Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008
Tornado Warning 98, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 1:44 PM CDT for 5 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 31 min. 1 report 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
- May 8, 2008, 1:44 PM CDT (18:44 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 2008, 2:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 31 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Fayette County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL
The radar
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1:59 PM CDT | TSTM WND DMG | 5 Ese New Lexington, AL | MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ON HWY 43. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 8:04 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| May 8, 12:40 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 83 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 212 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -132 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 567 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 63 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 193 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 216 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 2.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS54 KBMX 081844 TORBMX ALC057-073-107-125-127-081915- /O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0098.080508T1844Z-080508T1915Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 144 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EXTREME WEST CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA... SOUTH CENTRAL WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA... SOUTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... EXTREME NORTHEASTERN PICKENS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA... * UNTIL 215 PM CDT * AT 141 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAMANTHA...OR 12 MILES SOUTH OF FAYETTE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... 6 MILES NORTH OF SAMANTHA BY 205 PM CDT... 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF BANKHEAD LOCK AND DAM BY 215 PM CDT... 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 200 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR ALABAMA. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER... CALL 1-800-856-0758. LAT...LON 3368 8734 3339 8730 3341 8787 3364 8792 TIME...MOT...LOC 1844Z 273DEG 30KT 3352 8780 $$
1 follow-up statement
000
WWUS54 KBMX 081906
SVSBMX
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
206 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
ALC107-081916-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0098.000000T0000Z-080508T1915Z/
PICKENS AL-
206 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EXTREME NORTHEASTERN PICKENS COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.
LAT...LON 3360 8770 3368 8734 3354 8732 3354 8733
3353 8732 3339 8730 3345 8773
TIME...MOT...LOC 1906Z 273DEG 30KT 3351 8758
$$
ALC057-073-125-127-081915-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0098.000000T0000Z-080508T1915Z/
TUSCALOOSA AL-JEFFERSON AL-FAYETTE AL-WALKER AL-
206 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL WALKER...SOUTHEASTERN FAYETTE...EXTREME WEST CENTRAL
JEFFERSON AND NORTHERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTIES...
AT 205 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NEW LEXINGTON...OR ABOUT 18
MILES NORTH OF NORTHPORT...MOVING EAST AT 34 MPH.
THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHITSON AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF BANKHEAD LOCK
AND DAM BY 215 PM CDT...
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 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.
LAT...LON 3360 8770 3368 8734 3354 8732 3354 8733
3353 8732 3339 8730 3345 8773
TIME...MOT...LOC 1906Z 273DEG 30KT 3351 8758
$$
03The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 12:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, Winston | 38 min |
| May 8, 1:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Marion, Walker, Winston | 55 min |
| May 8, 1:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa | 47 min |
| May 8, 1:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Fayette, Walker | 53 min |
| May 8, 1:59 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Walker, Winston | 16 min |
| May 8, 2:13 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker | 47 min |
| May 8, 2:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount, Jefferson, Walker | 49 min |
| May 8, 2:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 47 min |
| May 8, 3:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 60 min |
| May 8, 3:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Blount, Etowah | 45 min |
| May 8, 3:34 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Jefferson, Shelby | 3 hr |
| May 8, 3:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby | 23 min |
| May 8, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa | 46 min |
| May 8, 4:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Bibb | 49 min |
| May 8, 4:30 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Coosa, Shelby | 3 hr |
| May 8, 4:40 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Talladega | 3 hr |
| May 8, 4:46 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Clay, Cleburne, Talladega | 32 min |
| May 8, 4:51 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BMX | Chilton | 3 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.