Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 158, NWS Mobile, AL

October 8, 2008Covington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 8, 2008, 10:32 AM CDT for Covington County, Alabama. It was in force for 58 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: Oct 8, 2008, 10:32 AM CDT (15:32 UTC)
Expired: Oct 8, 2008, 11:30 AM CDT
In force: 58 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Covington County, AL

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 213 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: 289 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 168 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 177 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 081532
TORMOB
ALC039-081630-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0158.081008T1532Z-081008T1630Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1032 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1130 AM CDT

* AT 1027 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUES 
  TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
  2 MILES NORTHEAST OF RED OAK...OR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF ANDALUSIA...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 19 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  OPP BY 1110 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 3111 8646 3119 8653 3145 8620 3144 8619
      3142 8618 3130 8619 3130 8618 3118 8618
TIME...MOT...LOC 1531Z 234DEG 16KT 3117 8642

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 081549
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1049 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

ALC039-081630-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0158.000000T0000Z-081008T1630Z/
COVINGTON AL-
1050 AM CDT WED OCT 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 AM CDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 1046 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS NEAR ONYCHA...OR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ANDALUSIA...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 18 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ONYCHA AND BABBIE BY 1100 AM CDT...
  OPP BY 1110 AM CDT...
  ESTOTHEL BY 1115 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 3111 8646 3119 8653 3145 8620 3144 8619
      3142 8618 3130 8619 3130 8618 3118 8618
TIME...MOT...LOC 1550Z 234DEG 16KT 3122 8634

$$

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, 10:00 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington	45 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.