Alert archive / Georgia / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 186

April 22, 19974 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 22, 1997, 9:00 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 22, 1997, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 23, 1997, 3:00 AM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 55 counties

Baldwin County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Butler County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Henry County, AL, Houston County, AL, Macon County, AL, Mobile County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Pike County, AL, Russell County, AL, Washington County, AL, Escambia County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Jackson County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL, Walton County, FL, Washington County, FL, Baker County, GA, Calhoun County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Clay County, GA, Decatur County, GA, Dougherty County, GA, Early County, GA, Grady County, GA, Lee County, GA, Marion County, GA, Miller County, GA, Mitchell County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Randolph County, GA, Schley County, GA, Seminole County, GA, Stewart County, GA, Sumter County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Taylor County, GA, Terrell County, GA, Upson County, GA, Webster County, GA, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Jackson County, MS, Perry County, MS

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:01 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.

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 22, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXQuitman, Stewart60 min
Apr 22, 9:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHenry46 min
Apr 22, 9:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke59 min
Apr 22, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCMarion, Schley34 min
Apr 22, 9:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLIXJackson44 min
Apr 22, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia68 min
Apr 22, 9:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBConecuh, Monroe61 min
Apr 22, 9:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile67 min
Apr 22, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia69 min
Apr 22, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBSanta Rosa57 min
Apr 22, 10:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington66 min
Apr 22, 10:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin58 min
Apr 22, 10:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCrenshaw61 min
Apr 22, 11:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia, Santa Rosa60 min
Apr 22, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin60 min
Apr 22, 11:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes41 min
Apr 22, 11:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin46 min
Apr 23, 12:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia41 min

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 241 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 1997-04-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 105 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 1997-04-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 239 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
105 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-265 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
799 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
239 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
235 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

385 
WWUS9 KMKC 230141
SEL6  
MKC WW 230141
MSZ000-ALZ000-GAZ000-FLZ000-230800-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 186
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
841 PM CDT TUE APR 22 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF

   EXTREME SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI                        
   SOUTHERN ALABAMA                            
   SOUTHWEST GEORGIA                            
   WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE                           
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM
UNTIL 300 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES SOUTH OF GULFPORT MISSISSIPPI TO 65
MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS GEORGIA.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 181...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 183.  WATCH NUMBER 181...183 WILL
NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 900 PM CDT.  CONTINUE...WW 169...WW 170...WW
171...WW 172...

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...POTENTIAL FOR ISOLD TORNADOES TONIGHT OVER THE CENTRAL
AND EASTERN GULF COAST REGION...AS BAND OF 50-60 KT MID LEVEL WINDS
OVERSPREADS REGION WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN EXCESS OF 70 F.  LAPSE
RATES NOT IMPRESSIVE...BUT SUFFICIENT FOR CONTINUED CONVECTIVE
DEVELOPMENT GIVEN PRESENCE OF EXISTING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND HIGH
MOISTURE CONTENT OF INFLOW AIR.    

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...CORFIDI

311,0890 325,0840 304,0840 290,0890

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 23, 2:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBaker, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie and 17 more6 hr
Apr 23, 7:00 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlachua, Bradford, Brevard, Citrus, Clay, Dixie and 20 more6 hr
Apr 23, 10:45 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBrevard, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and 19 more6 hr
Apr 23, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBroward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee and 11 more6 hr
Apr 22, 8:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCEffingham4 hr
Apr 22, 10:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAppling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley and 49 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Georgia, 1997Tornado Watches in Alabama, 1997Tornado Watches in Florida, 1997Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.