Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008
Tornado Warning 103, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 3:11 PM CDT for Blount County, Etowah County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 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
- May 8, 2008, 3:11 PM CDT (20:11 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 2008, 3:56 PM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Blount County, AL, Etowah County, AL
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 3:22 PM CDT | TSTM WND DMG | 2 N Altoona, AL | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ON HWY 39. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 12:40 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 115 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 212 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -132 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 567 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 193 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 216 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 2.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WFUS54 KBMX 082011
TORBMX
ALC009-055-082115-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0103.080508T2011Z-080508T2115Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
311 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
EAST CENTRAL BLOUNT COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
ETOWAH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GADSDEN...
* UNTIL 415 PM CDT
* AT 308 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF
ALTOONA...OR NEAR ONEONTA...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
ALTOONA AND WALNUT GROVE BY 320 PM CDT...
ATTALLA BY 335 PM CDT...
NOCCALULA FALLS...6 MILES NORTH OF GADSDEN...7 MILES SOUTH OF
SARDIS CITY AND 7 MILES NORTH OF GADSDEN MALL BY 340 PM CDT...
REECE CITY BY 345 PM CDT...
ANDERSON BY 350 PM CDT...
TABOR ROAD BY 400 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.
TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.
LAT...LON 3422 8585 3413 8584 3413 8579 3405 8575
3397 8618 3396 8626 3398 8629 3396 8630
3393 8646 3401 8648 3408 8646 3414 8632
3413 8628 3421 8616
TIME...MOT...LOC 2011Z 253DEG 37KT 3400 8641
$$
612 follow-up statements
000
WWUS54 KBMX 082034
SVSBMX
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
334 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
ALC009-082044-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0103.000000T0000Z-080508T2115Z/
BLOUNT AL-
334 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL BLOUNT COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.
LAT...LON 3422 8585 3413 8584 3413 8579 3406 8619
3411 8623 3421 8616 3420 8611 3421 8610
TIME...MOT...LOC 2034Z 247DEG 35KT 3409 8617
$$
ALC055-082115-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0103.000000T0000Z-080508T2115Z/
ETOWAH AL-
334 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
ETOWAH COUNTY...
AT 332 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HOWELTON...OR ABOUT 8 MILES
SOUTH OF BOAZ...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
ROCKLEDGE...MOUNTAINBORO AND SARDIS CITY BY 340 PM CDT...
CRUDUP BY 345 PM CDT...
TABOR ROAD BY 400 PM CDT...
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.
LAT...LON 3422 8585 3413 8584 3413 8579 3406 8619
3411 8623 3421 8616 3420 8611 3421 8610
TIME...MOT...LOC 2034Z 247DEG 35KT 3409 8617
$$
61000
WWUS54 KBMX 082056
SVSBMX
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
356 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
ALC055-082106-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0103.000000T0000Z-080508T2115Z/
ETOWAH AL-
356 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN ETOWAH COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED. THE STORMS THAT PROMPTED THE
WARNING HAVE WEAKENED.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.
LAT...LON 3422 8585 3413 8584 3413 8579 3406 8619
3411 8623 3421 8616 3420 8611 3421 8610
TIME...MOT...LOC 2056Z 247DEG 35KT 3416 8593
$$
61The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 12:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston | 38 min |
| May 8, 1:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Marion, Walker, Winston | 55 min |
| May 8, 1:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa | 47 min |
| May 8, 1:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Walker | 53 min |
| May 8, 1:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Jefferson, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker | 31 min |
| May 8, 1:59 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker, Winston | 16 min |
| May 8, 2:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker | 47 min |
| May 8, 2:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount, Jefferson, Walker | 49 min |
| May 8, 2:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 47 min |
| May 8, 3:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 60 min |
| May 8, 3:34 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 3 hr |
| May 8, 3:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby | 23 min |
| May 8, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| May 8, 4:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 49 min |
| May 8, 4:30 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Coosa, Shelby | 3 hr |
| May 8, 4:40 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Talladega | 3 hr |
| May 8, 4:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Cleburne, Talladega | 32 min |
| May 8, 4:51 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Chilton | 3 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008
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.