Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 36, NWS Mobile, AL

February 17, 2008Covington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 17, 2008, 3:51 PM CST for Covington 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 17, 2008, 3:51 PM CST (21:51 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 2008, 4:15 PM CST
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Covington County, AL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:53 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 17, 12:32 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 208 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 268 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
766 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
304 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 172151
TORMOB
ALC039-172215-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0036.080217T2151Z-080217T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
351 PM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 415 PM CST

* AT 348 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR WATKINS
  BRIDGE...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTH OF ANDALUSIA...MOVING EAST AT 45
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES NORTH OF HOWELLS BY 400 PM CST...

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST SUNDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 3118 8619 3099 8618 3099 8649 3115 8652
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 256DEG 47KT 3110 8637

$$

PURDY
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 172215
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
415 PM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

ALC039-172223-
/O.EXP.KMOB.TO.W.0036.000000T0000Z-080217T2215Z/
COVINGTON AL-
415 PM CST SUN FEB 17 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN COVINGTON COUNTY HAS BEEN 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 415 PM CST...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST SUNDAY EVENING FOR
PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 3118 8619 3099 8618 3099 8649 3115 8652
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 256DEG 47KT 3117 8604

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 7:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington45 min
Feb 17, 9:48 AM CSTMarine Weather StatementMOB2 hr
Feb 17, 10:37 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin38 min
Feb 17, 11:03 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBChoctaw, Washington27 min
Feb 17, 11:11 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin49 min
Feb 17, 11:25 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke35 min
Feb 17, 11:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile60 min
Feb 17, 11:46 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB59 min
Feb 17, 11:46 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin59 min
Feb 17, 11:58 AM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Wilcox47 min
Feb 17, 12:29 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBEscambia61 min
Feb 17, 12:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Mobile45 min
Feb 17, 12:44 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB61 min
Feb 17, 12:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBMobile36 min
Feb 17, 12:55 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB65 min
Feb 17, 1:12 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBButler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia63 min
Feb 17, 1:21 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBButler, Monroe, Wilcox39 min
Feb 17, 1:55 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB65 min
Feb 17, 2:11 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBCrenshaw19 min
Feb 17, 2:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Conecuh, Covington31 min
Feb 17, 2:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia59 min
Feb 17, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Crenshaw23 min
Feb 17, 2:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Crenshaw36 min
Feb 17, 3:01 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBButler, Crenshaw44 min
Feb 17, 3:13 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBConecuh, Covington, Escambia47 min
Feb 17, 3:24 PM CSTMarine Weather StatementMOB5 hr
Feb 17, 3:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBButler, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia50 min
Feb 17, 3:59 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB31 min
Feb 17, 4:30 PM CSTSpecial Marine WarningMOB90 min
Feb 17, 5:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington36 min
Feb 17, 5:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBCovington52 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.