Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Birmingham, AL

January 24, 1997Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jan 24, 1997, 2:42 PM CST for Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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
Jan 24, 1997, 2:42 PM CST (20:42 UTC)
Expired
Jan 24, 1997, 3:15 PM CST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Winston County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jan 24, 2:50 PM CSTHail 2Double Springs, AL
Jan 24, 3:07 PM CSTHail 2Addison, AL
Jan 24, 3:08 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 50Addison, AL

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 nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-01-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 379 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1997-01-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 316 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
379 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
510 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
316 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
348 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

792 
WFUS1 KBHM 242043 RRA
TORBHM
ALC133-242115-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
242 PM CST FRI JAN 24 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH ALABAMA
 
   ...WINSTON COUNTY
 
RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER CENTRAL WINSTON COUNTY...JUST
NORTHWEST OF DOUBLE SPRINGS. THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR ADDISON
SHORTLY AFTER 300 PM. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MPH.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 24, 6:37 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas38 min
Jan 24, 6:52 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Lowndes53 min
Jan 24, 7:10 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga35 min
Jan 24, 7:24 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery51 min
Jan 24, 7:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa47 min
Jan 24, 8:00 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXTallapoosa60 min
Jan 24, 8:02 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon58 min
Jan 24, 8:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery30 min
Jan 24, 8:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock57 min
Jan 24, 8:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike64 min
Jan 24, 8:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee61 min
Jan 24, 8:35 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChambers55 min
Jan 24, 8:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRandolph49 min
Jan 24, 8:58 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon17 min
Jan 24, 9:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour59 min
Jan 24, 9:04 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell56 min
Jan 24, 1:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion51 min
Jan 24, 1:46 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin59 min
Jan 24, 2:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston44 min
Jan 24, 2:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence64 min
Jan 24, 2:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston43 min
Jan 24, 2:59 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCullman61 min
Jan 24, 3:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa42 min
Jan 24, 3:27 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMorgan63 min
Jan 24, 3:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale60 min
Jan 24, 3:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone63 min
Jan 24, 3:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson58 min
Jan 24, 3:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion41 min
Jan 24, 3:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFranklin66 min
Jan 24, 3:57 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount33 min
Jan 24, 4:03 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCullman12 min
Jan 24, 4:05 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMarshall55 min
Jan 24, 4:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence61 min
Jan 24, 4:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston42 min
Jan 24, 4:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa52 min
Jan 24, 4:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion48 min
Jan 24, 4:31 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXLawrence59 min
Jan 24, 4:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone, Morgan67 min
Jan 24, 4:42 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson48 min
Jan 24, 4:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison, Marshall72 min
Jan 24, 4:54 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXShelby51 min
Jan 24, 5:04 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXDeKalb, Marshall56 min
Jan 24, 5:11 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXTuscaloosa49 min
Jan 24, 5:12 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMadison63 min
Jan 24, 5:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair44 min
Jan 24, 5:26 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJackson64 min
Jan 24, 5:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLawrence62 min
Jan 24, 5:32 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMorgan43 min
Jan 24, 5:34 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson41 min
Jan 24, 5:34 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMorgan41 min
Jan 24, 5:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega38 min
Jan 24, 5:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter32 min
Jan 24, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLimestone60 min
Jan 24, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall60 min
Jan 24, 5:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar42 min
Jan 24, 5:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun53 min
Jan 24, 5:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette48 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.