Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Huntsville, AL

September 25, 2005Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Sep 25, 2005, 4:27 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 33 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: Sep 25, 2005, 4:27 PM CDT (21:27 UTC)
Expired: Sep 25, 2005, 5:00 PM CDT
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Limestone County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:30 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 tornado 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 25, 11:05 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 148 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 104 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -101 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1073 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 165 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 242 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.

000 
WFUS54 KHUN 252130 CCA
TORHUN
ALC083-252200-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0018.050925T2127Z-050925T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
427 PM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LIMESTONE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 425 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES         
  SOUTHWEST OF ARDMORE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.  THIS IS NEAR   
  THE HIGHWAY 100 EXIT OF INTERSTATE 65.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  ATHENS.
  ARDMORE.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3478 8723 3470 8684 3499 8680 3500 8720

$$

KULA

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Sep 25, 3:48 PM CDT, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 3:48 PM CDT, 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
348 PM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005

.DISCUSSION...
ACTIVE DAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...AS RITAS REMANTS MOVES EWD.
CURRENTLY...THE TRANSITIONING TROPICAL LOW IS MOVING TO THE NE
ARND 15 MPH. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM...SEVERAL ACTIVE BANDS OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING RAPIDLY NE. SOME OF THE EMBEDDED CELLS
HAVE EXHIBITED STRONG ROTATION AS THEY MOVED ACROSS MS/AL EARLIER
TODAY. 0-3KM SRH VALUES RANGED BETWEEN 300-600M2/S2 ACROSS AL/MS
AND S CENTRAL TN AT 19Z. THUS FAR...MOST OF THE ROTATING STORMS IN
CWA HAVE BEEN ACROSS WRN PART. AS BANDS CONTINUE TO MOVE NE THROUGH
TONIGHT...EXPECT TOR THREAT TO EXPAND EWD ACROSS ENTIRE CWA BY
THIS EVENING.

SFC LOW...ASSOC WITH RITAS REMNANTS...IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
OH VALLY THROUGH TONIGHT. THUS PRESSURE GRADIENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO
INCREASE THIS EVENING AND WILL EXTEND WIND ADVISORY THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
RAINFALL WILL INCREASE ACROSS CWA THROUGH TONIGHT AS BANDS TRAIN
ACROSS AREA. AT THIS TIME DO NOT EXPECT FLASH FLOODING TO BE MUCH
OF AN ISSUE...SINCE TN VALLEY HAS NOT RECEIVED MUCH RAINFALL IN
PAST FEW WEEKS...FFG ARND 3-4 INCHES ACROSS CWA.

TODAYS 12Z GUIDANCE PAINTS A DIFFERENT PICTURE FOR THE MON/TUE
FRONT TALKED ABOUT IN PREV DISCUSSIONS...THANKS TO RITA. STORY
SUGGESTS S/WV WILL QUICKLY DROP INTO THE NRN TN VALLEY MONDAY
AFTERNOON...PUSHING RITAS REMNANTS E OF THE AREA AND A FRONT
THROUGH CWA BY MON NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BRING SOME DRIER AIR
INTO THE REGION FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. SO THERE PROBABLY
WILL NOT BE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR ANY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS...AS
WINDS BECOME PREDOMINATELY FROM THE NORTH THIS WEEK.

PG

.LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...
MODELS STILL SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT AND RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY FOR A
STRONGER FROPA AND UPPER TROF WED NIGHT/EARLY THU. QUESTION FOR
POPS WILL BE AVAILABLE MOISTURE...WHICH IS LIKELY TO BE AT A
PREMIUM BEHIND THE FIRST FRONT...SO WILL MAINTAIN 20/SLT CHC POPS
WED NIGHT AND THURS. REST OF THE PD LOOKS DRIER AND COOLER...WITH
HIGHS MUCH CLOSER TO NORMAL AND LOWS BELOW NORMAL. NO SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES BEYOND USUAL MODEL TWEAKS.

BCC
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
HUNTSVILLE    72  83  65  85 / 100  60  20  10
SHOALS        72  85  65  84 / 100  50  10  10
CULLMAN       71  83  64  85 / 100  60  20  10
FAYETTEVILLE  71  83  64  84 / 100  60  20  10
FORT PAYNE    68  81  62  84 / 100  70  20  10

&&

.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 7 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     COLBERT...CULLMAN...DE KALB...FRANKLIN AL...JACKSON...LAUDERDALE
     ...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MARSHALL...AND MORGAN.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: COLBERT...CULLMAN...DE KALB...FRANKLIN AL...JACKSON
     ...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MARSHALL...AND
     MORGAN.

     LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 4 AM MONDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: COLBERT...CULLMAN...DE KALB...FRANKLIN
     AL...JACKSON...LAUDERDALE...LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...
     MARSHALL...AND MORGAN.

TN...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 7PM FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...AND MOORE.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM MONDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...AND MOORE.

     LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM MONDAY TO 4 AM MONDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: FRANKLIN TN...LINCOLN...AND MOORE.

&&

88

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 25, 11:20 AM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1120 AM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-260200-
COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL-FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE-
LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON-MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN-
1120 AM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PARTS OF
SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)...

RAINBANDS FROM THE REMAINS OF RITA WILL MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS
THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY AND TONIGHT. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITHIN ORGANIZED RAINBANDS. THE MAIN THREATS OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND A SLIGHT
RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

AS THE REMAINS OF RITA MOVE NORTHEAST OVER ARKANSAS TODAY...SURFACE
WINDS WILL INCREASE TO THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH.
ACROSS NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND FRANKLIN COUNTY TN...THE GUSTY WINDS
WILL BE MAINLY CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY AS A COLD FRONT
APPROACHES. RAIN CHANCES WILL TAPER OFF MONDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM
MOVES EAST OF THE AREA.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL
MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON.

24/07

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 25, 3:27 PM CDT, 1 hour before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
327 PM CDT SUN SEP 25 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0318 PM     TORNADO          11 N CULLMAN            34.31N 86.92W
09/25/2005                   MORGAN             AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ALONG I-65 JUST SOUTH OF THE CULLMAN AND MORGAN COUNTY
            LINE.

&&

KULA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 25, 3:52 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	HUN	Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more	14 hr
Sep 25, 3:06 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	39 min
Sep 25, 3:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Cullman	20 min
Sep 25, 3:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lauderdale	31 min
Sep 25, 3:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	41 min
Sep 25, 3:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	49 min
Sep 25, 3:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	46 min
Sep 25, 4:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Limestone	30 min
Sep 25, 4:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Cullman	28 min
Sep 25, 4:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lauderdale	26 min
Sep 25, 4:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	34 min
Sep 25, 4:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Limestone	33 min
Sep 25, 4:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	36 min
Sep 25, 4:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Cullman	47 min
Sep 25, 5:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	52 min
Sep 25, 5:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	29 min
Sep 25, 6:56 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	HUN	Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more	6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2005 Every tornado warning in 2005 Tornadoes in 2005

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.