Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 3, 1999Barbour County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 1999, 2:45 AM CST for Barbour County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 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
Mar 3, 1999, 2:45 AM CST (08:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 3, 1999, 3:30 AM CST
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Barbour County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 3, 3:23 AM CSTHail 0.75Eufaula, ALDime sized hail reported between Clayton and Eufaula.

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
Mar 3, 1:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1999-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 1999-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2566 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBHM 030844 RRA
TORBHM
ALC005-030930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
245 AM CST WED MAR 3 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED...A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BARBOUR COUNTY... IN SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 330 AM CST.

* AT 242 AM CST... WEATHER RADAR DETECTED A TORNADO...MOVING INTO
WESTERN BARBOUR COUNTY.


* TORNADO WILL MOVE EAST AT 40 MPH...AND WILL BE NEAR CLAYTON BETWEEN
255 AND 305 AM.  THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR EUFAULA AFTER 310 AM.

GO TO THE BASEMENT...OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 2, 9:05 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before
ALZ001>003-011-012-022-023-030340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
905 PM CST TUE MAR 2 1999

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...

IN ALABAMA

   ...LAUDERDALE... COLBERT... FRANKLIN... MARION... LAMAR... PICKENS
   ...TUSCALOOSA
Special weather statement, Mar 2, 9:05 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before
ALZ001>003-011-012-022-023-030340-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
905 PM CST TUE MAR 2 1999

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...

IN ALABAMA

   ...LAUDERDALE... COLBERT... FRANKLIN... MARION... LAMAR... PICKENS
   ...TUSCALOOSA
Local storm report, Mar 3, 1:39 AM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM
139 AM CST WED MAR 03 1999

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0111 AM    MONTGOMERY                AL   74 MPH TSTM GUST
03/03/99   MONTGOMERY                     64 KT GUST AT MAXWELL AFB

0115 AM    BEECHWOOD                 AL   WIND DAMAGE
03/03/99   LOWNDES                        TREES AND POWERLINES
                                          DOWN...OUTBUILDINGS
                                          DESTROYED.  TIME
                                          ESTIMATED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 7:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter49 min
Mar 2, 7:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene46 min
Mar 2, 8:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale30 min
Mar 2, 8:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb60 min
Mar 2, 8:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale17 min
Mar 2, 9:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby48 min
Mar 3, 12:33 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Dallas47 min
Mar 3, 12:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga31 min
Mar 3, 1:01 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Lowndes, Montgomery49 min
Mar 3, 1:13 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXTalladega47 min
Mar 3, 1:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay31 min
Mar 3, 1:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon, Tallapoosa48 min
Mar 3, 1:37 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery33 min
Mar 3, 1:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee45 min
Mar 3, 1:46 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBullock, Macon49 min
Mar 3, 1:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne, Randolph33 min
Mar 3, 1:59 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPike31 min
Mar 3, 2:03 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBarbour47 min
Mar 3, 2:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMacon31 min
Mar 3, 2:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell49 min
Mar 3, 2:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee31 min
Mar 3, 3:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell18 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999

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.