Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 149, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 16, 2000Randolph County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 16, 2000, 6:09 PM CST for Randolph County, Alabama. It was in force for 51 min. 1 report 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, 6:09 PM CST (00:09 UTC)
Expired
Dec 16, 2000, 7:00 PM CST
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Randolph County, AL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 16, 6:19 PM CSTTornado F0Wedowee, ALNumerous trees were blown down along the short path of this tornado. No injuries were reported as the tornado remained in mostly rural areas.Beginning: 33 15.540/85 21.287 Ending: 33 16.020/85 20.414

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
Dec 16, 4:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 119 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 2000-12-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 651 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2000-12-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 303 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
651 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
698 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
99 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
303 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
332 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 170009
TORBHM
ALC111-170100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
609 PM CST SAT DEC 16 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 700 PM CST

* AT 607 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WEDOWEE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...WEDOWEE.

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 1000 PM CST SATURDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST
SATURDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHWESTERN GEORGIA.

LAT...LON 3320 8569 3307 8554 3331 8521 3347 8540

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 16, 6:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee55 min
Dec 16, 6:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers45 min
Dec 16, 6:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour35 min
Dec 16, 6:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay37 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.