Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 42, NWS Mobile, AL

April 4, 2008Wilcox County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 2008, 3:29 PM CDT for Wilcox County, Alabama. It was in force for 15 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, 3:29 PM CDT (20:29 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 2008, 3:44 PM CDT
In force
15 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Wilcox County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:31 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
Apr 4, 9:48 AM CDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 131 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2008-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 464 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2008-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 278 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
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 042029
TORMOB
ALC131-042100-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0042.080404T2029Z-080404T2100Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 400 PM CDT

* AT 327 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR          
  ESTELLE...AND WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ACKERVILLE BY 340 PM CDT...

THE STORM WILL REMAIN OVER RURAL AREAS OF NORTHEASTERN WILCOX COUNTY 
THROUGH 345 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
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3206 8715 3206 8706 3204 8701 3196 8721
      3202 8727 3211 8720
TIME...MOT...LOC 2029Z 242DEG 31KT 3201 8719

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 042036
SVSMOB

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

ALC131-042100-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0042.000000T0000Z-080404T2100Z/
WILCOX AL-
335 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT FOR EXTREME 
NORTH CENTRAL WILCOX COUNTY...

AT 331 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 7 MILES WEST 
OF ACKERVILLE AND WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  ACKERVILLE BY 345 PM CDT...

THE STORM WILL REMAIN OVER RURAL AREAS OF EXTREME NORTHEASTERN 
WILCOX COUNTY THROUGH 350 PM CDT.

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

LAT...LON 3206 8715 3206 8706 3204 8701 3198 8716
      3200 8720 3203 8724 3209 8720 3209 8718
TIME...MOT...LOC 2035Z 236DEG 25KT 3203 8716

$$
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 042044
SVSMOB

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

ALC131-042052-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0042.000000T0000Z-080404T2100Z/
WILCOX AL-
344 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EXTREME NORTHEAST CENTRAL WILCOX COUNTY 
IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS SINCE MOVED NORTHEAST OF WILCOX COUNTY.

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

LAT...LON 3206 8715 3206 8706 3204 8701 3198 8716
      3200 8720 3203 8724 3209 8720 3209 8718
TIME...MOT...LOC 2042Z 236DEG 25KT 3206 8711

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 2:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke54 min
Apr 4, 2:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw41 min
Apr 4, 2:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBClarke29 min
Apr 4, 2:37 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWilcox53 min
Apr 4, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox32 min
Apr 4, 3:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington54 min
Apr 4, 4:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox42 min
Apr 4, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWilcox50 min
Apr 4, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington52 min
Apr 4, 5:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWilcox29 min
Apr 4, 6:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington32 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.