Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 281, NWS Mobile, AL

November 21, 1997Baldwin County, Escambia County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Nov 21, 1997, 7:23 PM CST for Baldwin County, Escambia County, Alabama. It was in force for 67 min. 2 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
Nov 21, 1997, 7:23 PM CST (01:23 UTC)
Expired
Nov 21, 1997, 8:30 PM CST
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Escambia County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:26 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
Nov 21, 7:55 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 70Robinsonville, ALHigh winds in the Robinsonville community picked up a home and moved it from its foundation. The winds also blew part of the roof from the home. . No one was injured.
Nov 21, 8:15 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 70Little Rock, ALHigh winds caused minor damage to three homes in the Little Rock community. A barn and four silos were also damaged by the winds. Several trees and power lines were also blown down. No injures were reported.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Nov 21, 2:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 hours before the alert went out and 226 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-11-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1557 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1997-11-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 220 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
1557 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
793 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
220 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.6
Supercell composite
10.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 220122 RRA
SVRMOB
ALC003-053-220230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
723 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA
 
   ...BALDWIN COUNTY...ESCAMBIA COUNTY
 
AT 723 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
NORTHERN BALDWIN COUNTY BETWEEN RABUN AND STOCKTON...MOVING EAST
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
 
THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING THE NEAR TOWNS OR PERIDO...ATMORE AND HUXFORD
DURING THE NEXT HOUR.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 21, 7:08 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBMobile52 min
Nov 21, 9:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin61 min
Nov 21, 9:27 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington, Escambia48 min
Nov 21, 10:13 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBCovington47 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.