Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 112, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 2, 2003Shelby County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 2, 2003, 6:25 PM CDT for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 65 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 2, 2003, 6:25 PM CDT (23:25 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2003, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Shelby County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 8 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:28 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 2, 1:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr
May 2, 5:05 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 7 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 2003-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 134 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 2003-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
134 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-350 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1399 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

471 
WFUS54 KBMX 022325
TORBHM
ALC117-030030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
624 PM CDT FRI MAY 2 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SHELBY COUNTY IN ALABAMA

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 624 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF HELENA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...ALABASTER...
CALERA...CHELSEA...COLUMBIANA...HELENA...INVERNESS...LAKE 
PURDY...MONTEVALLO...OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK...PELHAM AND 
WILSONVILLE. ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR PELHAM AND 
INVERNESS MOVING EAST AROUND 30 MPH.  VERY LARGE HAIL CAN BE 
EXPECTED WITH EITHER OF THESE STORMS.

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 3325 8701 3327 8695 3348 8661 3331 8643
          3305 8656 3309 8692 3316 8695 3320 8701

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun35 min
May 1, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega24 min
May 1, 8:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay43 min
May 1, 8:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega16 min
May 1, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour28 min
May 1, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa39 min
May 2, 2:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion45 min
May 2, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount32 min
May 2, 2:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah49 min
May 2, 2:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette39 min
May 2, 3:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount29 min
May 2, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens42 min
May 2, 3:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarion26 min
May 2, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker47 min
May 2, 3:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo58 min
May 2, 3:17 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens43 min
May 2, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee, Etowah46 min
May 2, 3:32 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene43 min
May 2, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale39 min
May 2, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa29 min
May 2, 4:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens51 min
May 2, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne35 min
May 2, 4:12 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene48 min
May 2, 4:13 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene47 min
May 2, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee30 min
May 2, 4:17 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXHale43 min
May 2, 4:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo36 min
May 2, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry60 min
May 2, 4:34 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarengo26 min
May 2, 4:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPerry46 min
May 2, 4:52 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas38 min
May 2, 4:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXHale35 min
May 2, 4:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne49 min
May 2, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Walker46 min
May 2, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston28 min
May 2, 5:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTuscaloosa51 min
May 2, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair26 min
May 2, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah41 min
May 2, 5:26 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWalker24 min
May 2, 5:27 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPerry48 min
May 2, 5:28 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas47 min
May 2, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson44 min
May 2, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega26 min
May 2, 5:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb25 min
May 2, 5:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale40 min
May 2, 5:35 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXEtowah40 min
May 2, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene36 min
May 2, 5:39 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson66 min
May 2, 5:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount33 min
May 2, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee60 min
May 2, 6:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair43 min
May 2, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCoosa56 min
May 2, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne54 min
May 2, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXShelby23 min
May 2, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas46 min
May 2, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXHale, Talladega45 min
May 2, 6:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPerry30 min
May 2, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette23 min
May 2, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo59 min
May 2, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes58 min
May 2, 6:37 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun23 min
May 2, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTallapoosa66 min
May 2, 6:42 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXJefferson18 min
May 2, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Randolph62 min
May 2, 6:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers54 min
May 2, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson23 min
May 2, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne16 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.