Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2006

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 58, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 7, 2006Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 7, 2006, 9:55 PM CDT for Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 65 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 7, 2006, 9:55 PM CDT (02:55 UTC)
Expired: Apr 7, 2006, 11:00 PM CDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Winston County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:58 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 7, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 121 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: 578 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -120 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1683 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 156 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 269 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.9

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 7, 8:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 8:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED GRAMMAR MISTAKE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
832 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK WITH TORNADOES LIKELY TONIGHT...

.UPDATE...MESOSCALE UPDATE.

A HIGH RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...LARGE
HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS...NORTH OF A REFORM TO ONEONTA LINE...
CONTINUES THROUGH 1 AM CDT.  A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING A TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WILL MOVE INTO MARION
COUNTY BY 845 PM CDT.  WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER...EVEN SOUTH OF THE
HIGH RISK AREA...IS POSSIBLE AFTER 11 PM CDT.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

STILL CONCERNED WITH SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 20.

AT 830 PM CST...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH
ARE SEVERE AND POSSIBLY TORNADIC...STRETCHED NORTH OF A GREENWOOD
MISSISSIPPI TO HUNTSVILLE LINE.  THESE STORMS HAVE REMAINED OVER THE
SAME AREA DURING THE PAST HOUR...BUT HAVE WEAKENED SLIGHTLY WITH THE
LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.  THE BEST INSTABILITY WAS LOCATED ACROSS
NORTHWEST ALABAMA WITH LIFTED INDICES BETWEEN -2 TO -5...BUT THE AIR
WAS MORE STABLE THAN EARLIER.  SURFACE BASED CAPES HAVE DROPPED
BETWEEN 500 J/KG TO 1200 J/KG IN THIS AREA.

MARION...LAMAR...AND WINSTON COUNTIES HAVE AN ENHANCED THREAT FOR
TORNADOES...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS.  THIS THREAT WILL SLOWLY EXPAND SOUTHWARD...PERHAPS
REACHING A MILLPORT TO JASPER LINE BY 11 PM CDT.  THE TUSCALOOSA AND
BIRMINGHAM AREAS SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY SEVERE WEATHER UNTIL
PROBABLY MIDNIGHT CDT.

EVEN THOUGH THE STORMS OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA HAVE SHOWN
A DECREASING TREND OVER THE PAST HOUR OR TWO WITH THE LOSS OF
DAYTIME HEATING...INTENSIFICATION DEFINITELY REMAINS POSSIBLE...
ESPECIALLY AS THE UPPER LOW APPROACHES FROM THE WEST AND AS SURFACE
DEWPOINTS INCREASE.

LOOKING UPSTREAM...NEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED
ACROSS NORTH LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS.  THINK THESE STORMS
WILL EXPAND AND MOVE EAST...POSSIBLY ORGANIZING INTO A SQUALL LINE.
THIS LINE WILL MOVE INTO WEST ALABAMA AFTER 11 PM CDT...THEN QUICKLY
MOVE ACROSS THE STATE BEFORE SLOWING DOWN ALONG THE INTERSTATE 85
CORRIDOR BY 6 OR 7 AM CDT.  DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 80 MPH ARE THE MAIN
CONCERN WITH THIS LINE...THOUGH ADDITIONAL TORNADOES AND HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE...EVEN FOR LOCATIONS SOUTHEAST OF A SELMA TO ANNISTON
LINE.  A FEW ISOLATED SUPERCELLS MAY DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS LINE.

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT ALL AREAS UNTIL 4 AM CDT SATURDAY.

&&

MBS/91

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 7, 8:58 PM CDT, 57 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
858 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

ALZ011>015-017>050-080500-
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-
858 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

...HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES
POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH ALABAMA...

AT THIS TIME A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF
A LINE FROM ALICEVILLE...TO TUSCALOOSA...TO BIRMINGHAM...TO GADSDEN.
IN ADDITION TO THESE CITIES...OTHER CITIES IN THIS HIGH RISK AREA
INCLUDE CARROLLTON...FAYETTE...WINFIELD...HAMILTON...JASPER...
ONEONTA...AND SPRINGVILLE. IN THIS AREA SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THROUGH 4 OR 5 AM.  THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LONG TRACK TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND
HEAVY RAINFALL. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL DECREASE A BIT AFTER 2 AM
WITH A HEIGHTENED WIND DAMAGE RISK.

FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST...A RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS
FOR THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.  SUPERCELLS CANNOT BE RULED OUT
IN THIS RISK AREA...BUT THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS FOR
THUNDERSTORMS TO EVOLVE INTO A LINE CONTAINING EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS
AND MOVE ACROSS THIS RISK AREA. THE STORMS WILL IMPACT THE
RISK AREA BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 AM.

A STRONG UPPER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT.
WARM MOIST AIR IS ALREADY IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA WHERE DEW
POINT TEMPERATURES ARE NEAR 60 DEGREES. THE UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL
INTERACT WITH THIS UNSTABLE AIR MASS RESULTING IN AN OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE STORMS. INITIALLY...SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
NORTHWEST ALABAMA...BUT EVENTUALLY EVOLVE INTO A LINE CONTAINING
EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS AND TRACK SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE.
ANY STORMS THAT FORM OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE WOULD POSE A GREATER
THREAT OF SIGNIFICANT TORNADOES.

ADDITIONALLY...INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM
WILL PRODUCE SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO
35 MPH TONIGHT.  A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 4 AM
SATURDAY.

STAY TUNED TO FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
WEATHER EVENT AND SPECIFICALLY THE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE TIMING OF THE
EVENT.

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

...SEVERE WEATHER MAY CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 85 SATURDAY MORNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL
WILL BE NECESSARY TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:04 PM CDT, 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
904 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0901 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     HACKLEBURG              34.27N 87.83W
04/07/2006                   MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED IN HACKELBURG.

&&

LINHARES

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:08 PM CDT, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
908 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0905 PM     TORNADO          HACKLEBURG              34.27N 87.83W
04/07/2006                   MARION             AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            PUBLIC REPORTED POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST NORTHEAST OF
            HACKLEBURG.

&&

DCW

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:12 PM CDT, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
912 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0900 PM     TSTM WND DMG     W HAMILTON              34.14N 87.98W
04/07/2006                   MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

&&

DCW

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:38 PM CDT, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
938 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0938 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     W HAMILTON              34.14N 87.98W
04/07/2006                   MARION             AL   PUBLIC

            FUNNEL CLOUD JUST WEST OF HAMILTON.

&&

DCW

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:39 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
939 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0939 PM     HAIL             WESTON                  34.16N 88.03W
04/07/2006  E0.88 INCH       MARION             AL   PUBLIC

            NICKEL SIZED HAIL IN WESTON.

&&

DCW

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:44 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
944 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0944 PM     HAIL             1 W HACKLEBURG          34.27N 87.85W
04/07/2006  E1.75 INCH       MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL IN WIGINTON.

&&

DCW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 7, 8:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion	55 min
Apr 7, 9:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Marion	29 min
Apr 7, 9:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion	39 min
Apr 7, 10:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Winston	38 min
Apr 7, 10:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion	55 min
Apr 7, 10:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Marion	43 min
Apr 7, 11:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	59 min
Apr 7, 11:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Winston	35 min
Apr 7, 11:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Walker	56 min
Apr 7, 11:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar	50 min
Apr 7, 11:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	33 min
Apr 8, 12:01 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	59 min
Apr 8, 12:13 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount	17 min
Apr 8, 12:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker, Winston	62 min
Apr 8, 12:39 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	66 min
Apr 8, 12:50 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount	55 min
Apr 8, 12:58 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson	47 min
Apr 8, 12:59 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cherokee	12 min
Apr 8, 1:25 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene	35 min
Apr 8, 1:30 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens	30 min
Apr 8, 1:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Sumter	28 min
Apr 8, 1:33 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee, Etowah	46 min
Apr 8, 1:35 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene	15 min
Apr 8, 1:36 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	St. Clair	24 min
Apr 8, 1:42 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	48 min
Apr 8, 1:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Shelby	15 min
Apr 8, 1:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Hale	27 min
Apr 8, 1:52 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne	38 min
Apr 8, 1:59 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	St. Clair, Talladega	31 min
Apr 8, 2:05 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne	40 min
Apr 8, 2:06 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb	39 min
Apr 8, 2:09 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Clay, Talladega	36 min
Apr 8, 2:23 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Perry	19 min
Apr 8, 2:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb	30 min
Apr 8, 9:18 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Elmore, Montgomery	27 min
Apr 8, 9:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pike	41 min
Apr 8, 9:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bullock	28 min
Apr 8, 10:35 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pike	40 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.