Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 57, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 26, 2008Jefferson County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 26, 2008, 3:28 AM CST for Jefferson County, Alabama. It was in force for 16 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 26, 2008, 3:28 AM CST (09:28 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2008, 3:44 AM CST
In force
16 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Jefferson County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 31 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:28 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 26, 12:10 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 30 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 2008-02-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2008-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 87 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1555 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
245 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 260929
TORBMX
ALC073-261000-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0057.080226T0928Z-080226T1000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
328 AM CST TUE FEB 26 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...LIPSCOMB...BESSEMER...

* UNTIL 400 AM CST

* AT 323 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR VALLEY
  CREEK...OR 6 MILES WEST OF BESSEMER...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  SHADES CREEK GREENWOOD

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 AM CST
TUESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

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

LAT...LON 3343 8689 3331 8693 3333 8712 3343 8709
TIME...MOT...LOC 0928Z 282DEG 55KT 3335 8697

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 260944
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
343 AM CST TUE FEB 26 2008

ALC073-260953-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0057.000000T0000Z-080226T1000Z/
JEFFERSON AL-
343 AM CST TUE FEB 26 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED.

LAT...LON 3343 8689 3331 8693 3333 8712 3343 8709
TIME...MOT...LOC 0943Z 282DEG 55KT 3330 8670

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 26, 3:23 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson37 min
Feb 26, 3:47 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Shelby28 min
Feb 26, 3:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChilton, Clay33 min
Feb 26, 4:06 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega39 min
Feb 26, 4:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne, St. Clair, Talladega32 min
Feb 26, 4:18 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Coosa, Talladega, Tallapoosa27 min
Feb 26, 4:26 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega34 min
Feb 26, 4:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Clay, Randolph, Tallapoosa33 min
Feb 26, 4:55 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo35 min
Feb 26, 5:25 AM CSTLake Wind AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more15 hr
Feb 26, 5:34 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas26 min
Feb 26, 6:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery36 min
Feb 26, 6:30 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXLowndes18 min
Feb 26, 6:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMontgomery35 min
Feb 26, 6:42 AM CSTTornado WarningBMXMontgomery33 min
Feb 26, 6:45 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Elmore, Macon, Montgomery30 min
Feb 26, 6:57 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Pike33 min
Feb 26, 7:13 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Macon, Russell47 min
Feb 26, 7:22 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Pike38 min
Feb 26, 7:42 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXLee, Russell18 min
Feb 26, 7:49 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBarbour, Bullock, Pike56 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.