Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 73, NWS Mobile, AL

August 12, 2008Baldwin County, Escambia County, Monroe County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Aug 12, 2008, 6:44 PM CDT for Baldwin County, Escambia County, Monroe County, Alabama. It was in force for 17 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
Aug 12, 2008, 6:44 PM CDT (23:44 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2008, 7:01 PM CDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Baldwin County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Monroe County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:46 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
Aug 12, 2:21 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 218 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2008-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3027 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2008-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 86 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3027 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
499 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 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 122344
TORMOB
ALC003-053-099-130045-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0073.080812T2344Z-080813T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
644 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN ESCAMBIA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN MONROE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTH CENTRAL BALDWIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 641 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  BLACKSHER...OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTH OF BAY MINETTE...MOVING EAST AT
  18 MPH. THIS IS A PERSISTENT ROTATION.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BLACKSHER BY 700 PM CDT...
  BOONEVILLE BY 725 PM CDT...
  JEDDO BY 740 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.

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.

REPORT ANY TORNADOES OR FUNNEL CLOUDS TO YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN MOBILE AT (2 5 1) 6 3 3 6 4 4 3. OR...YOU MAY CONTACT YOUR
NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...AND
THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3123 8784 3128 8781 3128 8780 3128 8779
      3124 8748 3116 8755
TIME...MOT...LOC 2344Z 280DEG 16KT 3124 8780

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 130001
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
701 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2008

ALC003-053-099-130011-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0073.000000T0000Z-080813T0045Z/
ESCAMBIA AL-MONROE AL-BALDWIN AL-
701 PM CDT TUE AUG 12 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL BALDWIN...EXTREME
SOUTHWESTERN MONROE AND NORTHWESTERN ESCAMBIA COUNTIES IS
CANCELLED...

SHOULD THE CIRCULATION RE-DEVELOP A TORNADO WARNING MAY BE 
RE-ISSUED. OTHERWISE...THE STORMS CIRCULATION HAS DECREASED 
DRAMATICALLY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3123 8784 3128 8781 3128 8780 3128 8779
      3124 8748 3116 8755
TIME...MOT...LOC 0001Z 280DEG 16KT 3123 8771

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 4:39 AM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB41 hr
Aug 12, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBWashington47 min
Aug 12, 5:13 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBWashington37 min
Aug 12, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBClarke, Mobile, Washington57 min
Aug 12, 6:02 PM CDTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke, Monroe, Washington43 min
Aug 12, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, Washington28 min
Aug 12, 6:37 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningMOB83 min
Aug 12, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMOBBaldwin, Conecuh, Escambia, Monroe46 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.