Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Huntsville, AL

December 10, 2008Cullman County, Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this tornado warning at Dec 10, 2008, 1:14 AM CST for Cullman County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 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
Dec 10, 2008, 1:14 AM CST (07:14 UTC)
Expired
Dec 10, 2008, 1:45 AM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Cullman County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:17 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 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 97 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 2008-12-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 167 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2008-12-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 336 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
167 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
741 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
336 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
421 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KHUN 100714
TORHUN
ALC043-100745-
/O.NEW.KHUN.TO.W.0049.081210T0714Z-081210T0745Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
114 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CULLMAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 145 AM CST

* AT 114 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR WILBURN...
  OR ABOUT 12 MILES NORTH OF SUMITON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BREMEN AND COLONY BY 120 AM CST...
  BLACK BOTTOM BY 125 AM CST...
  GOOD HOPE AND GARDEN CITY BY 130 AM CST...
  HANCEVILLE AND PHELAN BY 135 AM CST...
  WALTER BY 140 AM CST...
  HOLLY POND AND 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FAIRVIEW BY 145 AM CST...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

LAT...LON 3389 8700 3389 8707 3402 8711 3431 8664
      3431 8660 3422 8654 3419 8654 3413 8660
      3412 8661 3413 8663 3409 8666 3409 8669
      3406 8668 3391 8690 3391 8691 3389 8692
      3385 8697
TIME...MOT...LOC 0714Z 233DEG 47KT 3393 8702

$$

KULA
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KHUN 100738
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
138 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

ALC043-100745-
/O.CON.KHUN.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-081210T0745Z/
CULLMAN AL-
138 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 AM CST FOR EASTERN
CULLMAN COUNTY...

AT 138 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO NEAR HANCEVILLE...OR ABOUT 9 MILES 
SOUTHEAST OF CULLMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  HOLLY POND...6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FAIRVIEW AND 7 MILES SOUTH OF
  BAILEYTON BY 145 AM CST...

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.

LAT...LON 3400 8678 3418 8684 3431 8664 3431 8660
      3422 8654 3420 8655 3419 8654 3418 8656
      3412 8661 3413 8663 3409 8666 3409 8669
      3406 8668
TIME...MOT...LOC 0738Z 223DEG 46KT 3410 8671

$$

KULA
000 
WWUS54 KHUN 100746
SVSHUN

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
146 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

ALC043-100755-
/O.EXP.KHUN.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-081210T0745Z/
CULLMAN AL-
145 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN CULLMAN COUNTY EXPIRES AT 145 AM
CST...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE 
WARNING HAD MOVED OUT OF THE COUNTY. THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING 
HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

HOWEVER...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE IN EASTERN CULLMAN COUNTY 
PRODUCING FLOODING RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. STAY INDOORS AND OFF 
ROADWAYS WITH HIGH WATER.

LAT...LON 3400 8678 3418 8684 3431 8664 3431 8660
      3422 8654 3420 8655 3419 8654 3418 8656
      3412 8661 3413 8663 3409 8666 3409 8669
      3406 8668
TIME...MOT...LOC 0738Z 223DEG 46KT 3410 8671

$$

KULA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 9, 8:44 PM CSTFlash Flood WatchHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more12 hr
Dec 9, 9:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNFranklin37 min
Dec 9, 9:29 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale6 hr
Dec 9, 9:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Franklin47 min
Dec 9, 10:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNColbert, Lawrence44 min
Dec 9, 10:34 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningHUNColbert, Cullman, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone and 3 more9 hr
Dec 10, 12:08 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman52 min
Dec 10, 12:22 AM CSTTornado WarningHUNCullman23 min
Dec 10, 12:43 AM CSTTornado WarningHUNCullman32 min
Dec 10, 1:06 AM CSTTornado WarningHUNJackson24 min
Dec 10, 1:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNJackson, Marshall33 min
Dec 10, 1:25 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson20 min
Dec 10, 1:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningHUNDeKalb, Jackson, Marshall3 hr
Dec 10, 2:07 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNDeKalb, Marshall23 min
Dec 10, 2:40 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHUNCullman20 min
Dec 10, 3:18 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningHUNColbert, Franklin, Lauderdale6 hr
Dec 10, 5:20 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningHUNMadison58 hr
Dec 10, 5:29 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningHUNLawrence3 days
Dec 10, 2:08 PM CSTRiver Flood WarningHUNMadison16 hr
Dec 10, 4:05 PM CSTFlood WatchHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more23 hr
Dec 10, 4:07 PM CSTWind AdvisoryHUNColbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and 5 more10 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.