Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 216, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 6, 20095 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 6, 2009, 6:21 AM CDT for 5 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 54 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 6, 2009, 6:21 AM CDT (11:21 UTC)
Expired: May 6, 2009, 7:15 AM CDT
In force: 54 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Fayette County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Marion County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Winston County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:20 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 6, 4:03 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 121 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: 159 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1106 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Birmingham, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 6, 2:22 AM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 2:22 AM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
222 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

.DISCUSSION...

ONCE AGAIN...BUSY WITH WEATHER...SO I WILL BE BRIEF.

ANOTHER DAY...SAME FORECAST...AS YET ANOTHER VORT MAX AND JET MAX
ENTER NORTHWEST ALABAMA THIS MORNING AND WILL FOCUS STORMS...THE
STRONGEST THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE
CWA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS...STRONG WITH A GOOD MIX OF
SEVERE WILL LINGER INTO THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS THE FOCUSING
MECHANISM DRIFTS FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS. LOOK FOR MUCH OF THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS OVERNIGHT
PERIODS...FOR THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO LAST WELL INTO THE
OVERNIGHT PERIOD.

INTO THURSDAY...WE WILL ONCE AGAIN DEAL WITH ACTIVE WEATHER...AS
WEDNESDAYS SLOW MOVING BOUNDARY WILL ONCE AGAIN TRIGGER MAINLY
AFTERNOON STORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE CWA.
ISOLATED SEVERE WEATHER WILL ONCE AGAIN BE IN THE CARDS AS SHEAR
VECTORS AND LAPSE RATES REMAIN RATHER LARGE...AGAIN THOUGH...THINKING
THE BEST CHANCES WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO MOVE FURTHER SOUTH AS THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING PROGRESSES. WE WILL HOPEFULLY BEGIN SEEING
OUR FIRST BREAK IN THE ACTION BY LATE THURSDAY...ESPECIALLY INTO
THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD ON FRIDAY MORNING.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO THE WEEKEND...WE MAY CATCH A BIT OF A
REST AS THE AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SEEM TO BE A BIT
MORE ON THE DISORGANIZED SIDE...ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF SEVERE
WEATHER. HOWEVER...EXPECT TO SEE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED DEVELOPMENT
EACH DAY...MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20.

BEYOND THE WEEKEND...IT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER SAGGING FRONT WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE STATE...SO GET READY FOR ANOTHER FEW DAYS OF STRONG TO
SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. I DONT SEE
A LOT OF UPPER LEVEL DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE OUTBREAK
TYPE WEATHER...BUT CERTAINLY ANY VORT OR JET MAX WILL BRING THE
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SEVERE THREAT ONCE AGAIN TO CENTRAL
ALABAMA...TYPICAL MONTH OF MAY PATTERN.

17/KLAWS

&&

.AVIATION...06Z TAF DISCUSSION.

LOOK FOR WARM FRONT TO LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT.
MODELS DE-STABILIZE MUCH OF THE AREA AFTER 09Z AND EXPECT ISOLATED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.  THEY WILL BECOME SCATTERED
AFTER 15Z AND NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD AFTER 18Z. CEILINGS THROUGH 10Z
MAINLY 3000 TO 5000 WITH SOME PATCHY FOG POSSIBLE AFTER 08Z.
CEILINGS 2000 TO 3000 FEET AFTER 08Z WITH TEMPORARY CEILINGS 1000 TO
2000 FEET IN AND NEAR STORMS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     80  62  85  65  86 / 100  60  20  10  30
ANNISTON    81  62  84  64  86 / 100  70  20  10  20
BIRMINGHAM  79  62  85  66  87 / 100  70  20  10  20
TUSCALOOSA  83  64  88  67  90 / 100  70  20  10  20
CALERA      81  63  85  66  87 /  90  70  20  10  20
AUBURN      83  62  83  64  86 /  80  60  30  10  10
MONTGOMERY  87  66  86  67  90 /  70  60  30  10  10
TROY        86  65  85  66  88 /  70  40  40  10  10

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

17/50

Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 4:40 AM CDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 12:36 AM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, May 6, 12:40 AM CDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Special weather statement, May 6, 2:37 AM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
237 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

ALZ012-060815-
LAMAR-
237 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAMAR COUNTY UNTIL 315 AM CDT...

