Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 147, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 17, 2002Marion County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 4:32 PM CDT for Marion County, Alabama. It was in force for 43 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2002, 4:32 PM CDT (21:32 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Marion County, AL

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 17, 12:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 159 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 2002-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 204 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 2002-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
204 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
747 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS54 KBMX 172132
SVRBHM
ALC093-172215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
432 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MARION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 427 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WESTON...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...HAMILTON.

STRONG DAMAGING WIND WILL KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES...AND
DAMAGE BUILDINGS AND HOMES. TAKE COVER NOW. FIND SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER...AVOID WINDOWS...VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES.

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

LAT...LON 3426 8816 3412 8800 3419 8766 3432 8776

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 4:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar27 min
May 17, 5:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker33 min
May 17, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson52 min
May 17, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa32 min
May 17, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb37 min
May 17, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter63 min
May 17, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby27 min
May 17, 6:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXShelby33 min
May 17, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2002Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.