Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 157, NWS Mobile, AL

October 8, 2008Covington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 8, 2008, 10:00 AM CDT for Covington County, Alabama. It was in force for 45 min. 2 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: Oct 8, 2008, 10:00 AM CDT (15:00 UTC)
Expired: Oct 8, 2008, 10:45 AM CDT
In force: 45 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 15:00 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
Oct 8, 10:25 AM CDT	TORNADO	1 N Red Oak, AL	EMA ON SITE REPORTS DEBRIS TWISTED AROUND POWER POLES...NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN A PATH AND DEBRIS BLOCKING THE ROADWAY JUST NORTH OF RED OAK.
Oct 8, 10:30 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Red Oak, AL	TREE REPORTED DOWN IN RED OAK.

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, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 224 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: 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 081500
TORMOB
ALC039-081545-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0157.081008T1500Z-081008T1545Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1000 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1045 AM CDT

* AT 955 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUES   
  TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
  4 MILES SOUTH OF PLEASANT HOME...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHWEST       
  OF ANDALUSIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 21 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL COVINGTON COUNTY AT 1010 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 3128 8653 3116 8640 3105 8660 3109 8667
TIME...MOT...LOC 1459Z 228DEG 18KT 3111 8658

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 081509
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1009 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

ALC039-081545-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0157.000000T0000Z-081008T1545Z/
COVINGTON AL-
1009 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 AM CDT FOR CENTRAL
COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 1004 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR RED OAK...OR ABOUT 14 MILES SOUTH OF ANDALUSIA...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 21 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RED OAK BY 1020 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 3107 8657 3115 8660 3123 8648 3120 8644
      3119 8644 3119 8643 3118 8642 3116 8640
TIME...MOT...LOC 1509Z 243DEG 18KT 3113 8652

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 081523
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1023 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

ALC039-081545-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0157.000000T0000Z-081008T1545Z/
COVINGTON AL-
1023 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 AM CDT FOR CENTRAL
COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 1018 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR RED OAK...OR ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTH OF ANDALUSIA...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 13 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL COVINGTON COUNTY AT 1040 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 3115 8641 3114 8645 3112 8648 3112 8649
      3116 8651 3120 8644 3117 8640 3116 8640
TIME...MOT...LOC 1523Z 244DEG 11KT 3114 8647

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 8, 12:54 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	26 min
Oct 8, 9:35 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	25 min
Oct 8, 10:32 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	58 min
Oct 8, 11:03 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	28 min
Oct 8, 11:03 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	31 min
Oct 8, 11:40 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		80 min

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.