Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2006

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 181, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 21, 2006Shelby County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 21, 2006, 5:48 PM CDT for Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 17 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 21, 2006, 5:48 PM CDT (22:48 UTC)
Expired: Apr 21, 2006, 6:05 PM CDT
In force: 17 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Shelby County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 14 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:47 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 21, 1:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 14 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: 694 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 162 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 329 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 4.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 21, 4:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 4:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
428 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

.DISCUSSION...

SEVERAL STORMS ONGOING AT THE MOMENT MOSTLY WEST OF I-65. TWO
VORT LOBES NOTED IN WATER VAPOR ON APPROACHING SHORTWAVE WITH
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT. VORT LOBE 1 IS BACK OVER ARKLATX AREA
KICKING OFF SOME STORMS. IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT THESE STORMS WILL BE
ABLE TO MAINTAIN AS THEY WORK THEIR WAY EASTWARD SINCE THEY WILL
BE MOVING INTO A WELL WORKED OVER AREA. VORT LOBE 2 OVER SRN LA
IS CREATING NUMEROUS STORMS FROM OFF THE COAST OF LA TO ERN TN.
THIS WILL BE THE SHOW AS IT MOVES SLOWLY ACROSS THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN STRENGTH WELL AFTER
SUNSET. THE MOST ACTIVITY LOOKS TO CLEAR THE CWA BY 2 AM...WITH SOME
LINGERING SHOWERS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MID-MORNING HOURS. HAIL
CONTINUES TO BE THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH DAMAGING WINDS. AN
ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE...BUT THE THREAT IS LOW.

IN THE FRONTS WAKE...A PERIOD OF DRIER AND SETTLED WEATHER WILL
REIGN AS RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE PLAINS STATES. THE NEXT FRONT
WILL ARRIVE ON TUESDAY AND STALL ACROSS THE SRN TIER OF THE CWA.
THIS WILL SET THE STAGE AGAIN FOR EXTENDED PERIOD OF UNSETTLED
WEATHER. HAVE CHANCE POPS FROM WEDNESDAY ON.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     57  75  51  82 / 100  30   0   0
ANNISTON    58  78  54  82 / 100  30   0   0
BIRMINGHAM  56  78  55  83 / 100  20   0   0
TUSCALOOSA  56  82  54  85 / 100  10   0   0
CALERA      57  78  56  84 / 100  20   0   0
AUBURN      61  75  58  82 /  90  40   0   0
MONTGOMERY  58  81  54  86 / 100  20   0   0
TROY        62  81  55  86 /  80  30   0   0

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 9 PM.
ALC001-007-009-015-017-019-021-027-029-037-047-051-055-057-063-
065-073-075-085-091-093-101-105-107-111-115-117-119-121-123-125-
127-133-220330-

&&

JONES/90

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 21, 4:50 PM CDT, 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
450 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

ALZ011>015-017>050-222150-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
450 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH 2 AM CDT EAST
OF A JASPER TO DEMOPOLIS LINE.  THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS
ARE LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO
60 MPH.  LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF ONE TO TWO INCHES IS ALSO
POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS TONIGHT.

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS ALABAMA TONIGHT...
BRINGING SEVERE WEATHER AS THE ATMOSPHERE IS MOIST AND UNSTABLE.
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN HAZARDS...THOUGH AN
ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT...ANYWHERE EAST OF A JASPER
TO DEMOPOLIS LINE THROUGH 2 AM CDT.

THROUGH 7 PM CDT...THE BIRMINGHAM...GADSDEN...CLANTON...SELMA...
AND DEMOPOLIS AREAS HAVE THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER.
THIS THREAT AREA WILL MOVE EAST...REACHING ANNISTON AND MONTGOMERY
BY 8 PM CDT...THEN AUBURN AND EUFAULA BETWEEN 9 PM AND 11 PM CDT.

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT SHOULD END IN THE BIRMINGHAM AND
DEMOPOLIS AREAS BY 9 PM CDT...ANNISTON AND MONTGOMERY AREAS BY
MIDNIGHT CDT...AND PHENIX CITY...AUBURN...AND EUFAULA BY 2 AM CDT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA ON TUESDAY AND COULD
PRODUCE A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS.  PLEASE STAY TUNED TO LATER
FORECASTS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN
ACTIVATED AND WILL BE REQUIRED THROUGH 11 PM CDT TONIGHT WEST
OF INTERSTATE 65...AND UNTIL 2 AM CDT EAST OF INTERSTATE 65.
PLEASE STAY TUNED TO LATEST DETAILS CONCERNING SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

MBS/91

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 21, 3:02 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
302 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Apr 21, 3:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
303 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

0302 PM     HAIL             TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
04/21/2006  E0.50 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            AT TV STATION WVUA

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Apr 21, 3:12 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
312 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

0301 PM     HAIL             NORTHPORT               33.24N 87.59W
04/21/2006  E0.88 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
405 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

0315 PM     HAIL             NORTHPORT               33.24N 87.59W
04/21/2006  E0.25 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   UTILITY COMPANY

            NORTHPORT AND HUNTERS CROSSING

0315 PM     TSTM WND DMG     TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
04/21/2006                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            NORTHPORT AND KIRKWOOD TREE BLOCKING. 8TH STREET POWER
            LINE DOWN. TREE BLOCKING DRIVE. TREE ON VEHICLE.

0359 PM     HAIL             S TUSCALOOSA            33.24N 87.54W
04/21/2006  E0.50 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            GREEMSBORO RD

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
407 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

0307 PM     DOWNBURST        TUSCALOOSA              33.24N 87.54W
04/21/2006                   TUSCALOOSA         AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            COUNTY COURTHOUSE WIND GUST 54 MPH.

&&

MBAER

Local storm report, Apr 21, 4:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
414 PM CDT FRI APR 21 2006

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

0301 PM     HAIL             NORTHPORT               33.24N 87.59W
04/21/2006  E0.88 INCH       TUSCALOOSA         AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

MBAER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 20, 7:25 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Jefferson	3 hr
Apr 20, 7:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar	46 min
Apr 20, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	65 min
Apr 20, 9:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion	56 min
Apr 20, 10:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	28 min
Apr 20, 10:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Talladega	25 min
Apr 20, 10:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	57 min
Apr 21, 12:54 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	66 min
Apr 21, 2:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	56 min
Apr 21, 2:35 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	31 min
Apr 21, 2:40 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	50 min
Apr 21, 2:56 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette	49 min
Apr 21, 3:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker	61 min
Apr 21, 6:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Winston	34 min
Apr 21, 2:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	48 min
Apr 21, 3:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	18 min
Apr 21, 3:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Tuscaloosa	39 min
Apr 21, 5:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	St. Clair	33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2006 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2006

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.