Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008
Tornado Warning 159, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Aug 25, 2008, 9:30 AM CDT for Jefferson County, Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 30 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
- Aug 25, 2008, 9:30 AM CDT (14:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 25, 2008, 10:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Jefferson County, AL, Shelby County, AL
The radar
The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:30 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 7:28 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 13 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 21 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
- 675 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 533 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 166 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 168 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS54 KBMX 251430 TORBMX ALC073-117-251500- /O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0159.080825T1430Z-080825T1500Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 930 AM CDT MON AUG 25 2008 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...VESTAVIA HILLS...HUEYTOWN...HOOVER... HOMEWOOD...FAIRFIELD...BIRMINGHAM...BESSEMER... WESTERN SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PELHAM...HELENA...ALABASTER... * UNTIL 1000 AM CDT * AT 925 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR ALABASTER...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... ALABASTER BY 935 AM CDT... HELENA AND PELHAM BY 940 AM CDT... VERIZON MUSIC CENTER AT OAK MOUNTAIN BY 945 AM CDT... REGIONS PARK OR HOOVER MET...RIVERCHASE AND INDIAN SPRINGS VILLAGE BY 950 AM CDT... HOOVER AND RIVERCHASE GALLERIA BY 955 AM CDT... ROSS BRIDGE BY 1000 AM CDT... THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 65 EXIT NUMBERS 234 THROUGH 261... INTERSTATE 459 EXIT NUMBERS 6 THROUGH 17... AND INTERSTATE 20 EXIT NUMBERS 113 THROUGH 126. 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. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHERN ALABAMA. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER... CALL 1-800-856-0758. LAT...LON 3347 8703 3354 8678 3316 8671 3313 8682 TIME...MOT...LOC 1430Z 163DEG 21KT 3323 8681 $$ 17/KLAWS
1 follow-up statement
000
WWUS54 KBMX 251447
SVSBMX
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
947 AM CDT MON AUG 25 2008
ALC073-117-251500-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0159.000000T0000Z-080825T1500Z/
SHELBY AL-JEFFERSON AL-
947 AM CDT MON AUG 25 2008
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL JEFFERSON AND WEST CENTRAL SHELBY COUNTIES...
AT 944 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR HELENA...MOVING NORTH AT 24
MPH.
THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
ROSS BRIDGE...BLUFF PARK...HOOVER AND RIVERCHASE GALLERIA BY 955 AM
CDT...
SHANNON...LIPSCOMB...BON AIR AND MIDFIELD BY 1000 AM CDT...
THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT MONDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHERN ALABAMA.
LAT...LON 3354 8678 3326 8679 3322 8687 3327 8690
3327 8692 3332 8693 3334 8696 3336 8696
3347 8703
TIME...MOT...LOC 1447Z 163DEG 21KT 3332 8684
$$
17/KLAWSThe office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 5:49 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Dallas, Perry | 26 min |
| Aug 25, 6:06 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Hale, Perry | 24 min |
| Aug 25, 6:27 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | BMX | Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter | 4 hr |
| Aug 25, 7:05 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lowndes, Montgomery | 25 min |
| Aug 25, 7:40 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Autauga, Lowndes, Montgomery | 35 min |
| Aug 25, 7:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bullock, Montgomery, Pike | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 7:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Autauga, Elmore, Montgomery | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 8:12 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 8:16 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Barbour | 29 min |
| Aug 25, 8:27 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 8:44 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Barbour, Bullock, Macon, Russell | 31 min |
| Aug 25, 8:47 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay, Coosa, Tallapoosa | 28 min |
| Aug 25, 8:59 AM CDT | River Flood Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 3 days |
| Aug 25, 9:04 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chilton, Shelby | 26 min |
| Aug 25, 9:10 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay, Talladega | 35 min |
| Aug 25, 9:12 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bullock, Macon, Russell | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 9:24 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Bullock, Macon | 3 hr |
| Aug 25, 9:25 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Chambers, Randolph | 35 min |
| Aug 25, 9:27 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Shelby | 3 hr |
| Aug 25, 9:33 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay, Cleburne | 27 min |
| Aug 25, 9:36 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Lee, Macon, Russell | 39 min |
| Aug 25, 9:43 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Jefferson | 3 hr |
| Aug 25, 9:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cleburne, Randolph | 22 min |
| Aug 25, 10:49 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Clay, Talladega | 26 min |
| Aug 25, 10:59 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Montgomery | 3 hr |
| Aug 25, 11:03 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount, St. Clair | 27 min |
| Aug 25, 11:31 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount | 29 min |
| Aug 25, 11:55 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne | 35 min |
| Aug 25, 11:57 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Randolph | 33 min |
| Aug 25, 12:21 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | BMX | Coosa, Jefferson, Shelby | 4 hr |
| Aug 25, 12:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun, Cherokee, Etowah | 30 min |
| Aug 25, 12:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Cherokee, Etowah | 34 min |
| Aug 25, 1:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Pike | 30 min |
| Aug 25, 2:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Barbour | 32 min |
| Aug 25, 3:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Bullock, Macon | 13 min |
| Aug 25, 3:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Barbour | 27 min |
| Aug 25, 5:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Barbour, Bullock, Pike | 30 min |
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.