Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 37, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 17, 2008Dallas County, Marengo County, Perry County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 17, 2008, 11:40 AM CST for Dallas County, Marengo County, Perry County, Alabama. It was in force for 35 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 17, 2008, 11:40 AM CST (17:40 UTC)
Expired: Feb 17, 2008, 12:15 PM CST
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Dallas County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Perry County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:43 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
Feb 17, 5:26 AM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 126 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: 5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 560 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 277 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 350 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 171742
TORBMX
ALC047-091-105-171815-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0037.080217T1740Z-080217T1815Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1140 AM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN PERRY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  WEST CENTRAL DALLAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHEASTERN MARENGO COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1215 PM CST

* AT 1140 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MAGNOLIA...
  OR 12 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LINDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CONSUL AND THOMASTON BY 1150 AM CST...
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAFFORD BY NOON CST...
  VALDEN BY 1215 PM CST...

A SECOND POTENTIAL TORNADIC STORM WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF OPINE AND 
WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN MARENGO BETWEEN SWEET WATER AND SURGINER BY 
NOON.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST SUNDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

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

LAT...LON 3258 8735 3242 8717 3224 8740 3227 8744
      3227 8750 3215 8752 3212 8755 3213 8761
      3207 8762 3200 8771 3200 8802
TIME...MOT...LOC 1740Z 227DEG 46KT 3217 8768

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 171753
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1153 AM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

ALC047-091-105-171815-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0037.000000T0000Z-080217T1815Z/
MARENGO AL-DALLAS AL-PERRY AL-
1153 AM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 PM CST FOR
SOUTHWESTERN PERRY...WEST CENTRAL DALLAS AND SOUTHEASTERN MARENGO
COUNTIES...

AT 1153 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR THOMASTON...OR
ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LINDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CENTRAL MILLS AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAFFORD BY NOON CST...
  MARION JUNCTION AND BOGUE CHITTO BY 1210 PM CST...
  VALDEN BY 1215 PM CST...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST SUNDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3258 8735 3243 8719 3224 8740 3227 8744
      3227 8750 3215 8752 3212 8755 3213 8761
      3207 8762 3200 8771 3200 8802
TIME...MOT...LOC 1753Z 227DEG 46KT 3228 8754

$$
JBW

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 171808
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1206 PM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

ALC047-091-105-171815-
/O.COR.KBMX.TO.W.0037.000000T0000Z-080217T1815Z/
MARENGO AL-DALLAS AL-PERRY AL-
1206 PM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 PM CST FOR 
SOUTHWESTERN PERRY...WEST CENTRAL DALLAS AND SOUTHEASTERN MARENGO 
COUNTIES...

AT 1206 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR THOMASTON...OR
ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LINDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CENTRAL MILLS AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAFFORD BY NOON CST...
  MARION JUNCTION AND BOGUE CHITTO BY 1210 PM CST...
  VALDEN BY 1215 PM CST...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM CST SUNDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3258 8735 3243 8719 3224 8740 3227 8744
      3227 8750 3215 8752 3212 8755 3213 8761
      3207 8762 3200 8771 3200 8802
TIME...MOT...LOC 1753Z 227DEG 46KT 3228 8754

$$
JBW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 17, 4:08 AM CST	Lake Wind Advisory	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	14 hr
Feb 17, 10:59 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Tuscaloosa	31 min
Feb 17, 11:13 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas, Hale, Marengo, Perry	32 min
Feb 17, 11:24 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and 8 more	66 min
Feb 17, 12:08 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Dallas, Perry	52 min
Feb 17, 12:11 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Dallas, Marengo	49 min
Feb 17, 12:28 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Elmore and 5 more	62 min
Feb 17, 12:48 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Dallas	42 min
Feb 17, 12:53 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton	34 min
Feb 17, 1:09 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore	51 min
Feb 17, 1:27 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega	63 min
Feb 17, 1:31 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Elmore	44 min
Feb 17, 1:40 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Chambers, Clay, Coosa, Randolph, Tallapoosa	35 min
Feb 17, 1:45 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Dallas, Lowndes	60 min
Feb 17, 1:50 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike	55 min
Feb 17, 2:08 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph, Tallapoosa	49 min
Feb 17, 2:31 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa	44 min
Feb 17, 2:31 PM CST	Tornado Warning Emergency	BMX	Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery	59 min
Feb 17, 2:41 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	64 min
Feb 17, 2:49 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Chambers, Coosa, Elmore, Randolph, Tallapoosa	56 min
Feb 17, 3:26 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa	34 min
Feb 17, 3:31 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pike	44 min
Feb 17, 3:37 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Russell	38 min
Feb 17, 4:05 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Pike	40 min
Feb 17, 4:10 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Russell	50 min
Feb 17, 4:20 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Chambers, Clay, Randolph, Tallapoosa	43 min
Feb 17, 4:40 PM CST	Tornado Warning	BMX	Barbour, Russell	25 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.