Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2006

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Huntsville, AL

April 7, 2006Madison County, Alabama; Lincoln County, Tennessee

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 7, 2006, 7:55 PM CDT for Madison County, Alabama; Lincoln County, Tennessee. It was in force for 20 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 7, 2006, 7:55 PM CDT (00:55 UTC)
Expired: Apr 7, 2006, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 20 min
Issued by: NWS Huntsville, AL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Madison County, AL, Lincoln County, TN

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:57 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 7, 7:55 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Fisk, AL

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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
Apr 7, 11:34 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr
Apr 7, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr
Apr 7, 10:20 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 123 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: 310 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -177 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1354 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 219 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 272 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHUN 080056
TORHUN
ALC089-TNC103-080115-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0018.060408T0055Z-060408T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
755 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY IN TENNESSEE
  NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 755 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT  
  PERSONNEL REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR FISK...MOVING EAST          
  NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM HAS ALREADY PRODUCED A TORNADO     
  NEAR ELKWOOD. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF GOLFBALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE     
  HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO INCLUDE...
  PLEVNA.
  ELORA.

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU
SEE OR HEAR THE TORNADO...IT MAY BE TOO LATE. TAKE COVER NOW.

LAT...LON 3507 8658 3493 8657 3495 8632 3513 8634

$$

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 Apr 7, 7:41 PM CDT, 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 7:41 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
741 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

.RADAR UPDATE...

...SUPERCELL ALONG TN/AL LINE...

GETTING MORE REPORTS OF POSSIBLE TORNADO DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH OF
THIS STORM.  IT IS STILL EXHIBITING A DECENT FRONT INFLOW NOTCH AND
WER FROM KHTX.  FROM THE MORE DISTANT KGWX RADAR...A RIN/BOW ECHO
INDICATING DAMAGING WINDS.  THIS CELL REMAINS DANGEROUS AND
WILL CONTINUE TRACKING ENE THROUGH LINCOLN INTO MOORE/FRANKLIN
COUNTY TN.

JUST IN...TENNIS BALL HAIL JUST N OF TONEY IN NORTHERN MADISON
COUNTY WITH THIS CELL.
&&

KULA

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 7, 2:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
220 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-080100-
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN-
220 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

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

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

TORNADO WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT FOR ALL OF NORTHERN
ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...EXCEPT DEKALB...JACKSON AND
MARSHALL COUNTIES.

THE ATMOSPHERE SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN CAPPED...PREVENTING
THUNDERSTORMS FROM FORMING. CURRENT TRENDS INDICATE THAT THE CAP IS
BEGINNING TO ERODE...AND WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TO
BEGIN LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA BETWEEN 3 AND 4 PM...SPREADING EASTWARD
INTO THE I-65 CORRIDOR AND HUNTSVILLE/DECATUR METRO AREA BETWEEN 4
AND 6 PM. STORMS MAY NOT REACH PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ALABAMA UNTIL
AFTER 6 PM.

THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS STILL EXPECTED BETWEEN 3 PM
AND MIDNIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SUPERCELLS...CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY STRONG
TORNADOES.

OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...THESE SUPERCELL STORMS WILL
EVENTUALLY CONSOLIDATE INTO A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
THIS LINE WILL MAINTAIN THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE
HAIL. HOWEVER...CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SAME
AREAS WILL BRING A THREAT OF SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE
FLASH FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. STAY TUNED FOR
FURTHER OUTLOOKS AND FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN HUNTSVILLE REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH
TONIGHT.

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

THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

AN AREA OF STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SHIFT EAST
OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS
AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR THROUGH AT LEAST MIDDAY
SATURDAY. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE HEAVY RAIN...BUT SMALL HAIL
WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS
LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

BCC

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:33 PM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
733 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0705 PM     TSTM WND DMG     9 SE LYNCHBURG          35.19N 86.24W
04/07/2006                   FRANKLIN           TN   PUBLIC

            TREE REPORTED DOWN 8 TO 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LYNCHBURG.

0713 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     S ELKMONT               34.93N 86.98W
04/07/2006                   LIMESTONE          AL   PUBLIC

            POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED SOUTH OF ELKMONT BY PUBLIC

0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     ESTILL SPRINGS          35.26N 86.13W
04/07/2006  E70 MPH          FRANKLIN           TN   PUBLIC

            PUCLIC REPORTED A ESTIMATED 70 MPH WINDS IN THE ESTILL
            SPRINGS AREA.

