Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 186, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 10, 2008Walker County, Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 10, 2008, 12:59 AM CST for Walker County, Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 16 min. 2 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: Dec 10, 2008, 12:59 AM CST (06:59 UTC)
Expired: Dec 10, 2008, 1:15 AM CST
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:00 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
Dec 10, 1:05 AM CST	HAIL 0.25	Manchester, AL	PEA SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR MANCHESTER.
Dec 10, 1:10 AM CST	HAIL 1	Manchester, AL	QUARTER SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED ALONG HIGHWAY 195 NEAR MANCHESTER.

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
Dec 9, 8:03 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 91 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: 167 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 741 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 336 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 421 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 100659
TORBMX
ALC127-133-100715-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0186.081210T0659Z-081210T0715Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1259 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF JASPER...
  SOUTHEASTERN WINSTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 115 AM CST

* AT 1258 AM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR JASPER...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LAKE SHORE AND SMITH DAM BY 105 AM CST...

THIS INCLUDES US 78 EXIT NUMBER 65.

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 AM CST WEDNESDAY MORNING
FOR WESTERN ALABAMA.

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

LAT...LON 3390 8739 3414 8710 3394 8709 3392 8707
      3390 8707 3378 8723
TIME...MOT...LOC 0658Z 224DEG 46KT 3391 8722

$$

10/ARM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 9, 8:52 PM CST	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Walker, Winston	7 hr
Dec 9, 9:15 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Marion	45 min
Dec 9, 9:45 PM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston	3 hr
Dec 9, 9:59 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lamar, Marion	31 min
Dec 9, 10:01 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens	44 min
Dec 9, 10:47 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Greene, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker	43 min
Dec 9, 11:01 PM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Winston	3 hr
Dec 9, 11:13 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens	32 min
Dec 9, 11:36 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Winston	39 min
Dec 9, 11:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	30 min
Dec 10, 12:06 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker	24 min
Dec 10, 12:22 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter	38 min
Dec 10, 12:31 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Walker	29 min
Dec 10, 12:41 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker	49 min
Dec 10, 12:50 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	40 min
Dec 10, 12:55 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa	50 min
Dec 10, 1:09 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Walker	6 min
Dec 10, 1:31 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa	44 min
Dec 10, 1:32 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens, Tuscaloosa	28 min
Dec 10, 1:55 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson	9 min
Dec 10, 1:57 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Jefferson, Walker	33 min
Dec 10, 2:00 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker	30 min
Dec 10, 2:12 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter, Tuscaloosa	48 min
Dec 10, 2:26 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Etowah	34 min
Dec 10, 2:32 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Jefferson	28 min
Dec 10, 3:07 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marengo, Sumter	23 min
Dec 10, 3:11 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Tuscaloosa	34 min
Dec 10, 3:28 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Dallas	34 min
Dec 10, 3:38 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson	37 min
Dec 10, 4:17 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cherokee	13 min
Dec 10, 4:38 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	St. Clair	20 min
Dec 10, 4:40 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lowndes, Montgomery	35 min
Dec 10, 4:44 AM CST	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Jefferson	3 hr
Dec 10, 5:07 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry	23 min
Dec 10, 5:32 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Coosa, Tallapoosa	28 min
Dec 10, 6:24 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pike	51 min
Dec 10, 6:43 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Pike	47 min
Dec 10, 6:49 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Cleburne, Randolph	15 min
Dec 10, 6:51 AM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter	6 days
Dec 10, 6:51 AM CST	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter	6 days
Dec 10, 7:18 AM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Coosa, Tallapoosa	27 min
Dec 10, 7:41 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour, Pike	49 min
Dec 10, 8:24 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour	36 min
Dec 10, 9:56 AM CST	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Barbour, Pike	4 hr
Dec 10, 3:24 PM CST	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers and 24 more	20 hr
Dec 10, 3:54 PM CST	Winter Storm Watch	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Walker, Winston	12 hr
Dec 10, 4:01 PM CST	Lake Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	29 hr

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.