Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 293, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 1997, 6:57 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Alabama. It was in force for 23 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
- May 2, 1997, 6:57 PM CDT (23:57 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 1997, 7:20 PM CDT
- In force
- 23 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Cherokee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 3:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 136 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2081 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 101 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 116 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
715 WUUS1 KBHM 022357 RRA SVRBHM ALC019-030020- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 657 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 720 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHERN ALABAMA ...CHEROKEE AT 655 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RINGGOLD MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN RURAL AREAS. 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 FOR 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
Local storm report, May 2, 5:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
532 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0437 PM AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON PEA-SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
THE HALEYVILLE AND BEAR
CREEK AREAS. TIME ESTIMATED
0445 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 LAMAR TREES DOWN AND A FEW POWER
LINES DOWN BETWEEN
SULLIGENT AND VERNON TIME
ESTIMATED
0453 PM HAMILTON AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MARION TREES DOWN IN
HAMILTON...ALSO PEA-SIZED
HAIL REPORTED IN VARIOUS
LOCATIONS AROUND THE CO.
0505 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 WINSTON TREES DOWN IN DOUBLE
SPRINGS AREA...ALSO DIME
SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE
WESTERN PARTS OF THE CO.Local storm report, May 2, 5:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
532 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0437 PM AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON PEA-SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
THE HALEYVILLE AND BEAR
CREEK AREAS. TIME ESTIMATED
0445 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 LAMAR TREES DOWN AND A FEW POWER
LINES DOWN BETWEEN
SULLIGENT AND VERNON TIME
ESTIMATED
0453 PM HAMILTON AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MARION TREES DOWN IN
HAMILTON...ALSO PEA-SIZED
HAIL REPORTED IN VARIOUS
LOCATIONS AROUND THE CO.
0505 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 WINSTON TREES DOWN IN DOUBLE
SPRINGS AREA...ALSO DIME
SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE
WESTTERN PARTS OF THE CO.Local storm report, May 2, 6:31 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
631 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0540 PM AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CULLMAN PEA-SIZED HAIL IN
NORTHWEST PART OF THE CO.
0545 PM HALEYVILLE AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON MARBLE SIZED HAIL REPORTED
IN HALEYVILLE.
0552 PM AL .75 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CULLMAN DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
IN NORTHWEST CULLMAN CO.
0605 PM GUIN AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MARION TREES DOWN AROUND GUIN
REPORTED BY EMA
0615 PM HALEYVILLE AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON PEA-SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
HALEYVILLELocal storm report, May 2, 6:33 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
631 PM CDT FRI MAY 02 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0540 PM AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CULLMAN PEA-SIZED HAIL IN
NORTHWEST PART OF THE CO.
0545 PM HALEYVILLE AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON MARBLE SIZED HAIL REPORTED
IN HALEYVILLE.
0552 PM AL .75 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 CULLMAN DIME SIZED HAIL REPORTED
IN NORTHWEST CULLMAN CO.
0605 PM GUIN AL WIND DAMAGE
05/02/97 MARION TREES DOWN AROUND GUIN
REPORTED BY EMA
0615 PM HALEYVILLE AL .5 INCH HAIL
05/02/97 WINSTON PEA-SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN
HALEYVILLEThe office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 3:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale | 62 min |
| May 2, 3:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 56 min |
| May 2, 3:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 63 min |
| May 2, 4:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 64 min |
| May 2, 4:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence | 64 min |
| May 2, 4:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 64 min |
| May 2, 4:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lauderdale | 52 min |
| May 2, 4:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 81 min |
| May 2, 4:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 58 min |
| May 2, 4:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 35 min |
| May 2, 4:54 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Morgan | 66 min |
| May 2, 5:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Madison | 66 min |
| May 2, 5:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Winston | 35 min |
| May 2, 5:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette | 31 min |
| May 2, 5:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 48 min |
| May 2, 5:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 61 min |
| May 2, 5:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marshall | 69 min |
| May 2, 5:39 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jackson | 66 min |
| May 2, 5:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 49 min |
| May 2, 5:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marion | 50 min |
| May 2, 5:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Marion | 34 min |
| May 2, 6:06 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 69 min |
| May 2, 6:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Winston | 51 min |
| May 2, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Franklin, Lawrence | 55 min |
| May 2, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Morgan | 55 min |
| May 2, 6:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 47 min |
| May 2, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 45 min |
| May 2, 6:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson, Marshall | 67 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.