Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 14, NWS Mobile, AL

February 26, 2003Mobile County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 26, 2003, 12:39 PM CST for Mobile County, Alabama. It was in force for 36 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
Feb 26, 2003, 12:39 PM CST (18:39 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2003, 1:15 PM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Mobile County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:42 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 nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 140 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-02-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2003-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 289 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1160 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
289 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
435 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

292 
WUUS54 KMOB 261839
SVRMOB
ALC097-261915-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1239 PM CST WED FEB 26 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MOBILE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 115 PM CST

* AT 1239 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM BAYOU LA BATRE TO 6 MILES        
  SOUTHWEST OF CODEN...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS LINE OF STORMS    
  SHOULD BEGIN PRODUCING LAREG HAIL TO ABOUT THE SIZE OF DIMES.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  MON LOUIS BY 1245 PM CST
  CEDAR POINT BY 1250 PM CST
  DAUPHIN ISLAND...SAND ISLAND BY 1255 PM CST

STRONG DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH
THESE STORMS.  IF IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...TAKE COVER IN A
STURDY SHELTER UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.

LAT...LON 3042 8828 3032 8836 3022 8833 3021 8808
          3051 8813

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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Feb 26, 9:54 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 9:54 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
954 AM WED FEB 26 2003

UPDATED ZONES TO FRESHEN UP WORDING.

.MOB...
.MS...NONE.
.AL...NONE.
.FL...NONE

21/MONTANEZ
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 26, 6:00 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes before
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-261800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
600 AM CST WED FEB 26 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INLAND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.

.DAY ONE...(TODAY INTO TONIGHT)

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA
TODAY INTO TONIGHT...BUT WITH LIMITED INSTABILITY...NONE ARE
EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE.

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

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...STORM SPOTTERS AND
HAM RADIO OPERATORS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED THROUGH TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 26, 12:18 PM CST, 21 minutes before
ALZ063-261915-

THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1218 PM CST WED FEB 26 2003

...THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR MOBILE COUNTY UNTIL 115 PM CST...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM 7
MILES WEST OF GRAND BAY...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND NEAR...
GRAND BAY...DIXON CORNER...DEES...ST ELMO...IRVINGTON...THEODORE AND
MOBILE GREYHOUND PARK THROUGH 115 PM CST.

THE PRIMARY THREATS FROM THIS STORM ARE STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING. WIND GUSTS OF UP TO 45 MPH COULD DOWN SMALL TREE LIMBS OR
BRANCHES AND BLOW AROUND UNSECURED SMALL OBJECTS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY. SEEK SHELTER IN A SAFE HOME OR
BUILDING UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IN A
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME...RESULTING IN BRIEF PONDING OF WATER AROUND LOW
LYING AREAS. REMEMBER...DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO WATER COVERED
ROADWAYS. THE DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW A SAFE CROSSING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 26, 12:39 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB66 min
Feb 26, 12:39 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB66 min
Feb 26, 1:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin34 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.