Alert archive / Alabama / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003

Mesoscale Discussion 243

March 13, 20035 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 13, 2003, 2:15 PM CST for 5 states. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 13, 2003, 2:15 PM CST (20:15 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 2003, 4:15 PM CST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 77 counties

Autauga County, AL, Baldwin County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Butler County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coffee County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Dale County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Geneva County, AL, Hale County, AL, Henry County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Mobile County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, Escambia County, FL, Holmes County, FL, Okaloosa County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL, Walton County, FL, Carroll County, GA, Chattahoochee County, GA, Clayton County, GA, Coweta County, GA, Douglas County, GA, Fayette County, GA, Haralson County, GA, Harris County, GA, Heard County, GA, Marion County, GA, Meriwether County, GA, Muscogee County, GA, Pike County, GA, Quitman County, GA, Spalding County, GA, Stewart County, GA, Talbot County, GA, Troup County, GA, Upson County, GA, Jefferson Parish, LA, Orleans Parish, LA, Plaquemines Parish, LA, Saint Bernard Parish, LA, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Harrison County, MS, Jackson County, MS, Perry County, MS, Stone County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 2003-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 428 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 2003-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 111 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
428 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-101 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
783 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 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.

028 
ACUS11 KWNS 132016
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 132015 
GAZ000-ALZ000-FLZ000-MSZ000-LAZ000-132215-

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0243
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0215 PM CST THU MAR 13 2003

AREAS AFFECTED...SERN LA AND AL NEWD INTO WRN GA AND THE FL PNHDL

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 41...42...

VALID 132015Z - 132215Z

IT APPEARS THAT THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL
CONTINUE E OF WW/S 0041 AND 0042.  THUS...A NEW WW MAY BE
REQUIRED FARTHER E.



LINE OF STRONG/SVR TSTMS CONTINUES THIS AFTERNOON FROM W-CNTRL AL
SWWD INTO SERN LA. THE AIRMASS AHEAD OF THESE TSTMS IS MODERATELY
UNSTABLE FROM FAR SERN MS ACROSS SRN HALF OF AL AND INTO SWRN GA
WITH MLCAPES OF 1000-2000 J/KG. REGIONAL VWP/PROFILER DATA
INDICATE PRIMARILY UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR PROFILES ACROSS THE
WARM SECTOR.  HOWEVER...SOME INCREASE IN MID-LEVEL WIND SPEEDS IS
BEING OBSERVED AT THE OKOLONA MS AND DE QUEEN AR PROFILER
SITES...JUST AHEAD OF SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY EXTENDING FROM
WRN TN SWWD INTO FAR ERN TX...PER LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY.



COMBINATION OF LARGE SCALE ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH APPROACHING
SHORTWAVE TROUGH...MODERATELY AMOUNTS OF INSTABILITY/SHEAR...AND
ESTABLISHED COLD POOL ALONG LEADING EDGE OF TSTM LINE ALL SUGGEST
A CONTINUED THREAT OF WIND/HAIL E OF CURRENT WW/S.



THUS...WW/S 041 AND 042 MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF HOURS WITH A NEW SEVERE TSTM WATCH FARTHER TO THE E.

..MEAD.. 03/13/2003

...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...

ATTN...WFO...FFC...TAE...BMX...MOB...JAN...LIX...

33068729 33588665 33958553 33628440 32898407 31168536
29658738 29018933 29639046 31618891 32408803

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 1:58 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCovington, Escambia, Geneva, Houston3 hr
Mar 13, 9:39 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun and 40 more2 hr
Mar 13, 10:10 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee and 37 more6 hr
Mar 13, 12:59 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Chilton and 30 more2 hr
Mar 13, 3:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh and 12 more5 hr
Mar 13, 5:33 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCovington87 min
Mar 13, 5:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarbour, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Russell5 hr
Mar 13, 8:39 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia and 24 more2 hr
Mar 13, 8:55 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAlachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie and 10 more6 hr
Mar 13, 12:55 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Murray, Rabun, Stephens and 4 more2 hr
Mar 13, 7:52 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and 8 more113 min
Mar 13, 8:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 7 more6 hr
Mar 13, 8:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAvoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison and 1 more5 hr
Mar 13, 10:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson and 12 more5 hr
Mar 13, 10:53 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAcadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline and 5 more2 hr
Mar 13, 11:29 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCatahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Tensas2 hr
Mar 13, 1:26 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAscension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans and 5 more2 hr
Mar 13, 3:53 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeauregard, Calcasieu2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Georgia, 2003Mesoscale Discussions in Mississippi, 2003Every mesoscale discussion 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.