AT 233 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES EAST OF ABERDEEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  STAR.
  BEDFORD.
  VERNON.
  SULLIGENT.
  CREWS.
  BEAVERTON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

Special weather statement, May 6, 3:10 AM CDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
310 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

ALZ011-012-060845-
LAMAR-MARION-
310 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LAMAR AND MARION COUNTIES UNTIL 345
AM CDT...

AT 310 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR CREWS...OR NEAR SULLIGENT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30
MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  PINE SPRINGS.
  HENSON SPRINGS.
  PIKEVILLE.
  GU-WIN.
  PEA RIDGE.
  PEARCES MILL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

Special weather statement, May 6, 3:51 AM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
351 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

ALZ011-014-015-060915-
MARION-WALKER-WINSTON-
351 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR MARION...WALKER AND WINSTON COUNTIES
UNTIL 415 AM CDT...

AT 351 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR BRILLIANT...OR NEAR WINFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...
AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  WINFIELD.
  BRILLIANT.
  PINEY GROVE.
  LAKE BUTTAHATCHEE.
  NATURAL BRIDGE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

Special weather statement, May 6, 6:14 AM CDT, 7 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
614 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

ALZ018-020-061145-
CHEROKEE-ETOWAH-
614 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CHEROKEE AND ETOWAH COUNTIES UNTIL
645 AM CDT...

AT 612 AM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR CHEROKEE ROCK VILLAGE...OR 8 MILES WEST OF
CENTRE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED
WITH THIS STORM.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 5, 7:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas, Marengo, Perry	41 min
May 5, 7:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Dallas, Marengo, Perry	32 min
May 5, 7:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marengo	43 min
May 5, 8:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Hale, Marengo	37 min
May 6, 1:54 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Lamar, Marion, Winston	3 hr
May 6, 3:54 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Walker, Winston	26 min
May 6, 4:50 AM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Autauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more	13 hr
May 6, 4:54 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Blount	3 hr
May 6, 5:48 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Cherokee, Etowah	3 hr
May 6, 6:41 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Marion	34 min
May 6, 6:45 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Lamar, Marion, Winston	4 hr
May 6, 7:37 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Blount	3 hr
May 6, 7:50 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marion, Winston	40 min
May 6, 8:07 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens	53 min
May 6, 8:11 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker	3 hr
May 6, 8:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Sumter	64 min
May 6, 8:27 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Pickens	33 min
May 6, 8:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Walker, Winston	47 min
May 6, 8:35 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker	40 min
May 6, 8:47 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Tuscaloosa	43 min
May 6, 8:49 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa	41 min
May 6, 8:52 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Walker	23 min
May 6, 9:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Blount, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Jefferson and 4 more	62 min
May 6, 9:17 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Tuscaloosa	28 min
May 6, 9:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Sumter	41 min
May 6, 9:38 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter	5 days
May 6, 9:38 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter	24 hr
May 6, 9:42 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo	49 hr
May 6, 9:44 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Jefferson	9 min
May 6, 10:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair	52 min
May 6, 10:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega	33 min
May 6, 10:36 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Etowah	4 hr
May 6, 10:49 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	BMX	Blount	4 hr
May 6, 11:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Coosa, Tallapoosa	33 min
May 6, 11:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore	44 min
May 6, 12:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Coosa, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, Tallapoosa	40 min
May 6, 12:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery	46 min
May 6, 12:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers, Tallapoosa	43 min
May 6, 1:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Elmore, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Tallapoosa	34 min
May 6, 1:43 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Lamar, Marion, Winston	4 hr
May 6, 2:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Lee, Macon, Russell	42 min
May 6, 2:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bullock, Macon, Montgomery, Pike	30 min
May 6, 3:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Russell	37 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2009 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2009

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.