Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 160, NWS Birmingham, AL

November 21, 1997Russell County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 21, 1997, 7:06 PM CST for Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 34 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 21, 1997, 7:06 PM CST (01:06 UTC)
Expired: Nov 21, 1997, 7:40 PM CST
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

County Russell County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
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, 7:00 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 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.

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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 220107 RRA
TORBHM
ALC113-220140-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
706 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 740 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...SOUTHERN RUSSELL COUNTY...

AT 704 PM CST... WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND
POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHERN RUSSELL COUNTY BETWEEN RUTHERFORD AND
GLENVILLE.  THIS STORM AND POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AROUND 35
MPH...AND WILL AFFECT THE HOOKS...COTTONTON...AND HOLY TRINITY AREAS
BEFORE 740 PM.


<<CALL TO ACTION>>
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE... SEEK SAFETY IN A NEApRBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT... SEEK REFUGE IN A CULVERT... DITCH OR
LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, 58 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 SNOWDOUN

Local storm report, Nov 21, 6:10 PM CST, 56 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 SNOWDOUN

Special weather statement, Nov 21, 7:00 PM CST, 6 minutes before

ALZ033-039>044-220200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
700 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997

TORNADO WATCH 793 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
CENTRAL ALABAMA...

MARENGO...PERRY...LOWNDES...AUTAUGA...MONTGOMERY...ELMORE...AND DALLAS.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THESE COUNTIES.

Special weather statement, Nov 21, 7:01 PM CST, 5 minutes before

ALZ033-039>044-220200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
700 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997

TORNADO WATCH 793 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
CENTRAL ALABAMA...
B
MARENGO...PERRY...LOWNDES...AUTAUGA...MONTGOMERY...ELMORE...AND DALLAS.
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED FOR THESE COUNTIES.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Nov 21, 6:36 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour, Russell	49 min
Nov 21, 6:46 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lee	34 min
Nov 21, 7:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour	34 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.