Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2006

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Huntsville, AL

April 7, 2006Limestone County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 7, 2006, 9:08 PM CDT for Limestone County, Alabama. It was in force for 37 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: Apr 7, 2006, 9:08 PM CDT (02:08 UTC)
Expired: Apr 7, 2006, 9:45 PM CDT
In force: 37 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), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:08 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
Apr 7, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 157 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 080209
TORHUN
ALC083-080245-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0023.060408T0208Z-060408T0245Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 945 PM CDT

* AT 905 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO JUST   
  NORTH OF COURTLAND...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

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

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 3476 8725 3467 8709 3477 8687 3492 8695

$$

CBD

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KHUN 080223
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
921 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

ALC083-080245-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-060408T0245Z/
LIMESTONE AL-
921 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR LIMESTONE
COUNTY...

AT 915 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO ON A 
GROUND NEAR HIGHWAY 31 AT CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN SOUTHERN 
LIMESTONE COUNTY.  THIS TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  TANNER.
  FRENCH MILL.
  CAPSHAW.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS TO NEAR 80
MPH...EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE TORNADO AREA.

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 3468 8708 3460 8694 3477 8679 3485 8691

$$

CBD

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, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 7:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 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, 6 hours 48 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, 8:30 PM CDT, 38 minutes before

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

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

0830 PM     HAIL             RUSSELLVILLE            34.51N 87.73W
04/07/2006  M0.88 INCH       FRANKLIN           AL   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:31 PM CDT, 37 minutes before

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

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

0800 PM     FLASH FLOOD      TUSCUMBIA               34.73N 87.71W
04/07/2006                   COLBERT            AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WATER OVER ROADS IN TUSCUMBIA AND MUSCLE SHOALS.

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:38 PM CDT, 30 minutes before

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

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

0838 PM     HAIL             2 NW LITTLEVILLE        34.61N 87.70W
04/07/2006  M1.75 INCH       COLBERT            AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL NEAR COLBERT HEIGHTS.

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 8:58 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

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

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

0857 PM     HAIL             NORTH COURTLAND         34.67N 87.33W
04/07/2006  M1.00 INCH       LAWRENCE           AL   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:02 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

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

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

0902 PM     HAIL             HAZEL GREEN             34.93N 86.57W
04/07/2006  M0.50 INCH       MADISON            AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            DIME SIZE HAIL

&&

BCC/DL

Local storm report, Apr 7, 9:06 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

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

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

0906 PM     TORNADO          SW PHIL CAMPBELL        34.35N 87.71W
04/07/2006                   FRANKLIN           AL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST SOUTHWEST OF PHIL CAMPBELL

&&

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, 7:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	HUN	Madison	20 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, 9:13 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

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.