&&

KWEBER

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:36 PM CDT, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
736 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0736 PM     TORNADO          ARDMORE                 34.99N 86.85W
04/07/2006                   LIMESTONE          AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TORNADO TOUCHDOWN...TORNADO MOVING NE. RELAYED THRU
            AMATEUR RADIO.

&&

BCC/DL

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

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
738 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0720 PM     HAIL             ELKMONT                 34.93N 86.98W
04/07/2006  M1.75 INCH       LIMESTONE          AL   STORM CHASER

            AT THE I-65 ELKMONT EXIT.

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:45 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
745 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0740 PM     HAIL             5 NW HAZEL GREEN        34.98N 86.63W
04/07/2006  M1.75 INCH       MADISON            AL   PUBLIC

0742 PM     HAIL             2 N TONEY               34.93N 86.73W
04/07/2006  M2.50 INCH       MADISON            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            GOLF BALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL AT OLD RAILROAD BED
            ROAD IN THE BOBO COMMUNITY.

0744 PM     TORNADO          5 E ARDMORE             34.99N 86.76W
04/07/2006                   MADISON            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TORNADO WRAPPED IN RAIN NEAR THE STATE LINE ON ELKWOOD
            STATION ROAD.

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:49 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
749 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0749 PM     HAIL             ELKWOOD                 34.98N 86.72W
04/07/2006  M1.00 INCH       MADISON            AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF ELKWOOD SECTION ROAD AND
            BUTTER-AND-EGG ROAD.

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:55 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
755 PM CDT FRI APR 07 2006

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

0752 PM     HAIL             4 SE BELLEVIEW          35.00N 86.55W
04/07/2006  M1.00 INCH       LINCOLN            TN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER-SIZE HAIL NEAR THE LINCOLN COMMUNITY.

0752 PM     HAIL             FISK                    34.96N 86.57W
04/07/2006  M1.75 INCH       MADISON            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            NEAR INTERSECTION OF U.S. 231/431 AND ELKWOOD SECTION RD.

&&

BCC/DL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 7, 7:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lauderdale	22 min
Apr 7, 7:15 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Colbert, Lauderdale	4 hr
Apr 7, 7:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	39 min
Apr 7, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Limestone	17 min
Apr 7, 7:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	44 min
Apr 7, 7:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Lauderdale, Lawrence	31 min
Apr 7, 8:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Limestone	38 min
Apr 7, 8:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	47 min
Apr 7, 8:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence	49 min
Apr 7, 8:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	35 min
Apr 7, 8:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	50 min
Apr 7, 8:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Madison	18 min
Apr 7, 9:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Limestone	37 min
Apr 7, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Morgan	32 min
Apr 7, 9:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	44 min
Apr 7, 9:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	31 min
Apr 7, 9:35 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Franklin, Lawrence, Limestone, Morgan	3 hr
Apr 7, 9:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Franklin	29 min
Apr 7, 9:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	23 min
Apr 7, 9:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	36 min
Apr 7, 10:00 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Jackson, Madison	3 hr
Apr 7, 10:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Lawrence	44 min
Apr 7, 10:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Emergency	HUN	Limestone, Madison	47 min
Apr 7, 10:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	34 min
Apr 7, 10:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Cullman	24 min
Apr 7, 10:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Morgan	30 min
Apr 7, 10:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Jackson, Madison	34 min
Apr 7, 11:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Marshall	26 min
Apr 7, 11:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Cullman	49 min
Apr 7, 11:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Marshall	21 min
Apr 7, 11:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Jackson	31 min
Apr 7, 11:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	DeKalb	39 min
Apr 7, 11:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Jackson	16 min
Apr 8, 12:04 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	DeKalb	19 min
Apr 8, 12:09 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	Marshall	19 min
Apr 8, 12:15 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Cullman, DeKalb, Marshall	3 hr
Apr 8, 12:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HUN	DeKalb	20 min
Apr 7, 7:30 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	HUN	Lincoln, Moore	4 hr
Apr 7, 8:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	41 min
Apr 7, 8:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Franklin	33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2006 Tornado Warnings in Tennessee, 2006 Every tornado warning in 2006 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.