Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 228, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 21, 1997Cleburne County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 21, 1997, 11:17 PM CDT for Cleburne County, Alabama. It was in force for 43 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
Apr 21, 1997, 11:17 PM CDT (04:17 UTC)
Expired
Apr 22, 1997, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Cleburne County, AL

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:20 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1997-04-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1121 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1997-04-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
1121 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1297 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
176 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 220419 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC029-220500-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1117 PM CDT MON APR 21 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA
 
   ...CLEBURNE COUNTY
 
AT 1118 PM A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST EAST OF ANNISTON MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT 30 MPH. LARGE HAIL IS INDICATED IN THIS STORM. DAMAGING WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE ALSO.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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, Apr 21, 8:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
ALZ016-220235-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
845 PM CDT MON APR 21 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR CULLMAN
COUNTY.
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 8:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
ALZ011>015-220215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
845 PM CDT MON APR 21 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

MARION...WINSTON...LAMAR...FAYETTE...WALKER
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 9:11 PM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
ALZ016-220235-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
845 PM CDT MON APR 21 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR CULLMAN
COUNTY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 7:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston56 min
Apr 21, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson55 min
Apr 21, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone55 min
Apr 21, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison43 min
Apr 21, 10:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun67 min
Apr 22, 1:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby57 min
Apr 22, 1:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega48 min
Apr 22, 1:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay57 min
Apr 22, 1:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin66 min
Apr 22, 2:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter48 min
Apr 22, 2:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert62 min
Apr 22, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, Walker50 min
Apr 22, 2:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa50 min
Apr 22, 2:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby48 min
Apr 22, 2:45 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb35 min
Apr 22, 2:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Lowndes49 min
Apr 22, 2:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXShelby35 min
Apr 22, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton47 min
Apr 22, 3:14 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas46 min
Apr 22, 3:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa, Talladega47 min
Apr 22, 3:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery45 min
Apr 22, 3:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa49 min
Apr 22, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Lowndes50 min
Apr 22, 3:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay46 min
Apr 22, 3:52 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes48 min
Apr 22, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb30 min
Apr 22, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery48 min
Apr 22, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Randolph50 min
Apr 22, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa50 min
Apr 22, 4:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Macon48 min
Apr 22, 4:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee49 min
Apr 22, 4:27 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChambers48 min
Apr 22, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo49 min
Apr 22, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter48 min
Apr 22, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell46 min
Apr 22, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas49 min
Apr 22, 6:17 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas43 min
Apr 22, 6:26 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes49 min
Apr 22, 6:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore, Montgomery52 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.