Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Mobile, AL

October 25, 1997Crenshaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 25, 1997, 1:29 PM CDT for Crenshaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 61 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
Oct 25, 1997, 1:29 PM CDT (18:29 UTC)
Expired
Oct 25, 1997, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Crenshaw County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 25, 1:40 PM CDTHail 0.75Luverne, ALDime size hail fell just north of Luverne.

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, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 1997-10-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1546 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 1997-10-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1546 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
507 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
191 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMOB 251832 RRA
TORMOB
ALC041-251930-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
129 PM CDT SAT OCT 25 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH ALABAMA
 
   ...CRENSHAW COUNTY
 
AT 126 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM ENTERING NORHTERN CRENSHAW COUNTY. THIS STORM IS POSSIBLY
PRODUCING A TORNADO AND WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH. THE STORM
WILL AFFECT THE HIGHLAND HOME OVER THE NEXT HOUR.
 
ANOTHER SEVERE STORM...POSSIBLY PRODUCING A TORNADO...WAS LOCATED OVER
CENTRAL CRENSHAW COUNTY NEAR LUVERNE. THIS STORM IS ALSO MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT AREAS BETWEEN LUVERNE
AND ANSLEY THROUGH 215 PM.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 25, 9:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke56 min
Oct 25, 11:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox63 min
Oct 25, 1:20 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBButler40 min
Oct 25, 3:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Crenshaw63 min
Oct 25, 3:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw67 min
Oct 25, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke60 min
Oct 25, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox56 min
Oct 25, 5:36 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMobile69 min
Oct 25, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox51 min
Oct 25, 6:27 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin63 min
Oct 25, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBMobile36 min
Oct 25, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler40 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.