Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 269, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 4, 2001Limestone County, Madison County, Morgan County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 4, 2001, 5:43 PM CDT for Limestone County, Madison County, Morgan County, Alabama. It was in force for 32 min. 5 reports 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: Jun 4, 2001, 5:43 PM CDT (22:43 UTC)
Expired: Jun 4, 2001, 6:15 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Morgan County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:42 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
Jun 4, 5:50 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 65 E	Madison Co Jet Port, AL	A business at the Huntsville International Airport had significant damage to its building. The roof was torn off and one of the walls was blown over. At the same time, the Huntsville ASOS recorded a wind gust of 46 knots or 53 mph.
Jun 4, 5:55 PM CDT	Hail 1	Hazel Green, AL	Quarter size hail was reported in Hazel Green.
Jun 4, 5:55 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Countywide, AL	Several trees were blown down across the county.
Jun 4, 6:05 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 E	Decatur, AL	Several trees were blown down in and around the city of Decatur.
Jun 4, 6:10 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Huntsville, AL	Dime size hail was observed near Huntsville.

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 nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 163 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1202 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 716 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 183 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 242 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

010 
WUUS54 KBMX 042244
SVRBHM
ALC083-089-103-042315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
543 PM CDT MON JUN 4 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
  MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
  MORGAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 542 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SHORT LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR 
CAPSHAW...SOUTHWARD THROUGH MOORESVILLE TO DECATUR...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM 
INCLUDE...MADISON...REDSTONE ARSENAL...AND HUNTSVILLE.

STRONG DAMAGING WIND IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER NOW. FIND
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. AVOID WINDOWS...VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES.

LAT...LON 3468 8696 3446 8687 3456 8654 3486 8673

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 4, 3:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 4, 3:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
330 PM CDT MON JUN 04 2001

AIRMASS WILL REMAIN VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE UNTIL A FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA ON THURSDAY.  UNTIL THEN...WILL GO WITH
RELATIVELY HIGH POPS...ESPECIALLY FOR THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS.  IN THE THE EXTENDED PERIOD WILL CONTINUE A DRY
FORECAST...FOR NOW...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...BEHIND THE FRONT AND
SHORT-WAVE TROUGH.  (70)

HASV 069/084 068/080 065 4646
BHM 070/086 070/082 067 4646
MGM 070/089 070/087 069 4646

.BHM...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 4, 5:06 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
506 PM CDT MON JUN 04 2001

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

230 PM     MURBURY                   AL   WIND DAMAGE
06/04/01   AUTAUGA                        POST OFFICE REPORTED A
                                          FEW TREES DOWN IN
                                          MURBURY.

310 PM     PRATTVILLE                AL   WIND DAMAGE
06/04/01   AUTAUGA                        S.O. REPORTED TREES DOWN
                                          AT CR 57&10, CR 19 JUST
                                          NORTH OF HWY 14. POWER
                                          LINES DOWN ON CR 47.

330 PM     WETUMPKA                  AL   0.75 INCH HAIL
06/04/01   ELMORE                         SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
                                          SIZED HAIL.

335 PM     WETUMPKA                  AL   WIND DAMAGE
06/04/01   ELMORE                         HAM REPORTED A FEW TREES
                                          DOWN NEAR WETUMPKA.

350 PM     13NE WETUMPKA             AL   WIND DAMAGE
06/04/01   ELMORE                         EMA REPORTED A FEW TREES
                                          DOWN IN NE PORTION OF
                                          COUNTY.

440 PM     GUIN                      AL   WIND DAMAGE
06/04/01  T MARION                         A COUPLE TREES DOWN IN
                                          GUIN. REPORTED BY GUIN
                                          P.D.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 4, 1:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga	37 min
Jun 4, 1:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Chilton	47 min
Jun 4, 2:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	51 min
Jun 4, 2:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga	46 min
Jun 4, 3:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Montgomery	47 min
Jun 4, 3:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Elmore	52 min
Jun 4, 4:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion	32 min
Jun 4, 5:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lauderdale	31 min
Jun 4, 6:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Madison	28 min
Jun 4, 6:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson	39 min
Jun 4, 6:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Madison	32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2001 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.