Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 305, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 2003, 11:51 AM CDT for Chambers County, Lee County, Alabama. It was in force for 54 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 18, 2003, 11:51 AM CDT (16:51 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 2003, 12:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Chambers County, AL, Lee County, AL
Did it verify
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.
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 18, 11:00 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 117 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
- 933 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -18 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 558 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 155 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 195 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.6
- Supercell composite
- 3.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KBMX 181651 SVRBHM ALC017-081-181745- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 1151 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CHAMBERS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA LEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA * UNTIL 1245 PM CDT * AT 1151 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER LOACHAPOKA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...AUBURN... CUSSETA...LAFAYETTE...OPELIKA AND WAVERLY. LARGE HAIL...EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY. TAKE COVER IN A STURDY SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. TORNADOES CAN DEVELOP SUDDENLY FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS...STAY INDOORS...AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. CALL 1-800-856-0758 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER. LAT...LON 3258 8564 3251 8546 3282 8520 3305 8547 $$
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 18, 11:14 AM CDT, 37 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 11:14 AM CDT, 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL 1115 AM CDT SAT MAY 17 2003 WILL UPDATE ZONES TO REFLECT TORNADO WATCH 411 THROUGH 4PM. .BHM...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY ALZ011>015-017>028-030>036-039>041 89 JBW
Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 7:20 AM CDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
ALZ011>015-017>050-181445- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 720 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM. .DAY ONE (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... THE UPPER LEVEL LOW TO OUR WEST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS OF THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT GRADUALLY SLIDES TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE...HEAT OF THE DAY...AND THE PROXIMITY OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSTATE 59 CORRIDOR. AS A RESULT...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A BROAD CORRIDOR OF COUNTIES EXTENDING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM THROUGHOUT THE DAY...AND MOVE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THIS CORRIDOR. SOME LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE LAST 24 HOURS...AND ADDITIONAL RAIN CAN QUICKLY CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS. OTHERWISE...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM THE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY.
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 18, 9:01 AM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
901 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0835 AM FORESTDALE AL FLASH FLOOD
05/18/03 JEFFERSON ALONG FIVE MILE CREEK
NEAR US HIGHWAY 31.
REPORTED BY JEFFERSON
COUNTY EMA.Special weather statement, May 18, 9:36 AM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
ALZ036-037-181530- THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 936 AM CDT SUN MAY 18 2003 .A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA COUNTIES UNTIL 1030 AM CDT... .WINDS 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM. AT 936 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROCKFORD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR ROCKFORD... KELLYTON...DADEVILLE...ALEXANDER CITY...JACKSONS GAP...GOODWATER... NEW SITE AND GOLDVILLE THROUGH 1030 AM CDT. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS STRONG WINDS. WINDS 35 TO 45 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. OUTDOOR OBJECTS SUCH AS LAWN FURNITURE...TRASH CANS....OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD ITEMS COULD BE BLOWN AROUND. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. LAT...LON 3280 8637 3277 8575 3312 8567 3308 8637
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:08 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Lamar, Marion | 6 hr |
| May 17, 7:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Greene | 48 min |
| May 17, 7:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marengo | 47 min |
| May 17, 8:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cherokee | 34 min |
| May 17, 8:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Marengo | 28 min |
| May 17, 9:17 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Marengo | 6 hr |
| May 17, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Etowah | 62 min |
| May 17, 10:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Cherokee | 35 min |
| May 17, 10:43 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Cherokee, Etowah | 4 hr |
| May 17, 11:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Dallas | 48 min |
| May 17, 11:55 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 3 hr |
| May 18, 8:52 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 6 hr |
| May 18, 11:24 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 4 hr |
| May 18, 11:59 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Chambers, Lee | 46 min |
| May 18, 12:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour | 50 min |
| May 18, 12:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Russell | 33 min |
| May 18, 1:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Barbour, Russell | 35 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003
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.