Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 156, NWS Mobile, AL

October 8, 2008Covington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 8, 2008, 9:35 AM CDT for Covington County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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
Oct 8, 2008, 9:35 AM CDT (14:35 UTC)
Expired
Oct 8, 2008, 10:00 AM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Covington County, AL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:37 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 8, 9:45 AM CDTTSTM WND DMGPleasant Home, ALTREE DOWN ACROSS ROAD AT HIGHWAY 29 SOUTH AND COUNTY ROAD 25.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 12:00Z on 2008-10-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 725 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2008-10-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 225 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
725 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
513 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
225 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 081435
TORMOB
ALC039-081500-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0156.081008T1435Z-081008T1500Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
935 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN COVINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 1000 AM CDT

* AT 932 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  PLEASANT HOME...OR ABOUT 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ANDALUSIA...MOVING
  EAST AT 39 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RED OAK BY 950 AM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING...PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR A ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. IF POSSIBLE...GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER
PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY
AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL OR DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

IF YOU ARE IN MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE IT AND GET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING OR IN AN UNDERGROUND STORM SHELTER. IF NO
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER IS AVAILABLE AND A TORNADO IS FAST APPROACHING...
SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW DEPRESSION AND COVER YOUR
HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3133 8641 3114 8629 3104 8667 3122 8668
TIME...MOT...LOC 1435Z 251DEG 34KT 3111 8664

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 081447
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
947 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

ALC039-081500-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0156.000000T0000Z-081008T1500Z/
COVINGTON AL-
947 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 AM CDT FOR CENTRAL
COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 946 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR PLEASANT HOME...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
ANDALUSIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 14 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PLEASANT HOME AND 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CAROLINA BY 1000 AM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING...PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR A ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. IF POSSIBLE...GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER
PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY
AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL OR DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

IF YOU ARE IN MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE IT AND GET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING OR IN AN UNDERGROUND STORM SHELTER. IF NO
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER IS AVAILABLE AND A TORNADO IS FAST APPROACHING...
SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW DEPRESSION AND COVER YOUR
HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3109 8665 3116 8668 3117 8668 3128 8655
      3128 8652 3129 8651 3129 8650 3131 8646
      3118 8636
TIME...MOT...LOC 1447Z 231DEG 12KT 3113 8666

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 8, 12:54 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington26 min
Oct 8, 10:00 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington45 min
Oct 8, 10:32 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington58 min
Oct 8, 11:03 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington28 min
Oct 8, 11:03 AM CDTTornado WarningMOBCovington31 min
Oct 8, 11:40 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMOB80 min

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.