Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 44, NWS Mobile, AL

April 4, 2008Wilcox County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 2008, 5:31 PM CDT for Wilcox 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, 5:31 PM CDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired: Apr 4, 2008, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Wilcox County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:32 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
Apr 4, 9:48 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 042231
TORMOB
ALC131-042300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0044.080404T2231Z-080404T2300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 527 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR MILLERS    
  FERRY...OR ABOUT 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CAMDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST    
  AT 45 TO 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  INDICATED COUNTY.

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 600 PM CDT FRIDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3219 8730 3216 8724 3210 8719 3207 8719
      3200 8736 3208 8749 3210 8750 3216 8744
      3222 8732
TIME...MOT...LOC 2231Z 234DEG 44KT 3211 8732

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 042243
SVSMOB

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

ALC129-MSC153-042315-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0043.000000T0000Z-080404T2315Z/
WASHINGTON AL-WAYNE MS-
543 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN WAYNE AND NORTHWESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

AT 543 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 9 MILES WEST OF
YARBO...OR ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF CHATOM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25
MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  YARBO...LOPER...JORDAN AND 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MILLRY BY 600 PM
  CDT...

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER
YOUR HEAD.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT 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 3164 8831 3164 8830 3163 8827 3147 8812
      3147 8844 3152 8851 3167 8834
TIME...MOT...LOC 2243Z 243DEG 24KT 3150 8840

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 042253
SVSMOB

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

ALC131-042302-
/O.EXP.KMOB.TO.W.0044.000000T0000Z-080404T2300Z/
WILCOX AL-
552 PM CDT FRI APR 4 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL WILCOX COUNTY HAS BEEN 
CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS SINCE EXITED THE COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT SATURDAY MORNING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3219 8730 3216 8724 3210 8719 3207 8719
      3200 8736 3208 8749 3210 8750 3216 8744
      3222 8732
TIME...MOT...LOC 2252Z 234DEG 44KT 3226 8707

$$

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, 2:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke	29 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, 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.