Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 99, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 8, 2008Walker County, Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 1:59 PM CDT for Walker County, Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 16 min. 3 reports 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, 1:59 PM CDT (18:59 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2008, 2:15 PM CDT
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:01 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, 2:02 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 Sse Lake Shore, AL	THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE MARYLEE COMMUNITY, IN EXTREME NORTHEAST WALKER COUNTY. FROM THERE IT MOVED EASTWARD, ACROSS SMITH LAKE, AND CONTINUED INTO CULLMAN COUNTY. IN WALKER COUNTY, THIS TORNADO DAMAGED AT LEAST 5 CHICKEN HOUSES, BLEW DOW
May 8, 2:05 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 N Smith Dam, AL	POSSIBLE TORNADO...MULTIPLE TREES DOWN.
May 8, 2:12 PM CDT	TORNADO 1	5 Wnw Wilburn, AL	PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY FROM A NWS TEAM FOUND DAMAGE FROM AN EF1 TORNADO IN THREE DISTINCT...THOUGH NOT CONTINUOUS...SEGMENTS FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST OF THE CITY OF CULLMAN. SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED. MAJOR STRUCTRUAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERV

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, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 98 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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 081859
TORBMX
ALC127-133-081915-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0099.080508T1859Z-080508T1915Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
159 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHEASTERN WINSTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 215 PM CDT

* AT 156 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR CURRY...OR 8 MILES
  SOUTH OF ARLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SMITH DAM BY 205 PM CDT...

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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

LAT...LON 3393 8709 3389 8721 3405 8727 3413 8710
      3412 8710
TIME...MOT...LOC 1859Z 244DEG 35KT 3399 8720

$$

61

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 081909
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
209 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

ALC127-133-081915-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0099.000000T0000Z-080508T1915Z/
WALKER AL-WINSTON AL-
209 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN WINSTON AND NORTHEASTERN WALKER COUNTIES...

AT 205 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR WILSON BEND...OR ABOUT 7
MILES SOUTHEAST OF ARLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3413 8710 3394 8709 3393 8709 3391 8716
      3408 8721
TIME...MOT...LOC 1909Z 244DEG 35KT 3401 8710

$$

03

The 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, 1:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Jefferson, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker	31 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, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.