Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2007

Tornado Warning 145, NWS Birmingham, AL

October 18, 2007Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 18, 2007, 5:23 PM CDT for Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 min. 4 reports 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: Oct 18, 2007, 5:23 PM CDT (22:23 UTC)
Expired: Oct 18, 2007, 5:58 PM CDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:26 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
Oct 18, 5:34 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	2 N Ralph, AL	A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SPOTTED NORTH OF RALPH.
Oct 18, 5:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Northport, AL	A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN THAT DAMAGED PART OF A BRIDGE. THE ROAD HAS BEEN CLOSED OVERNIGHT. THE LOCATION WAS MLK BLVD AND HUNTER CREEK.
Oct 18, 5:47 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	6 Nne Ralph, AL	FUNNEL CLOUD SPOTTED WEST OF INTERSTATE 20 WEST OF FOSTERS.
Oct 18, 6:00 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Northport, AL	ONE TREE 3 FEET IN DIAMETER WAS BLOWN DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD AND HUNTER CREEK RD.

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

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Oct 18, 1:31 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 86 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: 234 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 632 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 246 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 331 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 182223
TORBMX
ALC125-182315-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0145.071018T2223Z-071018T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
523 PM CDT THU OCT 18 2007

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...TUSCALOOSA...NORTHPORT...HOLT...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 523 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR RALPH...OR
  17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NORTHPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  COKER BY 605 PM CDT...
  TUSCALOOSA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...NORTHPORT...TUSCALOOSA AND 7 MILES
  WEST OF HOLT BY 615 PM CDT...

FUNNEL CLOUDS AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS 
STORM.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3333 8756 3320 8744 3302 8771 3303 8772
      3304 8782 3310 8783 3311 8784 3320 8783
      3332 8771
TIME...MOT...LOC 2223Z 227DEG 14KT 3309 8780

$$

75

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 182242
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
542 PM CDT THU OCT 18 2007

ALC125-182315-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0145.000000T0000Z-071018T2315Z/
TUSCALOOSA AL-
542 PM CDT THU OCT 18 2007

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY...

AT 542 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTH OF
COKER...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NORTHPORT...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 15 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BUHL BY 555 PM CDT...
  6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COKER BY 610 PM CDT...
  OLIVER LOCK DAM...OLIVER LOCK AND DAM...TUSCALOOSA MUNICIPAL       
  AIRPORT AND NORTHPORT BY 615 PM CDT...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3332 8771 3333 8756 3320 8744 3312 8757
      3306 8771 3306 8774 3308 8776 3320 8783
TIME...MOT...LOC 2242Z 241DEG 14KT 3312 8774

$$

75

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 182258
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
558 PM CDT THU OCT 18 2007

ALC125-182308-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0145.000000T0000Z-071018T2315Z/
TUSCALOOSA AL-
558 PM CDT THU OCT 18 2007

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED. THE STORMS THAT PROMPTED THE
WARNING HAVE WEAKENED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR WESTERN ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3332 8771 3333 8756 3320 8744 3312 8757
      3306 8771 3306 8774 3308 8776 3320 8783
TIME...MOT...LOC 2258Z 241DEG 14KT 3315 8767

$$
75

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 18, 4:25 AM CDT	Lake Wind Advisory	BMX	Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah and 12 more	15 hr
Oct 18, 1:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lamar	36 min
Oct 18, 1:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion	52 min
Oct 18, 2:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion, Winston	39 min
Oct 18, 2:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Sumter	29 min
Oct 18, 2:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Sumter	32 min
Oct 18, 3:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Sumter	44 min
Oct 18, 3:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Sumter	34 min
Oct 18, 3:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	32 min
Oct 18, 4:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene	34 min
Oct 18, 4:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Tuscaloosa	40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2007 Every tornado warning in 2007 Tornadoes in 2007

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.