Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 17, 2002Shelby County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2002, 6:42 PM CDT for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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, 6:42 PM CDT (23:42 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2002, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Shelby 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, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 10 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 
WFUS54 KBMX 172342
TORBHM
ALC117-180015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
642 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SHELBY COUNTY IN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 639 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER HELENA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...ALABASTER...
CHELSEA...HELENA...INVERNESS...LAKE PURDY...MEADOWBROOK AND PELHAM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...SEEK SHELTER NOW.
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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

LAT...LON 3322 8696 3309 8681 3334 8648 3349 8667

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion43 min
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, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.