Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 187, NWS Birmingham, AL

December 10, 2008Blount County, Walker County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 10, 2008, 1:09 AM CST for Blount County, Walker County, Alabama. It was in force for 6 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
Dec 10, 2008, 1:09 AM CST (07:09 UTC)
Expired
Dec 10, 2008, 1:15 AM CST
In force
6 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Blount County, AL, Walker County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:09 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Dec 9, 8:03 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 80 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2008-12-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 167 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2008-12-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 336 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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 100709
TORBMX
ALC009-127-100715-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0187.081210T0709Z-081210T0715Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL BLOUNT COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  EAST CENTRAL WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 115 AM CST

* AT 108 AM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SIPSEY...OR 7     
  MILES NORTHWEST OF SUMITON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  INDICATED COUNTIES.

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 3423 8650 3412 8666 3409 8668 3390 8692
      3388 8698 3386 8697 3376 8709 3384 8718
      3393 8710 3392 8707 3390 8708 3388 8698
      3424 8654
TIME...MOT...LOC 0708Z 222DEG 55KT 3388 8706

$$

10/ARM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 9, 8:52 PM CSTFlash Flood WatchBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Walker, Winston7 hr
Dec 9, 9:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion45 min
Dec 9, 9:45 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston3 hr
Dec 9, 9:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar, Marion31 min
Dec 9, 10:01 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens44 min
Dec 9, 10:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Greene, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker43 min
Dec 9, 11:01 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Winston3 hr
Dec 9, 11:13 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXGreene, Pickens32 min
Dec 9, 11:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Winston39 min
Dec 9, 11:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa30 min
Dec 10, 12:06 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker24 min
Dec 10, 12:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter38 min
Dec 10, 12:31 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker29 min
Dec 10, 12:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker49 min
Dec 10, 12:50 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa40 min
Dec 10, 12:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa50 min
Dec 10, 12:59 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXWalker, Winston16 min
Dec 10, 1:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa44 min
Dec 10, 1:32 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa28 min
Dec 10, 1:55 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXJefferson9 min
Dec 10, 1:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson, Walker33 min
Dec 10, 2:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker30 min
Dec 10, 2:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter, Tuscaloosa48 min
Dec 10, 2:26 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Etowah34 min
Dec 10, 2:32 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Jefferson28 min
Dec 10, 3:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo, Sumter23 min
Dec 10, 3:11 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Tuscaloosa34 min
Dec 10, 3:28 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Dallas34 min
Dec 10, 3:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson37 min
Dec 10, 4:17 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCherokee13 min
Dec 10, 4:38 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair20 min
Dec 10, 4:40 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes, Montgomery35 min
Dec 10, 4:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningBMXJefferson3 hr
Dec 10, 5:07 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXBibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry23 min
Dec 10, 5:32 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Tallapoosa28 min
Dec 10, 6:24 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPike51 min
Dec 10, 6:43 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPike47 min
Dec 10, 6:49 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCleburne, Randolph15 min
Dec 10, 6:51 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter6 days
Dec 10, 6:51 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter6 days
Dec 10, 7:18 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Tallapoosa27 min
Dec 10, 7:41 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Pike49 min
Dec 10, 8:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour36 min
Dec 10, 9:56 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBMXBarbour, Pike4 hr
Dec 10, 3:24 PM CSTFlash Flood WatchBMXAutauga, Barbour, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers and 24 more20 hr
Dec 10, 3:54 PM CSTWinter Storm WatchBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Walker, Winston12 hr
Dec 10, 4:01 PM CSTLake Wind AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more29 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.