Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 166, NWS Mobile, AL

May 23, 1997Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 23, 1997, 6:49 PM CDT for Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 56 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 23, 1997, 6:49 PM CDT (23:49 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1997, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clarke County, AL, Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:48 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 23, 7:00 PM CDTHail 0.75Wagarville, ALDime size hail was reported near Wagarville.

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

Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL (KVPS), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 187 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, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1997-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1041 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1997-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1041 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
700 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

074 
WUUS1 KMOB 232343 RRA
SVRMOB
ALC025-129-240045-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
649 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  745 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...CLARKE COUNTY...WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
AT 642 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER MUCH OF WASHINGTON
COUNTY AL MOVING NORTHEAST INTO CLARKE COUNTY AT 15 MPH HOUR.
 
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THIS BAND
OF STORMS.
 
THIS AREA OF STORMS WILL BE AFFECTING MUCH OF EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY
FROM FRANKVILLE TO MCINTOSH AND MOST AREAS IN CLARKE FROM NORTH
OF COFFEEVILLE TO CHOCTAW BLUFF DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DONT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia59 min
May 23, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington, Crenshaw69 min
May 23, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington68 min
May 23, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw68 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.