Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 55, NWS Mobile, AL
NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Nov 21, 1997, 9:27 PM CST for Covington County, Escambia County, Alabama. It was in force for 48 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, 9:27 PM CST (03:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 21, 1997, 10:15 PM CST
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Mobile, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Covington County, AL, Escambia County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 9:40 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 80 | Dixonville, AL | High winds damaged two homes near the intersection of State Road 41 and County Road 55 near Dixonville. One of the homes had part of its roof blown off. Several barns and silos also suffered damage. Trees and power lines were also blown down. The damage a |
| Nov 21, 10:10 PM CST | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Andalusia, AL | High winds damaged a couple of homes near U S Highway 29 in the Pleasant Home community. A couple of barns and several silos also suffered damage. Several trees and power lines were also blown down. A microburst with winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph appeared |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 8:00 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 222 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 139 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -103 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 585 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 78 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 152 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 205 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMOB 220326 RRA TORMOB ALC039-053-220415- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 927 PM CST FRI NOV 21 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH ALABAMA ...COVINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA ...ESCAMBIA COUNTY AT 825 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO OVER SOUTHERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY ALABAMA NEAR THE TOWN OF DIXONVILLE OR 7 MILES SOUTH OF BREWTON. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM IS MOVING TOWARDS THE TOWNS OF DIXIE...BRADLEY AND ANDALUSIA. DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Mobile, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 21, 7:08 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Mobile | 52 min |
| Nov 21, 7:23 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin, Escambia | 67 min |
| Nov 21, 9:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MOB | Baldwin | 61 min |
| Nov 21, 10:13 PM CST | Tornado Warning | MOB | Covington | 47 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.