Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 524, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 21, 1997, 6:36 PM CST for Barbour County, Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 min. 3 reports 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 21, 1997, 6:36 PM CST (00:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 21, 1997, 7:25 PM CST
- In force
- 49 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Barbour County, AL, Russell County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 7:15 PM CST | Hail 1.75 | Eufaula, AL | |
| Nov 21, 7:15 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Eufaula, AL | |
| Nov 21, 7:15 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 | Ladonia, AL | Trees were downed along US 431 in the northern part of the county. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 2:30 PM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 161 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
- 440 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 528 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 562 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 896 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBHM 220038 RRA SVRBHM ALC005-113-220125- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 636 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 725 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA ...BARBOUR COUNTY... IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA ...RUSSELL COUNTY... AT 634 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL MOVING INTO THE WESTERN PORTION OF RUSSELL AND BARBOUR COUNTIES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 40 MPH...AND WILL AFFECT MOST AREAS OF RUSSELL AND BARBOUR COUNTIES THROUGH 725 PM. THESE STORMS PRODUCED DAMAGE AS THEY MOVED THROUGH MONTGOMERY COUNTY EARLIER THIS EVENING. <<CALL TO ACTION>> 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, Nov 21, 6:08 PM CST, 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
608 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0545 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
11/21/97 LOWNDES TREE DOWN ON A CAR NO
INJURIES
0545 PM 5 S SNOWDOUN AL .75 INCH HAIL
11/21/97 MONTGOMERY DIME SIZE HAIL 5 MILES
SOUTH SNOWDOUNLocal storm report, Nov 21, 6:10 PM CST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
608 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0545 PM AL WIND DAMAGE
11/21/97 LOWNDES TREE DOWN ON A CAR NO
INJURIES
0545 PM 5 S SNOWDOUN AL .75 INCH HAIL
11/21/97 MONTGOMERY N DIME SIZE HAIL 5 MILES
SOUTH SNOWDOUNThe office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 6:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lee | 34 min |
| Nov 21, 7:06 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Russell | 34 min |
| Nov 21, 7:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 34 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.