Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 103, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 30, 2002Madison County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 30, 2002, 11:03 PM CDT for Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 42 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 30, 2002, 11:03 PM CDT (04:03 UTC)
Expired: Apr 30, 2002, 11:45 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Madison County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:06 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
Apr 30, 11:14 PM CDT	Hail 1	Toney, AL	Quarter size hail was reported just north of Toney. A few trees were also blown down in this location.
Apr 30, 11:28 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Meridianville, AL	Dime size hail was reported in Meridianville.
Apr 30, 11:38 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Moores Mill, AL	Nickel size hail was observed in Moores Mill.
Apr 30, 11:40 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	New Market, AL	Golf ball size hail fell in New Market.

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 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 137 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: 10 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -152 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 708 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 209 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 240 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 010403
SVRBHM
ALC089-010445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1102 PM CDT TUE APR 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1145 PM CDT

* AT 1101 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF HARVEST...MOVING EAST AT
  40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...MERIDIANVILLE
AND MOORES MILL.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. IF 
YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM MOVE TO A STURDY SHELTER.

TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT
FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS...STAY INDOORS...AWAY FROM WINDOWS
UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

CALL 1-800-856-0758 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER.

LAT...LON 3490 8632 3500 8662 3500 8678 3485 8678
          3473 8636

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 30, 7:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga	38 min
Apr 30, 7:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pike	41 min
Apr 30, 7:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pike	48 min
Apr 30, 10:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Limestone	42 min
Apr 30, 11:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson, Madison	60 min
May 1, 2:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jackson	45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.