Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 227, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 6, 20094 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 6, 2009, 11:46 AM CDT for 4 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 44 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, 11:46 AM CDT (16:46 UTC)
Expired: May 6, 2009, 12:30 PM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Autauga County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Elmore County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:46 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 6, 9:27 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 59 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: 1131 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 517 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 194 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 301 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.0
Supercell composite: 5.3

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, 10:41 AM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 10:41 AM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 11:19 AM CDT, 27 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1119 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

CORRECTED TO INCLUDE THREAT FOR FLOODING

ALZ011>015-017>050-070940-
AUTAUGA-BARBOUR-BIBB-BLOUNT-BULLOCK-CALHOUN-CHAMBERS-CHEROKEE-
CHILTON-CLAY-CLEBURNE-COOSA-DALLAS-ELMORE-ETOWAH-FAYETTE-GREENE-HALE-
JEFFERSON-LAMAR-LEE-LOWNDES-MACON-MARENGO-MARION-MONTGOMERY-PERRY-
PICKENS-PIKE-RANDOLPH-RUSSELL-SHELBY-ST CLAIR-SUMTER-TALLADEGA-
TALLAPOOSA-TUSCALOOSA-WALKER-WINSTON-
1119 AM CDT WED MAY 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE COUNTIES SERVED BY THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A SMALL THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH NOON
ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. AFTER NOON...THE
THREAT WILL SHIFT INTO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...ALONG
AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM TUSCALOOSA...TO SYLACAUGA...AND WEDOWEE.
TORNADOES...STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL ARE ALL POSSIBLE
THREATS. THE THREAT SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET AND SHIFT
EASTWARD THROUGH THE EVENING.

THERE IS ALSO A THREAT FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING ACROSS THE ENTIRE
AREA...MAINLY WHERE LOCATIONS MIGHT RECEIVE MULTIPLE PERIODS OF
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN WITH TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS. THE THREAT SHOULD
DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
AREAS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA ON THURSDAY...MAINLY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 6
AM AND 10 PM. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL...BUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL BE NEEDED
TODAY AND POSSIBLY THURSDAY.

JD/02

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 9:45 AM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before

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Local storm report, May 6, 10:13 AM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 6, 10:17 AM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 6, 10:29 AM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 6, 10:55 AM CDT, 51 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 6, 11:24 AM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1124 AM CDT WED MAY 06 2009

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0900 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CORONA                  33.71N 87.47W
05/06/2009                   WALKER             AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            TREES UPROOTED ALONG MITCHELL MOUNTAIN ROAD.

0946 AM     TSTM WND DMG     6 W HAYDEN              33.92N 86.85W
05/06/2009                   BLOUNT             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ON COUNTY ROAD 5, 2 MILES WEST
            OF INTERSTATE 65. POSSIBLE TORNADO.

&&

KSUMRALL

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, 6:21 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Winston	54 min
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, 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.