Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 165, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 7, 2003Tallapoosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 7, 2003, 7:02 PM CDT for Tallapoosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 18 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 7, 2003, 7:02 PM CDT (00:02 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 2003, 7:20 PM CDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Tallapoosa County, AL

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 7, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 107 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 00:00Z on 2003-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2242 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2003-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
2242 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
809 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
8.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 080002
TORBHM
ALC123-080020-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
702 PM CDT WED MAY 7 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  TALLAPOOSA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 720 PM CDT

* AT 659 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO OVER DAVISTON...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...DAVISTON.

THIS STORM SHOWS STRONG ROTATION AND MAY PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY
TIME. DO NOT WAIT. GO TO A SAFE PLACE NOW PUT AS MANY WALLS BETWEEN
YOU AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE.

CALL 1-800-856-0758 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER.

LAT...LON 3312 8562 3294 8560 3296 8572

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 7:04 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXTalladega4 hr
May 7, 7:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCalhoun4 hr
May 7, 7:12 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXChambers48 min
May 7, 7:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXClay, Randolph4 hr
May 7, 8:37 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson3 hr
May 7, 8:44 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair3 hr
May 7, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Lee48 min
May 7, 10:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCalhoun5 hr
May 7, 10:42 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXTalladega5 hr
May 7, 10:56 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson5 hr
May 7, 11:06 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXClay, Randolph4 hr
May 7, 11:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair3 hr
May 8, 1:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXSt. Clair2 hr
May 8, 2:48 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXClay, Randolph4 hr
May 8, 3:51 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson3 hr
May 8, 4:00 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXCalhoun, St. Clair, Talladega3 hr

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.