Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Watches in 2001

Tornado Watch 38

February 24, 200129 counties in Alabama

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 24, 2001, 11:15 PM CST for 29 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 24, 2001, 11:15 PM CST (05:15 UTC)
Expired
Feb 25, 2001, 3:00 AM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 29 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Butler County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Perry County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Winston County, AL

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 24, 11:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Lauderdale56 min
Feb 25, 12:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Marengo58 min
Feb 25, 12:44 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale46 min
Feb 25, 12:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston25 min
Feb 25, 1:29 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMarengo31 min
Feb 25, 1:37 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMarengo23 min
Feb 25, 1:55 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPerry50 min
Feb 25, 1:58 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMarengo32 min
Feb 25, 2:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas, Perry42 min

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 58 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 2001-02-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 19 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2001-02-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 356 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
19 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-197 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
356 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
510 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 
WWUS9 KMKC 250501
SEL8  

SEL8  
MKC WW 250456
ALZ000-250900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 38
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1056 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001

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

   MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN ALABAMA                            

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING FROM 1115 PM UNTIL
300 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO
70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 50 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF SELMA ALABAMA TO 20
MILES NORTH OF HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA.

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...  CONTINUE...WW 34...WW 35...WW 36...WW
37...

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING
ACROSS EASTERN MS AND WESTERN AL.  LOCAL SHEAR PROFILES ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE STORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED
TORNADOES FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH...EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTeS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23040.

...HART

;345,0855 313,0863 313,0881 345,0873;

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 24, 9:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCColbert, Lauderdale5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Alabama, 2001Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.