Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 326, NWS Birmingham, AL

June 2, 2003Chilton County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 2, 2003, 9:41 PM CDT for Chilton County, Alabama. It was in force for 49 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: Jun 2, 2003, 9:41 PM CDT (02:41 UTC)
Expired: Jun 2, 2003, 10:30 PM CDT
In force: 49 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Chilton County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:45 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.

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
Jun 2, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 212 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: 15 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -190 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1648 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

941 
WUUS54 KBMX 030241
SVRBHM
ALC021-030330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
941 PM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CHILTON COUNTY IN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT

* AT 940 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLANTON...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...INGRAM...
JEMISON...MAPLESVILLE AND THORSBY.

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 3279 8689 3309 8665 3303 8654 3293 8653
          3281 8647 3272 8665 3272 8670 3268 8671
          3267 8676

$$

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 Jun 2, 2:23 PM CDT, 7 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 2, 2:23 PM CDT, 7 hours 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM, AL
223 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

THE SFC LOW OVER THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY CONTINUES TO DEEPEN AND
MOVE TO THE E-NE.  EXPECT THE SHOWERS AND STORMS TO INCREASE INTO THE
NIGHT TIME HOURS FOR US.  A COUPLE OF STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS
TONIGHT AND TOMORROW.

WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH SFC LOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHWARD
ACROSS THE CWA.  THIS WILL PUT US IN THE WARM SECTOR OVERNIGHT
KEEPING LOWS NEAR 70 FOR EVERYONE.

TRAILING COOL FRONT SHOULD PUSH ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CWA BY
MID-DAY ON WEDNESDAY.  EVERYONE SHOULD SEE RAIN BETWEEN NOW AND
THEN.  SOME MORE THAN OTHERS OF COURSE.  MID TO HIGH CLOUDS RETURN ON
THURSDAY FROM THE ACTIVITY THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE BACK TO OUR
WEST.  RAIN CHANCES LOOKING PRETTY GOOD FOR THE WEEKEND AS WX
PARAMETERS LINE-UP OVER US IN THE SWRLY FLOW.

BHM 070/079 064/080 060/ 7+30
MGM 072/083 067/084 064/ 4+42

.BHM...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 2, 1:30 PM CDT, 8 hours 11 minutes before

ALZ011>015-017>050-022030-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
130 PM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)...

A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE STATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHICH WILL BRING MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR BACK
INTO THE AREA. AN APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALONG WITH AN UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE TO BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS WEST ALABAMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TO THE REST OF THE STATE
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SOME STORMS WILL BE STRONG WITH AN
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLE.  THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HAIL, AND HEAVY RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...

A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE STATE ON TUESDAY.
SOME STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  ON
WEDNESDAY...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY HANGS AROUND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AS
MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WILL STILL BE IN PLACE AND MAKE CONDITIONS
FAVORABLE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.  FOR THE WEEKEND...ANOTHER
COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH ALABAMA...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF SEVERE STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.  HOWEVER THEY ARE ADVISED
TO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 2, 8:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
839 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0800 PM    SUTTLE                    AL   1.75 IN HAIL
06/02/03   PERRY                          PUBLIC REPORT OF GOLF
                                          BALL SIZE HAIL ON STATE
                                          HIGHWAY 14 NEAR SUTTLE

Local storm report, Jun 2, 8:56 PM CDT, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
856 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0810 PM    BILLINGSLEY               AL   0.75 IN HAIL
06/02/03   AUTAUGA                        MONTGOMERY TELEVISION
                                          STATION REPORTED PENNY
                                          SIZE HAIL NEAR
                                          BILLINGSLEY

Local storm report, Jun 2, 8:59 PM CDT, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
859 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0845 PM    SYLVAN SPRINGS            AL   0.75 IN HAIL
06/02/03   JEFFERSON                      SPOUSE OF WEATHER SERVICE
                                          EMPLOYEE REPORTED PENNY
                                          SIZE HAIL NEAR SYLVAN
                                          SPRINGS

Local storm report, Jun 2, 9:03 PM CDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
903 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0842 PM    BESSEMER                  AL   1.25 IN HAIL
06/02/03   JEFFERSON                      PUBLIC REPORT OF HALF
                                          DOLLAR SIZE HAIL IN
                                          BESSEMER

Special weather statement, Jun 2, 9:11 PM CDT, 30 minutes before

ALZ025-030315-

THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
911 PM CDT MON JUN 2 2003

.A THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR SHELBY COUNTY UNTIL 1015 PM
CDT...

.FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MILES AN
HOUR ARE POSSIBLE FROM AN APPROACHING THUNDERSTORM.

AT 909 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER CALERA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR MONTEVALLO...
CALERA...ALABASTER...COLUMBIANA...PELHAM...WILSONVILLE...OAK MOUNTAIN
STATE PARK AND CHELSEA THROUGH 1015 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 3311 8695 3341 8674 3338 8639 3304 8656

Local storm report, Jun 2, 9:17 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
917 PM CDT MON JUN 02 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0545 PM    KENNEDY                   AL   0.75 IN HAIL
06/02/03   LAMAR                          COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE
                                          REPORTED PENNY SIZE HAIL
                                          SOUTH OF KENNEDY.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 2, 7:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	36 min
Jun 2, 7:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson	37 min
Jun 2, 7:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga	34 min
Jun 2, 7:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	42 min
Jun 2, 7:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas	62 min
Jun 2, 8:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Pickens	53 min
Jun 2, 8:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson	30 min
Jun 2, 8:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga	44 min
Jun 2, 8:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	49 min
Jun 2, 8:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Marion	45 min
Jun 2, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chilton	55 min
Jun 2, 8:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	20 min
Jun 2, 8:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	48 min
Jun 2, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	62 min
Jun 2, 9:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	56 min
Jun 2, 9:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Sumter	47 min
Jun 2, 9:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene	48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2003 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.