Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 113, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 20, 2008Cherokee County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 20, 2008, 5:05 PM CDT for Cherokee County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 min. 3 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: May 20, 2008, 5:05 PM CDT (22:05 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 2008, 5:45 PM CDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Cherokee County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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 20, 5:10 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Sand Rock, AL	TREES REPORTED DOWN IN SAND ROCK.
May 20, 5:16 PM CDT	HAIL 0.5	Centre, AL	DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN CENTRE.
May 20, 5:41 PM CDT	HAIL 1	Leesburg, AL	QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN LEESBURG.

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 20, 3:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 147 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: 572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -199 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 979 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 225 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 202205
TORBMX
ALC019-202245-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0113.080520T2205Z-080520T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
505 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL CHEROKEE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...CENTRE...CEDAR BLUFF...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT

* AT 505 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SAND ROCK...OR 8
  MILES NORTHWEST OF CENTRE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CENTRE...MOSHAT...CEDAR BLUFF AND TENNALA BY 515 PM CDT...
  MOSHAT BY 520 PM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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

LAT...LON 3422 8548 3403 8562 3422 8587 3422 8585
      3424 8585 3428 8580 3428 8577 3430 8573
TIME...MOT...LOC 2205Z 290DEG 35KT 3420 8575

$$

10/ARM

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 202217
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
517 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008

ALC019-202245-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0113.000000T0000Z-080520T2245Z/
CHEROKEE AL-
517 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 545 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
CHEROKEE COUNTY...

AT 517 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A 
POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR CENTRE...MOVING 
SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TENNALA BY 520 PM CDT...
  MOSHAT BY 525 PM CDT...
  ELLISVILLE AND HOWELLS CROSSROADS BY 530 PM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3422 8548 3403 8562 3417 8580 3427 8572
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 302DEG 26KT 3416 8568

$$

10/ARM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 11:53 AM CDT	Lake Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	7 hr
May 20, 4:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Winston	37 min
May 20, 4:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee	30 min
May 20, 4:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee	53 min
May 20, 4:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	61 min
May 20, 5:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Etowah	53 min
May 20, 5:26 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cherokee, Cleburne	33 min
May 20, 5:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Walker, Winston	23 min
May 20, 6:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, St. Clair	59 min
May 20, 6:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne	49 min
May 20, 6:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, St. Clair, Talladega	51 min
May 20, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega	53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes 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.