Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 18, 2009Randolph County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2009, 7:14 PM CST for Randolph County, Alabama. It was in force for 31 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
Feb 18, 2009, 7:14 PM CST (01:14 UTC)
Expired
Feb 18, 2009, 7:45 PM CST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Randolph County, AL

The radar

The Atlanta radar (KFFC), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:16 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
Feb 18, 12:42 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 88 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2009-02-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 185 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2009-02-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 479 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
185 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
94 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
479 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
475 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 190114
TORBMX
ALC111-190145-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0021.090219T0114Z-090219T0145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
714 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL RANDOLPH COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WEDOWEE...

* UNTIL 745 PM CST

* AT 711 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR WEDOWEE...MOVING
  EAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  NAPOLEON BY 720 PM CST...
  BIG SPRINGS BY 725 PM CST...

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 TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA.

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

LAT...LON 3318 8555 3331 8553 3334 8528 3316 8525
TIME...MOT...LOC 0114Z 266DEG 49KT 3324 8546

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 190123
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
723 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

ALC111-190145-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090219T0145Z/
RANDOLPH AL-
723 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM CST FOR EAST
CENTRAL RANDOLPH COUNTY...

AT 720 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ROCK STAND...OR ABOUT 6 MILES
NORTH OF ROANOKE...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

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 TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR ALABAMA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CST
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3319 8541 3329 8541 3332 8528 3316 8525
TIME...MOT...LOC 0123Z 272DEG 35KT 3323 8536

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 18, 6:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXGreene, Pickens, Tuscaloosa28 min
Feb 18, 6:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne25 min
Feb 18, 6:12 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXClay, Randolph33 min
Feb 18, 6:13 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXJefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa47 min
Feb 18, 6:14 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXBullock, Macon, Montgomery46 min
Feb 18, 6:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter36 min
Feb 18, 6:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, Talladega, Tuscaloosa46 min
Feb 18, 6:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCleburne15 min
Feb 18, 6:38 PM CSTTornado Warning EmergencyBMXClay, Randolph37 min
Feb 18, 6:41 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXRandolph19 min
Feb 18, 6:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Chilton, Shelby, Tuscaloosa45 min
Feb 18, 6:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Shelby, Talladega51 min
Feb 18, 7:31 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa44 min
Feb 18, 7:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBibb, Chilton, Clay, Coosa, Shelby, Talladega42 min
Feb 18, 7:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega, Tallapoosa41 min
Feb 18, 8:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers, Coosa, Lee, Tallapoosa65 min
Feb 18, 8:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Sumter47 min
Feb 18, 9:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa31 min
Feb 18, 10:17 PM CSTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery43 min
Feb 18, 10:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBullock, Elmore, Macon, Montgomery37 min
Feb 19, 4:10 AM CSTLake Wind AdvisoryBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more12 hr
Feb 19, 2:54 PM CSTRed Flag WarningBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more27 hr

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.