Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 497, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 1, 1997Sumter County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 1, 1997, 12:31 PM CST for Sumter County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 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
Nov 1, 1997, 12:31 PM CST (18:31 UTC)
Expired
Nov 1, 1997, 1:20 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Sumter County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:23 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 148 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-11-01Temperature 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-11-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 105 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
753 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
152 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 KBHM 011832 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC119-011920-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1231 PM CST SAT NOV 1 1997


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 120 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...SUMTER COUNTY...

AT 1231 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
PRODUCING LARGE HAIL 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF EMELLE MOVING EAST AT 40
MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE...
EMELLE                      AROUND 1229 PM CST...
BOYD                        AROUND 1230 PM CST...
SUMTERVILLE                 AROUND 1236 PM CST...
LIVINGSTON                  AROUND 1241 PM CST...
GAINESVILLE                 AROUND 1243 PM CST...


<<CALL TO ACTION>>
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE... SEEK REFUGE FROM THE STORM IN A
STRONG BUILDING. BOATERS ON AREA LAKES SHOULD TAKE SHELTER.
DAMAGING WIND... LARGE HAIL... VERY HEAVY RAIN... AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE ALL LIKELY. DO NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES OR OTHER
ISOLATED TALL OBJECTS. THESE ATTRACT LIGHTNING. DO NOT DRIVE INTO
AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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, Nov 1, 9:37 AM CST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-020100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
940 AM CST SAT NOV 1 1997

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO WEST ALABAMA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL
BE LOCATED NEAR THE ALABAMA/GEORGIA STATE LINE BY SUNSET.  THE AIRMASS
ACROSS THE REGION WILL BECOME MORE UNSTABLE AS SOUTH WINDS INCREASE
DURING THE DAY.  THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLOOKED THE AREA
FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DEVELOP TODAY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE
HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD BE ON STANDBY
AND BE READY FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACTIVATION IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR
TORNADO WATCH IS ISSUED.

FOR THE SOUTHERN ALABAMA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB.  FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/INDEX.HTML ON THE WORLD
WIDE WEB.
Special weather statement, Nov 1, 9:40 AM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before
ALZ001>050-GAZ089-090-102-120-020100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
FOR NORTH/CENTRAL AL AND WEST CENTRAL GA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
940 AM CST SAT NOV 1 1997

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO WEST ALABAMA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL
BE LOCATED NEAR THE ALABAMA/GEORGIA STATE LINE BY SUNSET.  THE AIRMASS
ACROSS THE REGION WILL BECOME MORE UNSTABLE AS SOUTH WINDS INCREASE
DURING THE DAY.  THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLOOKED THE AREA
FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DEVELOP TODAY WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE
HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD BE ON STANDBY
AND BE READY FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACTIVATION IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR
TORNADO WATCH IS ISSUED.

FOR THE SOUTHERN ALABAMA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...SEE PRODUCT
BHMSPSMOB.  FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT OUR INTERNET SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.ACESAG.AUBURN.EDU/DEPARTMENT/NWS/INDEX.HTML ON THE WORLD
WIDE WEB.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 1, 10:54 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun46 min
Nov 1, 12:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa49 min
Nov 1, 12:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson47 min
Nov 1, 12:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene48 min
Nov 1, 1:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo46 min
Nov 1, 1:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale63 min
Nov 1, 1:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry35 min
Nov 1, 1:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLauderdale, Limestone47 min
Nov 1, 2:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, St. Clair47 min
Nov 1, 2:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas32 min
Nov 1, 2:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison45 min
Nov 1, 2:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry35 min
Nov 1, 2:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike50 min
Nov 1, 2:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Montgomery49 min
Nov 1, 2:49 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRussell51 min
Nov 1, 2:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Talladega49 min
Nov 1, 3:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon33 min
Nov 1, 3:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour50 min
Nov 1, 3:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery, Pike48 min
Nov 1, 3:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee49 min
Nov 1, 3:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell47 min
Nov 1, 4:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Montgomery32 min
Nov 1, 4:21 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike49 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.