Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 6, 2008Blount County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 6, 2008, 4:14 AM CST for Blount County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 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
Feb 6, 2008, 4:14 AM CST (10:14 UTC)
Expired
Feb 6, 2008, 4:45 AM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Blount County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:14 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
Feb 5, 10:01 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC8 hr
Feb 6, 4:06 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 113 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 2008-02-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 771 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 2008-02-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 223 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
771 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
947 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
320 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
4.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 061013 RRA
TORBMX
ALC009-061045-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0029.080206T1014Z-080206T1045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
414 AM CST WED FEB 6 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BLOUNT COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 445 AM CST

* AT 414 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 17 MILES WEST OF
  BROOKSVILLE...OR NEAR CULLMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BROOKSVILLE BY 425 AM CST...
  STRAWBERRY AND 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF MCLARTY BY 430 AM CST...

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 700 AM CST WEDNESDAY MORNING
FOR ALABAMA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CST
WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR ALABAMA.

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

LAT...LON 3426 8643 3416 8636 3407 8669 3410 8670
      3410 8666 3414 8663 3414 8660 3419 8657
      3422 8657 3427 8651 3428 8645
TIME...MOT...LOC 1014Z 242DEG 47KT 3417 8669

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 061024
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
424 AM CST WED FEB 6 2008

ALC009-061045-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0029.000000T0000Z-080206T1045Z/
BLOUNT AL-
424 AM CST WED FEB 6 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 AM CST FOR EXTREME
NORTH CENTRAL BLOUNT COUNTY...

AT 424 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR STRAWBERRY...OR
ABOUT 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ARAB...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

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 3426 8643 3422 8641 3419 8645 3420 8654
      3422 8657 3427 8651 3428 8645
TIME...MOT...LOC 1024Z 237DEG 60KT 3424 8655

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 6, 1:29 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLamar31 min
Feb 6, 1:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens54 min
Feb 6, 1:54 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXPickens51 min
Feb 6, 1:59 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion46 min
Feb 6, 2:30 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXWinston27 min
Feb 6, 2:39 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa51 min
Feb 6, 2:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLamar48 min
Feb 6, 3:11 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker39 min
Feb 6, 3:20 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Pickens40 min
Feb 6, 3:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston39 min
Feb 6, 3:38 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Pickens, Sumter52 min
Feb 6, 3:48 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa30 min
Feb 6, 3:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Walker, Winston52 min
Feb 6, 4:05 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter40 min
Feb 6, 4:13 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker47 min
Feb 6, 4:27 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXHale, Marengo33 min
Feb 6, 4:53 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXDallas, Hale, Marengo, Perry37 min
Feb 6, 5:22 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Dallas, Perry38 min
Feb 6, 5:50 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXChilton, Coosa40 min
Feb 6, 5:51 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa39 min
Feb 6, 6:24 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Coosa, Talladega21 min
Feb 6, 6:29 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXClay, Coosa, Talladega46 min
Feb 6, 7:05 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega40 min
Feb 6, 7:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLowndes, Montgomery37 min
Feb 6, 7:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery50 min
Feb 6, 7:38 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXCleburne22 min
Feb 6, 7:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Elmore, Lee, Macon, Montgomery and 2 more65 min
Feb 6, 8:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Pike36 min
Feb 6, 9:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXRussell17 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.