Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 38, NWS Mobile, AL

March 3, 2008Choctaw County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Mar 3, 2008, 11:31 PM CST for Choctaw County, Alabama. It was in force for 25 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: Mar 3, 2008, 11:31 PM CST (05:31 UTC)
Expired: Mar 3, 2008, 11:56 PM CST
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Choctaw County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:32 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 3, 9:56 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 179 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1699 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 110 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 273 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 040530
TORMOB
ALC023-040630-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0038.080304T0531Z-080304T0630Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1131 PM CST MON MAR 3 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHOCTAW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BUTLER...

* UNTIL 1230 AM CST

* AT 1126 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 14 MILES WEST OF
  MELVIN...OR ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF QUITMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF HINTON BY 1145 PM CST...
  CYRIL BY 1150 PM CST...
  YANTLEY AND 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF PUSHMATAHA BY 1155 PM CST...
  HALSELL AND 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CROMWELL BY MIDNIGHT 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.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY BE OBSCURING 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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CST TUESDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3216 8800 3210 8803 3206 8810 3199 8806
      3195 8812 3193 8807 3182 8847 3192 8849
      3229 8845 3231 8842 3233 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 0531Z 218DEG 49KT 3201 8865

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 040545
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1145 PM CST MON MAR 3 2008

ALC023-040630-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-080304T0630Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
1145 PM CST MON MAR 3 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 AM CST FOR NORTHERN
CHOCTAW COUNTY...

AT 1142 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR 
HINTON...OR ABOUT 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF QUITMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST 
AT 55 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CYRIL AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF RIDERWOOD BY 1150 PM CST...
  YANTLEY...PUSHMATAHA AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF LISMAN BY 1155 PM
  CST...
  HALSELL AND 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF CROMWELL BY MIDNIGHT CST...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 70 MPH.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CST TUESDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3216 8800 3214 8803 3210 8803 3206 8810
      3203 8810 3199 8806 3198 8847 3229 8845
      3231 8842 3233 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 0545Z 218DEG 49KT 3215 8850

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 040556
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1156 PM CST MON MAR 3 2008

ALC023-040606-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-080304T0630Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
1156 PM CST MON MAR 3 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM CONTAINING THE ROTATION HAS SINCE DISSIPATED AND MOVED 
NORTH OF THE COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM CST TUESDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3216 8800 3214 8803 3210 8803 3206 8810
      3203 8810 3199 8806 3198 8847 3229 8845
      3231 8842 3233 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 0556Z 218DEG 49KT 3227 8839

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 3, 7:47 PM CST	Coastal Flood Statement	MOB		7 hr
Mar 3, 11:21 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Washington	39 min
Mar 3, 11:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile, Washington	67 min
Mar 4, 12:59 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile, Washington	46 min
Mar 4, 1:19 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	41 min
Mar 4, 1:25 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile	50 min
Mar 4, 1:48 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Mobile, Washington	27 min
Mar 4, 2:10 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		65 min
Mar 4, 3:11 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		64 min
Mar 4, 4:08 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		67 min
Mar 4, 4:18 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		57 min
Mar 4, 5:11 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		64 min
Mar 4, 6:11 AM CST	Special Marine Warning	MOB		49 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.