHER COUNTIES IN TORNADO WATCH 49.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 7:29 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence | 3 hr |
| Mar 2, 7:29 PM CST | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Lauderdale, Limestone | 3 hr |
| Mar 2, 11:15 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale | 45 min |
| Mar 2, 11:35 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 40 min |
| Mar 2, 11:38 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale | 67 min |
| Mar 2, 11:55 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 50 min |
| Mar 3, 12:05 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 55 min |
| Mar 3, 12:29 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 61 min |
| Mar 3, 12:45 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence | 60 min |
| Mar 3, 12:45 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Franklin | 60 min |
| Mar 3, 12:46 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 59 min |
| Mar 3, 12:57 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 18 min |
| Mar 3, 1:02 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 58 min |
| Mar 3, 1:21 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 69 min |
| Mar 3, 1:41 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Morgan | 64 min |
| Mar 3, 2:03 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 57 min |
| Mar 3, 2:11 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison, Morgan | 64 min |
| Mar 3, 2:41 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 64 min |
| Mar 3, 2:46 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount | 44 min |
| Mar 3, 3:50 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Coosa, Elmore | 40 min |
| Mar 3, 4:10 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Coosa, Tallapoosa | 65 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.