Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 40, NWS Mobile, AL

April 4, 2008Clarke County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 2008, 2:23 PM CDT for Clarke County, Alabama. It was in force for 29 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: Apr 4, 2008, 2:23 PM CDT (19:23 UTC)
Expired: Apr 4, 2008, 2:52 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Clarke County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:23 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
Apr 4, 9:48 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 171 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: 464 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -105 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 608 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 278 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 379 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 5.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 041923
TORMOB
ALC025-042015-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0040.080404T1923Z-080404T2015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
223 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GROVE HILL...

* UNTIL 315 PM CDT

* AT 218 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR CHILTON...
  OR ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF GROVE HILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PEACOCK BY 230 PM CDT...
  FULTON...DICKINSON AND RURAL BY 235 PM CDT...
  ROUNDHILL...SCYRENE AND 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THOMASVILLE BY 240 PM
  CDT...
  NETTLEBORO BY 245 PM 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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3189 8767 3187 8762 3183 8762 3183 8751
      3177 8751 3164 8786 3172 8796 3187 8797
      3199 8786 3202 8769 3201 8767
TIME...MOT...LOC 1923Z 243DEG 34KT 3176 8785

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 041933
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
232 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

ALC025-042015-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0040.000000T0000Z-080404T2015Z/
CLARKE AL-
232 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN CLARKE COUNTY...

AT 228 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PEACOCK...OR ABOUT
NEAR GROVE HILL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THOMASVILLE BY 235 PM CDT...
  NETTLEBORO AND ROUNDHILL BY 240 PM CDT...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3189 8767 3187 8762 3183 8762 3183 8751
      3177 8751 3172 8777 3176 8787 3184 8787
      3191 8784 3196 8774 3198 8767
TIME...MOT...LOC 1932Z 243DEG 36KT 3180 8774

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 041952
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
252 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

ALC025-042000-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0040.000000T0000Z-080404T2015Z/
CLARKE AL-
252 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN CLARKE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE RADAR INDICATED TORANDO HAS SINCE EXITED INTO SOUTHWESTERN 
WILCOX COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3189 8767 3187 8762 3183 8762 3183 8751
      3177 8751 3172 8777 3176 8787 3184 8787
      3191 8784 3196 8774 3198 8767
TIME...MOT...LOC 1950Z 243DEG 36KT 3188 8755

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 4, 2:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke	54 min
Apr 4, 2:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw	41 min
Apr 4, 2:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	53 min
Apr 4, 3:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	32 min
Apr 4, 3:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	54 min
Apr 4, 3:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	15 min
Apr 4, 4:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	42 min
Apr 4, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Wilcox	50 min
Apr 4, 5:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	52 min
Apr 4, 5:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Wilcox	29 min
Apr 4, 6:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	32 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.