Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Tallahassee, FL

December 24, 2002Geneva County, Houston County, Alabama

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Dec 24, 2002, 6:20 AM CST for Geneva County, Houston County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 min. 1 report 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 24, 2002, 6:20 AM CST (12:20 UTC)
Expired: Dec 24, 2002, 7:00 AM CST
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Geneva County, AL, Houston County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Dec 24, 6:50 AM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 55 EG	Countywide, AL	Downed trees and power lines on Highway 123 in Wicksburg, as well as on Eddings and Bonham Roads, just west of Dothan. A trailer was overturned in Memphis. A few mobile homes were damaged in Ashford. Reported by the Houston County EMA.

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
Dec 24, 5:20 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 141 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 132 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -145 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 463 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 471 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 585 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

692 
WFUS52 KTAE 241220
TORTLH
ALC061-069-241300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
620 AM CST TUE DEC 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN GENEVA COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  HOUSTON COUNTY IN ALABAMA
  THIS INCLUDES...DOWNTOWN DOTHAN...COTTONWOOD...

* UNTIL 700 AM CST

* AT 618 AM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 6 MILES WEST OF SLOCOMB...OR ABOUT 12 MILES
  SOUTH OF DALEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TAYLOR BY 630 AM CST...
  DOWNTOWN DOTHAN BY 635 AM CST...
  COWARTS...COTTONWOOD BY 640 AM CST...
  ASHFORD...WEBB BY 645 AM CST...

IF A TORNADO THREATENS YOUR LOCATION GO TO YOUR SAFE ROOM OR TORNADO
SHELTER. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAFE ROOM OR TORNADO SHELTER...SEEK
SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF THE LOWEST LEVEL OF YOUR HOME.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF
THIS TORNADO...MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

LAT...LON 3121 8571 3102 8569 3100 8504 3131 8517
          3125 8551

.END

5-MOLLERE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tallahassee, FL issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 24, 6:10 AM CST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Coffee, Dale	3 hr
Dec 24, 6:10 AM CST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Henry	3 hr
Dec 24, 6:57 AM CST	Tornado Warning	TAE	Henry	3 hr

Nearby

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