Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 35, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 21, 1997Coosa County, Elmore County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 21, 1997, 10:12 AM CST for Coosa County, Elmore County, Alabama. It was in force for 48 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
Feb 21, 1997, 10:12 AM CST (16:12 UTC)
Expired
Feb 21, 1997, 11:00 AM CST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coosa County, AL, Elmore County, AL

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 21, 9:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 1997-02-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 116 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-02-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 475 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
116 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
589 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
475 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
530 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 211616 RRA
TORBHM
ALC037-051-211700-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1012 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORN

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, Feb 21, 8:25 AM CST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
825 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

632 AM     HALEYVILLE                AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   WINSTON                        TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          NEAR HALEYVILLE

635 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   WINSTON                        TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          NEAR COUNTY RD 10 AND 30

640 AM     BANKSTON                  AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   FAYETTE                        TREES DOWN IN
                                          BANKSTON..TIME ESTIMATED

640 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   MARION                         TREES DOWN AND SOME TIN
                                          TORN OFF ROOFS IN
                                          HACKLEBURG AND BEAR CREEK

710 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   TUSCALOOSA                     TREES DOWN IN CONCORD AREA
                                          IN NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA CO
Local storm report, Feb 21, 8:27 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA
825 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

632 AM     HALEYVILLE                AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   WINSTON                        TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          NEAR HALEYVILLE

635 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   WINSTON                        TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                                          NEAR COUNTY RD 10 AND 30

640 AM     BANKSTON                  AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   FAYETTE                        TREES DOWN IN
                                          BANKSTON..TIME ESTIMATED

640 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   MARION                         TREES DOWN AND SOME TIN
                                          TORN OFF ROOFS IN
                                          HACKLEBURG AND BEAR CREEK

710 AM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/21/97   TUSCALOOSA                     TREES DOWN IN CONCORD AREA
                                          IN NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA CO
Special weather statement, Feb 21, 9:00 AM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
ALZ030-031-211600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
900 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR SUMTER AND GREENE
COUNTIES IN WEST ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Feb 21, 9:03 AM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
ALZ030-031-211600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
900 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR SUMTER AND GREENE
COUNTIES IN WEST ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Feb 21, 9:28 AM CST, 44 minutes before
ALZ015-016-006-0070211600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
930 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR CULLMAN WALKER MORGAN
AND MADISON COUNTIES IN NORTH ALABAMA.
Special weather statement, Feb 21, 9:30 AM CST, 42 minutes before
ALZ015-016-006-0070211600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
930 AM CST FRI FEB 21 1997

THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR CULLMAN WALKER MORGAN
AND MADISON COUNTIES IN NORTH ALABAMA.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 21, 5:08 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLamar, Pickens52 min
Feb 21, 5:51 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarion69 min
Feb 21, 5:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens48 min
Feb 21, 6:00 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar60 min
Feb 21, 6:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston55 min
Feb 21, 6:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin64 min
Feb 21, 6:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa60 min
Feb 21, 6:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin57 min
Feb 21, 6:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker62 min
Feb 21, 6:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence58 min
Feb 21, 6:45 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLawrence45 min
Feb 21, 6:56 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCullman64 min
Feb 21, 7:10 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone50 min
Feb 21, 7:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison54 min
Feb 21, 7:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMorgan51 min
Feb 21, 7:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson67 min
Feb 21, 8:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene56 min
Feb 21, 8:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa54 min
Feb 21, 8:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas43 min
Feb 21, 9:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb45 min
Feb 21, 9:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga38 min
Feb 21, 9:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby46 min
Feb 21, 9:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes52 min
Feb 21, 9:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga33 min
Feb 21, 10:19 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery41 min
Feb 21, 10:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega44 min
Feb 21, 10:36 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes39 min
Feb 21, 10:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa45 min
Feb 21, 10:57 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery48 min
Feb 21, 11:01 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXElmore29 min
Feb 21, 11:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee45 min

Nearby

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