Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 67, NWS Mobile, AL

May 15, 2008Covington County, Escambia County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2008, 12:50 PM CDT for Covington County, Escambia County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 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: May 15, 2008, 12:50 PM CDT (17:50 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2008, 1:30 PM CDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Covington County, AL, Escambia County, AL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:49 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
May 15, 8:58 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 230 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: 29 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -291 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 528 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 212 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 151750
TORMOB
ALC039-053-151830-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0067.080515T1750Z-080515T1830Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1250 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 130 PM CDT

* AT 1245 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR PARKER
  SPRINGS...OR ABOUT 18 MILES EAST OF BREWTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  39 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF WING BY 1255 PM CDT...
  FALCO BY 100 PM CDT...
  PLEASANT HOME BY 105 PM CDT...
  RED OAK AND 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF WATKINS BRIDGE BY 115 PM CDT...
  LIBERTYVILLE BY 120 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 300 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3129 8642 3104 8631 3101 8656 3100 8680
      3108 8682
TIME...MOT...LOC 1750Z 241DEG 34KT 3107 8672

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 151805
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
106 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

ALC053-151816-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0067.000000T0000Z-080515T1830Z/
ESCAMBIA AL-
106 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 3129 8642 3104 8631 3101 8656 3103 8667
      3114 8669
TIME...MOT...LOC 1806Z 241DEG 34KT 3114 8659

$$

ALC039-151830-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0067.000000T0000Z-080515T1830Z/
COVINGTON AL-
106 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 130 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 103 PM CDT.... THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PLEASANT HOME...OR
ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ANDALUSIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 39 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RED OAK AND 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF WATKINS BRIDGE BY 115 PM CDT...
  LIBERTYVILLE BY 120 PM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 3129 8642 3104 8631 3101 8656 3103 8667
      3114 8669
TIME...MOT...LOC 1806Z 241DEG 34KT 3114 8659

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 151818
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
118 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

ALC039-151830-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0067.000000T0000Z-080515T1830Z/
COVINGTON AL-
118 PM CDT THU MAY 15 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 130 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
COVINGTON COUNTY...

AT 116 PM CDT.... THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR RED OAK...OR ABOUT 13
MILES SOUTH OF ANDALUSIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL COVINGTON COUNTY AT 130 PM CDT

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AS HIGH AS 60 TO 70 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT THURSDAY AFTERNOON
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 3127 8641 3107 8632 3106 8644 3108 8652
      3114 8654
TIME...MOT...LOC 1818Z 243DEG 35KT 3113 8647

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 10:24 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		96 min
May 15, 10:38 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Mobile	67 min
May 15, 11:01 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia	59 min
May 15, 11:06 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Escambia	24 min
May 15, 11:10 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington, Escambia	52 min
May 15, 11:10 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Monroe	23 min
May 15, 11:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Choctaw, Clarke, Washington	41 min
May 15, 11:36 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe	39 min
May 15, 11:42 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington, Crenshaw	48 min
May 15, 11:43 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		92 min
May 15, 11:49 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Baldwin	41 min
May 15, 11:51 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Conecuh, Covington, Escambia	39 min
May 15, 12:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Covington, Crenshaw	45 min
May 15, 12:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Monroe, Wilcox	31 min
May 15, 12:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Escambia	45 min
May 15, 12:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe	43 min
May 15, 12:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Butler, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw	45 min
May 15, 12:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Butler, Crenshaw	28 min
May 15, 1:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Crenshaw	19 min
May 15, 1:16 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		89 min
May 15, 1:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Covington	38 min
May 15, 2:45 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MOB		45 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.