Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 82, NWS Huntsville, AL
NWS Huntsville, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2008, 3:06 PM CDT for Madison County, Alabama. It was in force for 24 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 2008, 3:06 PM CDT (20:06 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2008, 3:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 24 min
- Issued by
- NWS Huntsville, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
County Madison County, AL
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:09 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 nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 177 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
- 698 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -197 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 982 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 305 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 356 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 10:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 10:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1038 AM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 .UPDATE... MADE MINOR INCREASE TO POPS...BUT SLIGHT CHANCE/CHANCE WORDING IN CURRENT ZONE GROUPINGS WILL ESSENTIALLY REMAIN THE SAME. DECREASED CLOUD COVER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING IN THE WEST...AND INCREASED IN THE EAST. NO OTHER CHANGES MADE AT THIS TIME. && .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM CHALLENGES CENTER AROUND CONVECTIVE/PRECIP CHANCES AS COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTN. BASICALLY...HAVE KEPT FCST TAILORED TO SHOW SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS/QPF IN SERN AREAS WHICH WILL EXPERIENCE THE FRONTAL PASSAGE LATER IN THE AFTN...AND THUS CAN REALIZE BETTER HEATING/DESTABILIZATION. FRONT SHOULD CROSS THROUGH KHSV 3-4 PM...AND THROUGH OUR SE BORDER AROUND 7PM. LOW- LVL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SHOULD GIVE RISE TO ISOLD/SCATTERED CONVECTION THIS AFTN. HAVE THUS MAINTAINED GENERAL 20-30 POPS ACROSS THE AREA...WITH HIGHER CHANCES IN THE SE AS MENTIONED EARLIER. OVERALL SHEAR IS RATHER WEAK...WITH NEARLY UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW FIELD AND SMALL SPEED SHEAR IN THE LOW-LVLS GIVING NEARLY STRAIGHT HODOGRAPHS. HOWEVER...RELATIVELY DRY AIR ABOVE 700MB AND SLIGHT INVERTED-V SIGNATURE IN SOUNDINGS INDICATES...THE POTENTIAL FOR A STRONG/DAMAGING WIND THREAT. IN ADDITION...FAIRLY ROBUST SB CAPE VALUES 1500J/KG...LI VALUES -5C TO -6C AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS 9.5KFT...COULD PRODUCE A SMALL TO PERHAPS LARGE HAIL THREAT. BUT...THESE INSTANCES SHOULD BE ISOLATED GIVEN THE COVERAGE OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY EXPECTED. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 247 AM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008/ DISCUSSION... A BROAD SCALE VIEW ACROSS THE NORTH AMERICAN DOMAIN...THE WATER VAPOR LOOP INDICATED AN UPPER LOW OVER THE ALASKA PANHANDLE/BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST WITH AN UPPER JET DIVING SE TOWARD THE PACIFIC NW. THIS WESTERN SYSTEM...ALONG WITH MEAN RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN PLAINS... AND PERSISTENT UPPER LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES/NEW ENGLAND REGION WILL SET UP INTO AN OMEGA STYLE BLOCK ACROSS NORTH AMERICA FOR THE GREATER PART OF THIS WEEK. WITH THIS AREA IN A NOT TOO BAD PART OF THE BLOCK...A GENERALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED THIS WORK WEEK. AT THE SURFACE...A WEAK LOW WAS MOVING ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING NORTH AND WESTWARD TO ACROSS WESTERN IOWA. SHOWER AND T-STORM ACTIVITY WITH THIS SYSTEM SO FAR HAS BEEN FROM ALONG THE KY/TN BORDER AND POINTS NORTH AND EAST. LOCALLY... AREA DEWPOINTS HAVE RISEN FROM THE MID/UPPER 40S LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON NOW INTO THE MID/UPPER 50S. THESE HIGHER DEWPOINTS ALONG WITH A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET OVER 50KTS A COUPLE OF THOUSAND FEET ALOFT HELPS MAKES FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A SHOWER FORMING BEFORE DAYBREAK TUESDAY. WITH THE COLD FRONT BEING SOUTH OF THE REGION TONIGHT...HAVE KEPT LINGERING SHOWERS IN FOR OUR EASTERN AREAS THIS EVENING. THE POST FRONTAL COLD AIR WILL LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURES ON WEDNESDAY INTO THE 70S. AN UPPER DISTURBANCE NEARING THE REGION DURING THURSDAY WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN BACK TO THE FORECAST. WITH STRONG LATER MAY SUN...HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM UP SOMEWHAT TO AROUND 80...LOWER 80S FOR THU/FRI. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD INTO NEXT MONDAY...MEMORIAL DAY A DRYING AND WARMER TREND IS IN THE WORKS. THE EASTERN PART OF THE BLOCK SHOULD GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND MOVE OUT TO SEA...WHILE UPPER RIDGING MOVES FROM THE WESTERN PLAINS TO ACROSS THIS REGION. HIGH TEMPS FOR THE OFFICIAL START OF THE SUMMER SEASON SHOULD WARM INTO THE MID 80S FOR MEMORIAL DAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... HUNTSVILLE 85 54 75 54 / 20 10 10 10 SHOALS 85 54 75 54 / 20 10 10 10 CULLMAN 85 56 76 55 / 30 10 10 10 FAYETTEVILLE 84 54 73 53 / 20 10 10 10 ALBERTVILLE 86 56 76 55 / 30 20 10 10 FORT PAYNE 86 55 74 53 / 30 20 10 10 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && UPDATE...KDW.03 PREV DISCUSSION...RSB
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 1:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 158 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-210300- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DE KALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 158 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS IS OCCURRING IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...AND WILL SHIFT SOUTHEAST OF A SCOTTSBORO...GUNTERSVILLE...VINEMONT LINE AFTER 4 PM. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. A MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN SHOULD DEVELOP BY THE END OF THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EACH DAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... FORMAL ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE REPORTS OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRENCES. KULA
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 20, 2:18 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 218 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 TNZ097-201945- FRANKLIN- 218 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR FRANKLIN COUNTY UNTIL 245 PM CDT... AT 213 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR SEWANEE...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF WINCHESTER...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... ST. ANDREWS. THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION. KDW
Local storm report, May 20, 2:31 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
231 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 PM HAIL ELORA 35.01N 86.36W
05/20/2008 E0.75 INCH LINCOLN TN POST OFFICE
PENNY SIZE HAIL FALLING AT THE ELORA POST OFFIEC
&&
DLLocal storm report, May 20, 2:40 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Huntsville, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson | 23 min |
| May 20, 2:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Madison | 15 min |
| May 20, 2:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson, Madison | 30 min |
| May 20, 2:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson | 18 min |
| May 20, 2:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson | 32 min |
| May 20, 3:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Lawrence | 29 min |
| May 20, 3:18 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Madison, Morgan | 27 min |
| May 20, 3:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Jackson | 24 min |
| May 20, 3:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | DeKalb, Jackson | 18 min |
| May 20, 3:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Lawrence | 13 min |
| May 20, 3:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Marshall | 16 min |
| May 20, 4:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | DeKalb, Marshall | 30 min |
| May 20, 4:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | DeKalb | 25 min |
| May 20, 4:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Cullman | 51 min |
| May 20, 4:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | DeKalb, Marshall | 48 min |
| May 20, 4:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HUN | DeKalb | 13 min |
| May 20, 4:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Cullman | 19 min |
| May 20, 5:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Cullman | 31 min |
| May 20, 6:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Cullman | 24 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.