Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 57, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 25, 1997Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 25, 1997, 7:49 PM CST for Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 46 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
Mar 25, 1997, 7:49 PM CST (01:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 25, 1997, 8:35 PM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 25, 8:07 PM CSTHail 0.75Roebuck, 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 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 43 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 00:00Z on 1997-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 495 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 00:00Z on 1997-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
495 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1273 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 260149 RRA
TORBHM
ALC073-260235-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
749 PM CST TUE MAR 25 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM AL HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 835 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

   ...JEFFERSON
 
AT 747 PM CST...A DEVELOPING TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY WEATHER RADAR
IN THE VICINITY OF BIRMINGHAM MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ARE...
BIRMINGHAM                  AROUND 747 PM CST
TARRANT CITY                AROUND 752 PM CST
GARDENDALE                  AROUND 753 PM CST
PINSON                      AROUND 806 PM CST
TRUSSVILLE     2             AROUND 808 PM CST

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SAFETY IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK REFUGE IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 25, 6:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert25 min
Mar 25, 6:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Lamar48 min
Mar 25, 6:54 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette31 min
Mar 25, 7:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson62 min
Mar 25, 8:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair62 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.