Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2000
Tornado Warning 138, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 16, 2000, 2:20 PM CST for Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Dec 16, 2000, 2:20 PM CST (20:20 UTC)
- Expired
- Dec 16, 2000, 3:00 PM CST
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County Etowah County, AL
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:21 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 2:46 PM CST | Tornado F3 | Gadsden, AL | |
| Dec 16, 2:59 PM CST | Tornado F3 | Centre, AL |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 10:15 AM CST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 112 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
- 48 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -269 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 466 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 68 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 531 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 563 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS54 KBMX 162021 TORBHM ALC055-162100- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 220 PM CST SAT DEC 16 2000 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA * UNTIL 300 PM CST * AT 219 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 19 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RAINBOW CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. * LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...SOUTHSIDE...REECE CITY...RAINBOW CITY...HOKES BLUFF...GLENCOE...GADSDEN AND ATTALLA. THIS STORM COULD ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL PRECEDING THE TORNADO. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...SEEK SHELTER NOW. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CST SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALABAMA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CST SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR ALABAMA AND GEORGIA. LAT...LON 3396 8632 3386 8611 3400 8573 3421 8588
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 16, 1:21 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 29 min |
| Dec 16, 1:48 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 27 min |
| Dec 16, 2:03 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 2:30 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 45 min |
| Dec 16, 3:07 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount | 38 min |
| Dec 16, 3:22 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman | 23 min |
| Dec 16, 11:00 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Lauderdale | 45 min |
| Dec 16, 11:17 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 28 min |
| Dec 16, 11:28 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 47 min |
| Dec 16, 11:48 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Sumter | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 11:49 AM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Franklin | 26 min |
| Dec 16, 11:54 AM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 51 min |
| Dec 16, 12:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 29 min |
| Dec 16, 12:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Franklin | 31 min |
| Dec 16, 12:17 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Greene | 43 min |
| Dec 16, 12:20 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 25 min |
| Dec 16, 12:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 35 min |
| Dec 16, 12:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 49 min |
| Dec 16, 12:28 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Limestone | 32 min |
| Dec 16, 12:40 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 50 min |
| Dec 16, 12:58 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Perry | 47 min |
| Dec 16, 1:14 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone, Madison, Morgan | 46 min |
| Dec 16, 1:17 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 58 min |
| Dec 16, 1:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Dallas | 36 min |
| Dec 16, 1:33 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chilton | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 1:57 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 48 min |
| Dec 16, 1:59 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Blount | 46 min |
| Dec 16, 2:01 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence | 29 min |
| Dec 16, 2:09 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Coosa | 36 min |
| Dec 16, 2:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Limestone | 34 min |
| Dec 16, 2:31 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Colbert, Franklin | 44 min |
| Dec 16, 2:33 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 27 min |
| Dec 16, 2:50 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 40 min |
| Dec 16, 2:51 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lauderdale | 24 min |
| Dec 16, 2:53 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Hale, Perry | 37 min |
| Dec 16, 2:57 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 33 min |
| Dec 16, 3:02 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 13 min |
| Dec 16, 3:10 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 35 min |
| Dec 16, 3:16 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 29 min |
| Dec 16, 3:24 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cleburne | 36 min |
| Dec 16, 3:26 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan | 34 min |
| Dec 16, 3:37 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Walker | 23 min |
| Dec 16, 3:37 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Winston | 23 min |
| Dec 16, 3:41 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Shelby | 49 min |
| Dec 16, 3:46 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cullman, Morgan | 44 min |
| Dec 16, 3:52 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 38 min |
| Dec 16, 4:06 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Morgan | 24 min |
| Dec 16, 4:23 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair, Talladega | 37 min |
| Dec 16, 4:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 36 min |
| Dec 16, 4:25 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Madison | 20 min |
| Dec 16, 4:30 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 45 min |
| Dec 16, 4:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Autauga | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 4:34 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 41 min |
| Dec 16, 4:41 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lowndes | 49 min |
| Dec 16, 4:44 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marshall | 31 min |
| Dec 16, 4:54 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Elmore | 66 min |
| Dec 16, 5:03 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 27 min |
| Dec 16, 5:06 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 54 min |
| Dec 16, 5:09 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jackson | 36 min |
| Dec 16, 5:11 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Shelby | 49 min |
| Dec 16, 5:22 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Coosa | 23 min |
| Dec 16, 5:24 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | DeKalb | 51 min |
| Dec 16, 5:26 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 49 min |
| Dec 16, 5:33 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tallapoosa | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 5:33 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tallapoosa | 42 min |
| Dec 16, 5:38 PM CST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 37 min |
| Dec 16, 5:38 PM CST | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bullock, Macon | 37 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000
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.