Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 142, NWS Birmingham, AL

July 28, 2009Pickens County, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Jul 28, 2009, 5:17 PM CDT for Pickens County, Tuscaloosa 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
Jul 28, 2009, 5:17 PM CDT (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 28, 2009, 5:34 PM CDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Pickens County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:19 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 nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 95 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2009-07-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1102 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2009-07-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
1102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 282217
TORBMX
ALC107-125-282300-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0142.090728T2217Z-090728T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
517 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PICKENS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHWESTERN TUSCALOOSA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 516 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 17 MILES WEST OF
  SAMANTHA...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SAMANTHA AND LAKE TUSCALOOSA BINION CREEK LANDING BY 600 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...
CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3353 8772 3353 8768 3355 8767 3357 8762
      3335 8757 3334 8795 3344 8795
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 262DEG 19KT 3340 8791

$$

17/KLAWS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 282226
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
526 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

ALC107-125-282300-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0142.000000T0000Z-090728T2300Z/
PICKENS AL-TUSCALOOSA AL-
526 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA AND EAST CENTRAL PICKENS COUNTIES...

AT 526 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO DETECT A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF BROWNVILLE...OR
NEAR GORDO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BROWNVILLE BY 540 PM CDT...
  LAKE TUSCALOOSA BINION CREEK LANDING...LAKE TUSCALOOSA TIERCE
  PATTTON BRIDGE AND 6 MILES SOUTH OF SAMANTHA BY 600 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3334 8790 3339 8790 3348 8771 3349 8768
      3352 8761 3335 8757
TIME...MOT...LOC 2227Z 268DEG 20KT 3337 8785

$$

17/KLAWS
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 282234
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
534 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

ALC107-125-282244-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0142.000000T0000Z-090728T2300Z/
PICKENS AL-TUSCALOOSA AL-
534 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL TUSCALOOSA AND EAST CENTRAL
PICKENS COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS WEAKENED.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CALL 1-800-856-0758.

LAT...LON 3334 8790 3339 8790 3348 8771 3349 8768
      3352 8761 3335 8757
TIME...MOT...LOC 2234Z 268DEG 20KT 3337 8780

$$

17/KLAWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 3:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Dallas, Lowndes34 min
Jul 28, 3:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery37 min
Jul 28, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Pickens41 min
Jul 28, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens20 min
Jul 28, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Montgomery28 min
Jul 28, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter28 min
Jul 28, 4:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXPickens, Tuscaloosa49 min
Jul 28, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Sumter46 min

Nearby

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