Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 85, NWS Huntsville, AL
NWS Huntsville, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2008, 3:21 PM CDT for Jackson 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, 3:21 PM CDT (20:21 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2008, 3:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 24 min
- Issued by
- NWS Huntsville, AL
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
County Jackson County, AL
The radar
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 19 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:22 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, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 192 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, 3:21 PM CDT, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 3:21 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 321 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2008 .DISCUSSION... SURFACE LOW CURRENTLY HAS PUSHED EAST INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION THIS AFTERNOON. INTENSE DAYTIME HEATING HAS WARMED TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID TO UPPER 80S IN MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTHERN ALABAMA. THIS HAS FINALLY ALLOWED SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP NEAR THE TENNESSEE AND ALABAMA STATE LINES AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT FROM NEAR SPENCER IN THROUGH TALLASSEE IN TENNESSEE EXTENDING SOUTHWEST FROM THE SURFACE LOW. VERY STRONG DAYTIME HEATING AND GOOD MOISTURE CONVERGENCE IS IN PLACE AHEAD OF THE FRONT OVER THE FORECAST AREA HAS SET THE STAGE FOR ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP TO BE SEVERE. THESE SCATTERED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THIS FRONT AS IT PUSHES SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN ALABAMA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WITH LIS AT LEAST -4 TO -7 DEGREES CELSIUS AND CAPE AT LEAST 2000 J/KG...LARGE HAIL IS THE PRIMARY THREAT. DAMAGING WINDS CANNOT BE RULED OUT...GIVEN DRY AIR ALOFT. BELIEVE THIS WILL BE A SHORT WINDOW FOR SEVERE WEATHER...AS FRONT WILL PUSH TO EXTREME SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY AROUND 7 PM. WILL LEAVE ISOLATED THREAT FOR STORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE...IN SOUTHERN CULLMAN...MARSHALL..AND DEKALB COUNTIES THROUGH 10 PM...IN CASE THE FRONT SLOWS. COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL SET IN OVERNIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AS A SURFACE HIGH BUILDS INTO THE AREA. ALSO...DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY...THE FRONT STALLS OUT ACROSS MOBILE THROUGH THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH NORTH QUICKLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AND PUTTING THE AREA IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. BOTH NAM12 AND GFS40 SHOW A DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH THIS NORTHWEST FLOW ALONG THE WARM FRONT AND DEVELOP SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA IN RESPONSE. MODELS KEEP THE WARM FRONT FAIRLY STATIONARY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...WITH SOME WAFFLING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. THEREFORE...ADDED 30 POP EACH OF THOSE AFTERNOONS. ALSO KEPT 20 POP DURING NIGHTTIME HOURS...EXCEPT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. ALTHOUGH WEAK FORCING WILL BE IN PLACE...HIGH PWS AROUND 1.6 AND PLENTY OF CAPE SHOULD ALLOW WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WIND VERY WEAK WIND FIELD AND ALMOST NO SHEAR...BELIEVE ONLY THREAT WITH STRONGER STORMS WILL BE HEAVIER RAINFALL TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK. ANOTHER STRETCH OF DRY AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...AS STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS IN OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... HUNTSVILLE 54 76 54 80 / 10 10 10 30 SHOALS 54 76 54 78 / 10 10 10 30 CULLMAN 56 77 55 81 / 10 10 10 30 FAYETTEVILLE 54 74 53 76 / 10 10 10 30 ALBERTVILLE 56 77 55 78 / 20 10 10 30 FORT PAYNE 55 75 53 78 / 20 10 10 30 && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && 20
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 1:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 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, 1 hour 3 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, 50 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, 41 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</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, 3:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HUN | Madison | 24 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, 3:32 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.