Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 166, NWS Birmingham, AL

October 30, 2009Marion County, Walker County, Winston County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 30, 2009, 5:34 PM CDT for Marion County, Walker County, Winston County, Alabama. It was in force for 41 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
Oct 30, 2009, 5:34 PM CDT (22:34 UTC)
Expired
Oct 30, 2009, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Marion County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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
Oct 30, 12:22 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr
Oct 30, 5:20 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 2009-10-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 86 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2009-10-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 258 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
86 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
498 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
269 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 KBMX 302234
TORBMX
ALC093-127-133-302315-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0166.091030T2234Z-091030T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
534 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME NORTHWESTERN WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTHEASTERN MARION COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  WESTERN WINSTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF LYNN...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 531 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETECTED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  LYNN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LYNN BY 555 PM CDT...

THIS INCLUDES...
US 78 EXIT NUMBER 34

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

LAT...LON 3409 8734 3391 8770 3392 8774 3394 8780
      3426 8754
TIME...MOT...LOC 2233Z 228DEG 26KT 3395 8772

$$

14
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 302251
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
551 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

ALC093-127-302301-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0166.000000T0000Z-091030T2315Z/
WALKER AL-MARION AL-
551 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN MARION AND EXTREME
NORTHWESTERN WALKER COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

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

LAT...LON 3413 8739 3405 8764 3414 8764 3426 8754
TIME...MOT...LOC 2251Z 218DEG 26KT 3408 8761

$$

ALC133-302315-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0166.000000T0000Z-091030T2315Z/
WINSTON AL-
551 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL WINSTON COUNTY...

AT 549 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO DETECT A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NATURAL BRIDGE...OR NEAR
LYNN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DELMAR BY 600 PM CDT...
  WEISS BY 605 PM CDT...

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

LAT...LON 3413 8739 3405 8764 3414 8764 3426 8754
TIME...MOT...LOC 2251Z 218DEG 26KT 3408 8761

$$

14
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 302301
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
601 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

ALC133-302315-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0166.000000T0000Z-091030T2315Z/
WINSTON AL-
601 PM CDT FRI OCT 30 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL WINSTON COUNTY...

AT 558 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO DETECT A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR WEISS...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF
LYNN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

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

LAT...LON 3416 8743 3412 8759 3416 8761 3426 8754
TIME...MOT...LOC 2302Z 213DEG 29KT 3416 8755

$$

14

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 30, 3:41 AM CDTLake Wind AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more27 hr
Oct 30, 1:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens26 min
Oct 30, 1:46 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens29 min
Oct 30, 4:02 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLamar, Pickens28 min
Oct 30, 4:07 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens, Sumter38 min
Oct 30, 4:24 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar36 min
Oct 30, 4:25 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker31 min
Oct 30, 4:29 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens46 min
Oct 30, 4:38 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Pickens37 min
Oct 30, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXPickens34 min
Oct 30, 4:45 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion45 min
Oct 30, 4:57 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Marion48 min
Oct 30, 5:06 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Lamar, Pickens39 min
Oct 30, 5:10 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarion, Winston35 min
Oct 30, 5:37 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Marion, Walker23 min
Oct 30, 5:55 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXFayette, Walker, Winston50 min
Oct 30, 6:07 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXWinston19 min
Oct 30, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXWinston23 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.