Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Mobile, AL

March 3, 2000Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 2000, 5:54 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 51 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, 2000, 5:54 PM CST (23:54 UTC)
Expired
Mar 3, 2000, 6:45 PM CST
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:54 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 3, 6:15 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 55 EFruitdale, ALHigh thunderstorm winds blew several trees down in the community. Law enforcement personnel reported no structural damage from the fallen trees.

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, 5:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 192 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2000-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 30 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2000-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 200 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
30 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-223 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 032355
TORMOB
ALC129-040045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
554 PM CST FRI MAR 3 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 645 PM CST

* AT 554 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 15 MILES WEST OF CHATOM...OR ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  WAYNESBORO...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  CHATOM AT 625 PM CST

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN MOBILE.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST
FRIDAY EVENING FOR ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 4:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke35 min
Mar 3, 5:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington33 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.