Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 511

June 11, 200329 counties in Alabama; 9 counties in Georgia

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Jun 11, 2003, 11:50 AM CDT for 29 counties in Alabama; 9 counties in Georgia. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 11, 2003, 11:50 AM CDT (16:50 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2003, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 38 counties

Autauga County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Cullman County, AL, Dallas County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Morgan County, AL, Perry County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Catoosa County, GA, Chattooga County, GA, Dade County, GA, Floyd County, GA, Gordon County, GA, Murray County, GA, Polk County, GA, Walker County, GA, Whitfield County, GA

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:49 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.

Warnings issued inside it

12 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 12:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMarshall29 min
Jun 11, 2:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Morgan40 min
Jun 11, 2:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWalker39 min
Jun 11, 2:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby59 min
Jun 11, 2:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman, Madison38 min
Jun 11, 2:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNLimestone, Morgan48 min
Jun 11, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair, Talladega46 min
Jun 11, 3:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount60 min
Jun 11, 3:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNMarshall58 min
Jun 11, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXEtowah46 min
Jun 11, 3:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair12 min
Jun 11, 3:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNDeKalb36 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 26 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 2003-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2567 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 2003-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2567 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
545 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 111651
SEL1  
SPC WW 111650
ALZ000-GAZ000-112100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 511 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
1150 AM CDT WED JUN 11 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA
       NORTHWEST GEORGIA

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 1150 AM UNTIL
400 PM CDT.

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES
EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SELMA
ALABAMA TO 55 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF ROME GEORGIA.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES.


OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 509...WW 510...


DISCUSSION...ACTIVITY INCREASING OVER SERN MS APPEARS TO BE
ORGANIZING INTO A MORE LINEAR MODE AS COLD POOL BECOMES ESTABLISHED.
 THIS MAY SUPPORT A MORE ORGANIZED MCS...WITH ATTENDANT THREAT OF
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...AS IT SHIFTS ENEWD INTO CENTRAL AL
DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  IN ADDITION...A VERY UNSTABLE AND WEAKLY
CAPPED AIR MASS ACROSS THE REGION SUGGESTS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
LIKELY OVERSPREAD MUCH OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...EVANS

320,0884 350,0864 350,0842 320,0863

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 9:21 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Marion and 1 more54 min
Jun 11, 10:33 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAutauga, Bibb, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Choctaw and 25 more87 min
Jun 11, 10:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCColbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence and 4 more5 hr
Jun 11, 12:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence and 4 more64 min
Jun 11, 3:01 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCColbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence and 3 more29 min
Jun 11, 3:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlount, Cherokee, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson and 6 more5 hr
Jun 11, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCColbert, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Marion5 hr
Jun 11, 4:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah and 11 more93 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Alabama, 2003Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Georgia, 2003Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.