Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 814

December 16, 200044 counties in Alabama; 17 counties in Georgia; Greene County, Mississippi

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Dec 16, 2000, 4:00 PM CST for 44 counties in Alabama; 17 counties in Georgia; Greene County, Mississippi. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 16, 2000, 4:00 PM CST (22:00 UTC)
Expired
Dec 16, 2000, 10:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 62 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Butler County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Dallas County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Bartow County, GA, Carroll County, GA, Catoosa County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Dade County, GA, Fannin County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Gilmer County, GA, Gordon County, GA, Haralson County, GA, Heard County, GA, Murray County, GA, Paulding County, GA, Pickens County, GA, Polk County, GA, Walker County, GA, Whitfield County, GA, Greene County, MS

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:02 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 16, 4:02 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Monroe28 min
Dec 16, 4:06 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMorgan24 min
Dec 16, 4:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair, Talladega37 min
Dec 16, 4:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson36 min
Dec 16, 4:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMadison20 min
Dec 16, 4:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson45 min
Dec 16, 4:31 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBButler, Conecuh, Monroe29 min
Dec 16, 4:33 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga42 min
Dec 16, 4:34 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun41 min
Dec 16, 4:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes49 min
Dec 16, 4:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarshall31 min
Dec 16, 4:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBEscambia40 min
Dec 16, 4:54 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXElmore66 min
Dec 16, 5:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee27 min
Dec 16, 5:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery54 min
Dec 16, 5:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJackson36 min
Dec 16, 5:11 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXShelby49 min
Dec 16, 5:22 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa23 min
Dec 16, 5:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington38 min
Dec 16, 5:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDeKalb51 min
Dec 16, 5:26 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery49 min
Dec 16, 5:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa42 min
Dec 16, 5:33 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXTallapoosa42 min
Dec 16, 5:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFloyd27 min
Dec 16, 5:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair37 min
Dec 16, 5:38 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBullock, Macon37 min
Dec 16, 6:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington30 min
Dec 16, 6:09 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRandolph51 min
Dec 16, 6:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers45 min
Dec 16, 6:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay37 min
Dec 16, 6:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCFannin, Gilmer, Murray36 min
Dec 16, 6:56 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFFCWhitfield34 min

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 12:00Z on 2000-12-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 48 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 12:00Z on 2000-12-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 531 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

328 
WWUS9 KMKC 162148
SEL4  

SEL4  
MKC WW 162142
ALZ000-GAZ000-170400-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 814
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
342 PM CST SAT DEC 16 2000

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

   ALABAMA                            
   NORTHWEST GEORGIA                            

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CST.

 ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
 
DAMAGING TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 2 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 EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 100 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF SELMA ALABAMA TO 50
MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF ROME GEORGIA.

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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 808...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 812.  WATCH NUMBER 808...812 WILL
NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 400 PM CST.  CONTINUE...WW 809...WW 810...WW
811...WW 813...

DISCUSSION...THREAT FOR TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING IN
ZONE OF DEEP-LAYER CONFLUENCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE AHEAD OF
INTENSIFYING MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH.  GIVEN LONG HODOGRAPHS AND
HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT...CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN
FAVORABLE FOR A FEW TORNADOES DESPITE ONSET OF NIGHTFALL.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 22045.

...CORFIDI

350,0841 310,0862 310,0885 350,0864

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 16, 10:15 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw and 37 more6 hr
Dec 16, 10:45 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCBarbour, Bullock, Chambers, Coffee, Coosa, Covington and 12 more5 hr
Dec 16, 1:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Mobile6 hr
Dec 16, 2:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCCalhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah and 2 more4 hr
Dec 16, 4:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBarbour, Bullock, Chambers, Coffee, Dale, Geneva and 6 more6 hr
Dec 16, 5:45 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBrooks, Decatur4 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2000Tornado Watches in Georgia, 2000Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 2000Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.