Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2006

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Mobile, AL

March 20, 2006Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 20, 2006, 6:19 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 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
Mar 20, 2006, 6:19 PM CST (00:19 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2006, 6:45 PM CST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:20 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 20, 3:09 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 199 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2006-03-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 906 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 2006-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 229 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
906 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
921 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
266 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 210019
TORMOB
ALC129-210045-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0017.060321T0019Z-060321T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
619 PM CST MON MAR 20 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA

* UNTIL 645 PM CST

* AT 618 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO FROM
  JORDON TO VINEGAR BEND...AND MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ST STEPHENS AND TOPTON BY 630 PM CST
  WAGARVILLE AND SUNFLOWER BY 635 PM CST
  TOINETTE AND PRESTWICK BY 640 PM CST

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE DANGEROUS STORMS...ABANDON VEHICLES
AND MOBILE HOMES AND SEEK A REINFORCED SHELTER. MOVE TO THE LOWEST
FLOOR INTERIOR HALLWAY OR CLOSET. COVER YOUR BODY WITH BLANKETS OR
PILLOWS.

IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST MONDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. A TORNADO WATCH
ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CST TUESDAY MORNING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3154 8829 3122 8840 3122 8799 3139 8792
      3150 8794 3160 8807

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 6:06 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw, Washington24 min
Mar 20, 6:39 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington51 min
Mar 20, 7:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMonroe45 min
Mar 20, 7:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2006Every tornado warning in 2006Tornadoes 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.