Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 6:33 PM CDT for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 27 min. 1 report 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
- May 17, 2002, 6:33 PM CDT (23:33 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 2002, 7:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Shelby County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 6:50 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 E | Vandiver, AL | Trees and power lines were blown down near CR 25. Several reports of funnels clouds were received with this storm as it crossed through Shelby County. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 5:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 14 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KBMX 172333 SVRBHM ALC117-180000- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 633 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... SHELBY COUNTY IN ALABAMA * UNTIL 700 PM CDT * AT 629 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER HELENA...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ALABASTER... INVERNESS...MEADOWBROOK AND PELHAM. 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.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 4:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marion | 43 min |
| May 17, 4:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Lamar | 27 min |
| May 17, 5:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Walker | 33 min |
| May 17, 5:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 52 min |
| May 17, 5:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 32 min |
| May 17, 5:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 37 min |
| May 17, 5:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Sumter | 63 min |
| May 17, 6:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Shelby | 33 min |
| May 17, 6:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 40 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.