Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Mobile, AL

December 23, 2002Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 23, 2002, 9:54 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 7 days. 3 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
Dec 23, 2002, 9:54 PM CST (03:54 UTC)
Expired
Dec 31, 2002, 6:45 AM CST
In force
7 days
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 2 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:57 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 24, 3:43 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 55 M(Mob)Mobile Bates Fl, AL
Dec 31, 5:50 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 52 E(Mob)Mobile Bates Fl, AL
Dec 31, 6:37 AM CSTThunderstorm Wind 53 M(Mob)Mobile Bates Fl, AL

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 23, 8:20 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 150 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-12-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 18 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2002-12-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 658 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-144 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
658 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
957 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

463 
WFUS54 KMOB 240354
TORMOB
ALC129-240430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
953 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1030 PM CST

* AT 948 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FRUITDALE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TIBBIE...CHATOM BY 1005 PM CST

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...ABANDON VEHICLES AND TRAILER
HOMES AND SEEK A REINFORCED SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3141 8845 3126 8844 3137 8818 3152 8829

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 23, 8:35 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB25 min
Dec 23, 10:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB43 min
Dec 24, 2:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB38 min
Dec 24, 2:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB36 min
Dec 24, 2:19 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington7 days
Dec 24, 2:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB37 min
Dec 24, 2:36 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMonroe7 days
Dec 24, 2:40 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw7 days
Dec 24, 3:02 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington43 min
Dec 24, 3:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB42 min
Dec 24, 3:33 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB117 min
Dec 24, 3:33 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB117 min
Dec 24, 3:52 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBMonroe38 min
Dec 24, 4:14 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB46 min
Dec 24, 4:17 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB43 min
Dec 24, 4:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB17 min
Dec 24, 4:52 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB38 min
Dec 24, 6:13 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB2 hr
Dec 24, 6:20 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB40 min
Dec 24, 6:25 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB2 hr
Dec 24, 7:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB45 min
Dec 24, 7:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOB34 min
Dec 24, 8:18 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningMOBCrenshaw117 min
Dec 24, 8:29 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB61 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.