Severe Thunderstorm Warning 297, NWS Birmingham, AL

Issued

Aug 20, 2002, 3:26 PM CDT (20:26 UTC)

Expired

Aug 20, 2002, 4:00 PM CDT

In force

34 min

Issued by

NWS Birmingham, AL

Area

Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Etowah County, AL

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:29 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.

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.

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

852 
WUUS54 KBMX 202026
SVRBHM
ALC055-202100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
325 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 400 PM CDT

* AT 315 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF WALNUT GROVE...MOVING SOUTHWEST
  AT 15 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...WALNUT 
GROVE...GALLANT AND RIDGEVILLE.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED 
IN THE WARNED AREA. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...MOVE TO A 
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING.
DAMAGING WIND...AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY. STAY INSIDE...AWAY FROM
WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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

LAT...LON 3414 8623 3406 8607 3393 8615 3399 8620
          3394 8637 3399 8633 3406 8633

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 20, 2:56 PM CDT, 30 minutes earlier.

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
256 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002

CONVECTION HAS BEGUN TO DEVELOP ACROSS TENNESSEE VALLEY.  SPC HAS
ISSUE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH SHORTLY...COVERING ALL BUT EAST
CENTRAL ALABAMA COUNTIES.  THIS WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM.
DEWPOINTS ACROSS FORECAST AREA IN THE MID 70S.  INSTABILITY INDICES
ARE GREATEST IN THE WATCH AREA...AND EXPECT ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP
WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE IN INTENSITY.  HAVE ALREADY ISSUED A COUPLE OF
WARNINGS.  EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO DECREASE AFTER SUNSET.

UPPER RIDGE CENTERED OVER EASTERN TENNESSEE BY 24 HOURS...THIS SETS
UP MORE OF AN EAST FLOW...ALLOWING DRIER...MORE STABLE AIR TO
FILTER INTO THE AREA.  WILL CONTINUE ISOLATED POPS NORTH...WITH
SCATTERED WORDING ACROSS CENTRAL AREAS.  MOISTURE BEGINS TO RETURN ON
THURSDAY WITH WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW.  CONVECTION BECOMES MORE DIURNAL
AGAIN ON FRIDAY.  MODELS INDICATING SLIGHTLY COLER TEMPERATURES
ARRIVE AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.

HSV 073/094 073/093 072 2223
BHM 073/094 073/092 074 2323
MGM 073/093 073/092 073 2323

.BHM...NONE.

83

In the hours before

ALZ001>050-201830-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1232 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ALABAMA.

A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS ACROSS NORTH AND
CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. SOME OF
THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH THE THREAT OF DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN. THE STORMS SHOULD
SLOWLY DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

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

WET MICROBURST POTENTIAL FACTOR:
HUNTSVILLE...4
BIRMINGHAM...4
MONTGOMERY...4

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

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.