Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 101, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 26, 1997Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 26, 1997, 11:39 PM CDT for Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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: May 26, 1997, 11:39 PM CDT (04:39 UTC)
Expired: May 27, 1997, 12:15 AM CDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Winston County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 26, 11:48 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Moreland, AL	Three-quarter inch hail was reported in Moreland, in northern Winston 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
May 26, 10:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 121 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2887 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1128 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 83 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.7
Supercell composite: 5.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 270440 RRA
TORBHM
ALC133-270515-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1139 PM CDT MON MAY 26 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHERN ALABAMA

   ...WINSTON COUNTY
 
AT 1137 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
NEAR FORKVILLE AND ASHRIDGE.  THIS STORM IS LIKELY PRODUCING A
TORNADO.  HAIL 3 INCHES IN SIZE HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM IN
LAWRENCE COUNTY.  THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL
AFFECT GRAYSON AND MORELAND.


IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT.
GET UNDRER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SAFETY IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.
AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 26, 9:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lauderdale	62 min
May 26, 10:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Colbert	42 min
May 26, 10:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Colbert, Franklin	67 min
May 26, 11:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Winston	49 min
May 26, 11:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lawrence	60 min
May 27, 12:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cullman	61 min
May 27, 12:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1997 Every tornado warning in 1997 Tornadoes 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.