Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 123, NWS Birmingham, AL

May 3, 20094 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at May 3, 2009, 3:25 PM CDT for 4 counties in Alabama. It was in force for 18 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 3, 2009, 3:25 PM CDT (20:25 UTC)
Expired: May 3, 2009, 3:43 PM CDT
In force: 18 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Calhoun County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Talladega County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:28 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

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 3, 11:35 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 108 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: 365 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 527 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 193 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 032025
TORBMX
ALC015-027-029-121-032115-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0123.090503T2025Z-090503T2115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
325 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN CALHOUN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...OXFORD...ANNISTON...
  NORTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  CLEBURNE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF HEFLIN...
  EAST CENTRAL TALLADEGA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TALLADEGA...

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT

* AT 324 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR WALDO...OR 6 MILES
  EAST OF TALLADEGA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MOUNT CHEAHA...OXFORD AND ANNISTON METRO AIRPORT BY 340 PM CDT...
  OXFORD LAKE BY 345 PM CDT...
  HEFLIN BY 400 PM CDT...
  EDWARDSVILLE BY 405 PM CDT...
  FRUITHURST BY 410 PM CDT...
  MUSCADINE BY 415 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
PENNY SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT SUNDAY
AFTERNOON FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR EASTERN
ALABAMA.

&&

LAT...LON 3329 8601 3344 8614 3394 8548 3381 8535
      3366 8533
TIME...MOT...LOC 2025Z 234DEG 44KT 3342 8598

$$

27

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 032043
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
343 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

ALC015-027-029-121-032054-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0123.000000T0000Z-090503T2115Z/
CLAY AL-TALLADEGA AL-CLEBURNE AL-CALHOUN AL-
343 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN CALHOUN...CLEBURNE...EAST
CENTRAL TALLADEGA AND NORTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT SUNDAY
AFTERNOON FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO
REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CDT SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR EASTERN
ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3329 8601 3344 8614 3394 8548 3381 8535
      3366 8533
TIME...MOT...LOC 2044Z 234DEG 44KT 3355 8575

$$

27

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at May 3, 1:23 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 1:23 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
123 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

.UPDATE...AVIATION DISCUSSION.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

ONGOING CONVECTION ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE
AREA. MAIN CONCERN WILL BE IF THE MAIN BOWING SEGMENT ACROSS THE
SOUTHWEST WILL TRACK EAST NORTHEAST OR MOVE MORE NORTHEASTWARD OVER
THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THIS DERECHO WILL BE MOVING INTO A MORE
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS AND WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED EXCLUSIVELY.

&&

.AVIATION...18Z TAF DISCUSSION.

TWO LINES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OUT THERE THIS AFTERNOON. ONE
IMPACTING TCL AND WILL MOVE INTO BHM AND EET WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.
THE SECOND LINE IS MOVING INTO SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA IN THE FORM OF A
DERECHO. MAIN CONCERN FOR TAFS WILL BE THE ONGOING POSSIBILITY FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. GUSTY WINDS
WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH MVFR CONDITIONS DURING STRONGER STORMS...AND
BRIEF PERIODS OF IFR VIS POSSIBLE. AFTER 3 TO 4Z MVFR CIGS ACROSS
ALL AREAS. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE AFTER
9Z TOMORROW.

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLASH FLOOD WATCH WEST COUNTIES
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 1:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
130 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

ALZ011>015-017>050-041645-
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-
130 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 2009

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SEVERE STORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A
LINE FROM CARROLTON TO ONEONTA.  THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE STORMS
WILL BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.  THE
FIRST AND PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE FROM UNTIL 5 PM.  HOWEVER...A
SECONDARY LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS ALSO POSSIBLE LATER THIS
EVENING AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

THERE IS ALSO THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING ACROSS WESTERN ALABAMA.
DUE RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS WEST ALABAMA...THIS AREA HAS
BETTER CHANCES FOR FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...BUT
AREAS OUTSIDE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH COULD EXPERIENCE FLOODING IF
STORMS TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA
MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT IS WIND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH
AND SMALL HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NEEDED THIS
AFTERNOON AND WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 3, 3:06 PM CDT, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
306 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0304 PM     TORNADO          SYLACAUGA               33.18N 86.26W
05/03/2009                   TALLADEGA          AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            UNCONFIRMED TORNADO...MULTIMPLE TREES DOWN AND UPROOTED.

&&

10.5

Local storm report, May 3, 3:09 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
309 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0304 PM     TORNADO          OAK GROVE               33.19N 86.30W
05/03/2009                   TALLADEGA          AL   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            UNCONFIRMED TORNADO OLD SYLACAUGA HWY AND ODENS MILL.

&&

10.5

Local storm report, May 3, 3:11 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
311 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0300 PM     TSTM WND DMG     COLUMBIANA              33.18N 86.60W
05/03/2009                   SHELBY             AL   PUBLIC

            TREES DOWN IN COLUMBIANA.

0300 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SYLACAUGA               33.18N 86.26W
05/03/2009                   TALLADEGA          AL   AMATEUR RADIO

            ESTIMATED 50 MPH WINDS AT WEST WALNUT AND COALING ROAD
            BEHIND FOOD WORLD. POWER OUT AND TREE LIMBS DOWN.

&&

Local storm report, May 3, 3:14 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
314 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0304 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 E COLUMBIANA          33.18N 86.53W
05/03/2009                   SHELBY             AL   PUBLIC

            UTILITY SHED MISSING

&&

10.5

Local storm report, May 3, 3:17 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
317 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0308 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MILLBROOK               32.48N 86.37W
05/03/2009                   ELMORE             AL   PUBLIC

            POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN.

&&

Local storm report, May 3, 3:20 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
320 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 2009

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

0308 PM     TORNADO          WEAVER                  33.76N 85.81W
05/03/2009                   CALHOUN            AL   PUBLIC

            911 OFFICE RELAYED A PUBLIC REPORT OF A TORNADO ON THE
            GROUND IN WEAVER.

&&

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 2, 7:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Walker	43 min
May 2, 7:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount	24 min
May 2, 7:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Jefferson, Walker	56 min
May 2, 7:56 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BMX	Lamar, Marion	4 hr
May 2, 7:56 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker and 1 more	9 hr
May 2, 8:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Walker	41 min
May 3, 5:08 AM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	BMX	Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marion and 6 more	16 hr
May 3, 8:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Greene, Pickens, Sumter	53 min
May 3, 11:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa	15 min
May 3, 12:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Marengo, Sumter	61 min
May 3, 12:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter	55 min
May 3, 12:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa	51 min
May 3, 12:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale, Sumter	62 min
May 3, 1:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry and 2 more	57 min
May 3, 1:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	67 min
May 3, 1:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Hale, Perry	42 min
May 3, 1:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa	50 min
May 3, 1:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb, Greene, Hale, Perry, Tuscaloosa	50 min
May 3, 1:42 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BMX	Bibb, Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa	2 hr
May 3, 1:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Shelby	44 min
May 3, 1:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore and 6 more	65 min
May 3, 2:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega	58 min
May 3, 2:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Bibb, Bullock, Chilton, Clay, Coosa and 7 more	58 min
May 3, 2:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, St. Clair, Talladega	57 min
May 3, 3:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Elmore, Lee and 5 more	73 min
May 3, 3:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Randolph and 3 more	55 min
May 3, 3:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne	54 min
May 3, 4:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers, Cleburne, Randolph	34 min
May 3, 4:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Chambers, Lee, Russell	34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes 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.