Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 503, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 1, 1997Perry County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 1, 1997, 1:45 PM CST for Perry County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 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
Nov 1, 1997, 1:45 PM CST (19:45 UTC)
Expired
Nov 1, 1997, 2:20 PM CST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Perry County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Nov 1, 2:10 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 55Marion, ALThunderstorm wind snapped trees north of Marion. There were also reports of structural damage north of Marion.

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
Nov 1, 1:15 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 011946 RRA
SVRBHM
ALC105-012020-

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


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 220 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...PERRY COUNTY...

AT 144 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
PRODUCING LARGE HAIL OVER EASTERN HALE COUNTY MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH
TOWARD PERRY COUNTY.  THIS LARGE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MARION AND
UNIONTOWN.



<<CALL TO ACTION>>
THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL
WHICH MAY CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND SPERIOUS INJURY TO
PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK. DAMAGING WINDS AND TORRENTIAL RAIN ARE ALSO
LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

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, 4 hours 8 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, 4 hours 5 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, 12:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter49 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, 1:58 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.