Alert archive / Alabama / Mesoscale Discussions in 2003
Mesoscale Discussion 83
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Feb 15, 2003, 8:51 PM CST for 25 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 84 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 15, 2003, 8:51 PM CST (02:51 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 15, 2003, 10:15 PM CST
- In force
- 84 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 25 counties
Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Butler County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:54 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 nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 96 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 752 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1064 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
910 ACUS11 KWNS 160252 SWOMCD SPC MCD 160251 ALZ000-160415- MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0083 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0851 PM CST SAT FEB 15 2003 AREAS AFFECTED...WRN AL CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 8... VALID 160251Z - 160415Z LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH EMBEDDED BOWS CONTINUES MOVING NEWD ACROSS WW AREA. SEVERE THREAT CONTINUES ACROSS WRN AND CENTRAL AL. LATEST KBMX VAD WIND PROFILE SHOWS LOW-LEVEL FLOW INCREASING...WITH 55 KTS INDICATED FROM THE SOUTH AT 1 KM -- WHICH COMBINED WITH AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY INDICATED BY 00Z BMX SOUNDING SUGGESTS THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS CONTINUES FOR ANOTHER HOUR OR SO. TWO SEPARATE BOW ECHOES ARE EVIDENT IN REFLECTIVITY LOOP MOVING NEWD AT AROUND 50 KT...AND EXTRAPOLATION INDICATES THE CONVECTION WILL BE MOVING OUT OF THE WATCH AT AROUND THE 16/04Z EXPIRATION TIME. ATTM...NEW WW IS NOT ANTICIPATED AS INSTABILITY APPEARS TO BE WEAKER ACROSS ERN AL...AND OVERALL SEVERE THREAT EXPECTED TO DIMINISH LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE SRN APPALACHIANS. EXCEPTION MAY BE NEARER THE GULF COAST WHERE GREATER INSTABILITY AND RICHER BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE. ..GOSS.. 02/16/2003 ...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT... 31288750 31288835 32658826 34038818 34038731 34038643 32658654 31288665
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 7:44 PM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile | 3 hr |
| Feb 16, 2:55 AM CST | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Geneva, Houston | 2 hr |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in Alabama, 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.