Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 16, 2001Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 16, 2001, 3:41 PM CST for Cherokee County, DeKalb County, Alabama. It was in force for 64 min. 2 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: Feb 16, 2001, 3:41 PM CST (21:41 UTC)
Expired: Feb 16, 2001, 4:45 PM CST
In force: 64 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Whole counties

Counties Cherokee County, AL, DeKalb County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 16, 3:55 PM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Countywide, AL	Dekalb County reported several trees down. A few homes and businesses received roof damage.
Feb 16, 3:58 PM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Countywide, AL	Cherokee County reported numerous trees blown down. Several roads were closed after being blocked by downed 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Feb 16, 1:15 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 153 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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 539 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KBMX 162142
SVRBHM
ALC019-049-162245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
341 PM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA
  DEKALB COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 445 PM CST

* AT 337 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 25 MILES WEST OF GERALDINE TO 25
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF CROSSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
RAINSVILLE...FORT PAYNE AND CENTRE.

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

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 Feb 16, 3:14 PM CST, 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 3:14 PM CST, 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
314 PM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

STORMY TONIGHT WITH MORE SEVERE STORMS...ESPECIALLY EAST AND SOUTH.
RAIN ENDING...TURNING COLDER...THE CLEAFRING BY TOMORROW MORNING.
CHILLY BUT OTHERWISE TRANQUIL FOR THE WEEKEND.

HSV 035/046/024/050/035 +00
BHM 039/048/024/051/036 +00
MGM 042/053/028/057/037 +00

.BHM...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 16, 11:38 AM CST, 4 hours 3 minutes before

ALZ001>038-040>050-162145-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1138 AM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.

...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

A FRONT EXTENDING ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN ALABAMA...FROM NEAR
HAMILTON TO ATHENS...WILL SLOWLY DRIFT TOWARD THE SOUTH.  SURFACE
LOW PRESSURE WILL RIDE NORTHEAST ALONG THIS FRONT AS AN UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM MOVES SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS.  AHEAD OF
THIS FRONT GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD MOIST GULF AIR
ACROSS THE AREA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE...IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY...
ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY
DEVELOPED ACROSS CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...AND ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN
AFFECTING WESTERN PORTIONS OF ALABAMA AROUND NOONTIME...AND CONTINUE
THROUGH 9 PM ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.  THE GREATEST THREAT
WILL LIKELY BE FROM WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS...HOWEVER...ISOLATED
TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO LIKELY...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTH
ALABAMA...WITH A FEW SPOTS POSSIBLY RECEIVING AROUND 2 INCHES.  THE
RAIN WILL END FROM THE NORTHWEST LATER TONIGHT.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL AND STORM SPOTTER GROUPS SHOULD
MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS...AND BE READY FOR ACTIVATION
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENAING.

Local storm report, Feb 16, 2:46 PM CST, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
246 PM CST FRI FEB 16 2001

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

233 PM                               AL   1.00 INCH HAIL
02/16/01   TUSCALOOSA

240 PM                               AL   WIND DAMAGE
02/16/01   TUSCALOOSA                     STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN SR
                                          69/FLAT WOODS COMMUNITY

248 PM     LYNN                      AL   0.75 INCH HAIL
02/16/01   WINSTON                        DIME SIZE HAIL IN THE
                                          COUNTY ROAD 25/LYNN AREA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 16, 1:21 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Limestone, Madison	24 min
Feb 16, 1:34 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Pickens	41 min
Feb 16, 1:39 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Madison	51 min
Feb 16, 1:56 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jackson	34 min
Feb 16, 1:57 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Sumter	48 min
Feb 16, 2:05 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Tuscaloosa	40 min
Feb 16, 2:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	50 min
Feb 16, 2:25 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	35 min
Feb 16, 2:32 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Walker	43 min
Feb 16, 2:39 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby	51 min
Feb 16, 2:40 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	50 min
Feb 16, 2:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Cullman	45 min
Feb 16, 2:53 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Hale	37 min
Feb 16, 3:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Morgan	37 min
Feb 16, 3:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	St. Clair	52 min
Feb 16, 3:08 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Sumter	52 min
Feb 16, 3:16 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Cullman	29 min
Feb 16, 3:16 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Perry	29 min
Feb 16, 3:22 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Etowah, Marshall	38 min
Feb 16, 3:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb	64 min
Feb 16, 3:29 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby, Talladega	31 min
Feb 16, 3:32 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chilton	43 min
Feb 16, 3:33 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun	42 min
Feb 16, 3:50 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Clay, Cleburne	55 min
Feb 16, 3:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Talladega	32 min
Feb 16, 4:11 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cherokee, Cleburne	34 min
Feb 16, 4:28 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Randolph	47 min
Feb 16, 4:36 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Chambers	24 min
Feb 16, 5:09 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tallapoosa	36 min
Feb 16, 5:23 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers	52 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.