Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 88, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 19, 2009St. Clair County, Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2009, 7:05 PM CDT for St. Clair County, Shelby County, Talladega County, Alabama. It was in force for 55 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: Apr 19, 2009, 7:05 PM CDT (00:05 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2009, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 55 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Talladega County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:07 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
Apr 19, 2:19 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 75 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: 225 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 490 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 466 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 529 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.6
Supercell composite: 2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 200005
TORBMX
ALC115-117-121-200100-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0088.090420T0005Z-090420T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
705 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL ST. CLAIR COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PELL CITY...
  CENTRAL TALLADEGA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TALLADEGA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 703 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A TORNADO NEAR VINCENT...OR 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHILDERSBURG...
  MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LOGAN MARTIN DAM BY 715 PM CDT...
  ALPINE BAY RESORT AND COOSA ISLAND BY 720 PM CDT...
  TALLADEGA BY 745 PM CDT...
  TALLADEGA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AND TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY BY 755 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3362 8601 3361 8602 3359 8598 3345 8592
      3340 8593 3340 8595 3339 8595 3339 8598
      3337 8599 3333 8649 3344 8653 3368 8607
      3367 8604
TIME...MOT...LOC 0006Z 248DEG 24KT 3340 8642

$$

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 Apr 19, 6:30 PM CDT, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 6:30 PM CDT, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
630 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

.UPDATED FOR AVIATION DISCUSSION.

&&

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT.

ACTIVE EVENING EXPECTED AS A COLD FRONT ACROSS PORTIONS OF
MISSISSIPPI MOVES INTO AND ACROSS THE AREA.  STRONG UPPER LEVEL
IMPULSE WILL SWING ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE AREA BETWEEN 5
PM AND 11 PM...HELPING TO TRIGGER STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE
STORMS. AIR MASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT CONTINUES TO DE-STABILIZE.
WILL INCLUDE RATHER HIGH POPS FOR TONIGHT AND SEVERE WORDING.  BEST
CHANCE OF SEVERE WILL BE WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 PRIOR TO 8 PM AND EAST
OF THE INTERSTATE AFTER 8 PM. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD
DECREASE IN INTENSITY LATE THIS EVENING AND END FROM WEST TO EAST
OVERNIGHT.  MAY ADJUST POPS JUST BEFORE RELEASE.

.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...UPPER PORTION OF THE SYSTEM REMAINS TO OUR
NORTH AND WILL BE SLOW TO SHIFT NORTHEAST.  THIS WILL ALLOW SOME
WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTH FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY
AND COOL TEMPERATURES AS FLOW REMAINS FROM THE NORTHWEST.  WE CAN
EXPECT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS EACH DAY.  HIGHS EACH DAY MID 60S
NORTH TO LOWER 70S SOUTH.  OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 40S MONDAY NIGHT...
THEN 35 TO 45 TUESDAY NIGHT WITH SOME PATCHY FROST POSSIBLE EAST.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BY MID-
WEEK...THEN RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS LATER IN THE WEEK PROVIDING FOR A
VERY NICE WARM-UP.  WE CAN EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS AND A GOOD DEAL OF
SUNSHINE EACH DAY.  HIGHS 65 TO 75 EARLY IN THE PERIOD...WARMING
INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S BY FRIDAY AND LASTING
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION...00Z TAF DISCUSSION.
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS EXPECTED THROUGH
04Z IN ADVANCE OF STRONG COLD FRONT.  ACTIVITY WILL WEAKEN
QUICKLY.  EXPECT CEILINGS 2000 TO 3000 FEET WITH TEMPORARY CEILINGS
AROUND 1000 FEET THROUGH 06Z. AFTER 06Z EXPECT CEILINGS 1000 TO 2000
FEET IN MAINLY A NORTHWEST FLOW OF 10 TO 15 MPH.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GADSDEN     52  66  42  67  39 /  60  20  20  20  10
ANNISTON    54  67  42  68  39 /  70  20  20  20  10
BIRMINGHAM  54  67  42  68  42 /  60  10  10  10  10
TUSCALOOSA  53  70  45  72  42 /  40  10  10  10  10
CALERA      54  68  44  68  41 /  60  10  10  10  10
AUBURN      54  70  43  70  42 /  60  10  10  10  10
MONTGOMERY  56  71  47  72  43 /  60  10  10  10  10
TROY        57  72  47  72  41 /  60  10  10  10  10

&&

.BMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

&&

50

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 2:27 PM CDT, 4 hours 38 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
227 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

ALZ011>015-017>050-201927-
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-
227 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.
THE MAIN FOCUS OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE WEST OF INTERSTATE 65 AND
SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 PRIOR TO 8 PM WITH THE THREAT OF DAMAGING
WINDS AND LARGE HAIL AND THE SLIM CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO.  THE
FOCUS WILL SHIFT EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 AFTER 8 PM AS THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY MOVES ACROSS THE STATE.  AFTER 8 PM...THE THREAT OF
TORNADOES WILL DIMINISH GREATLY...BUT THERE WILL STILL BE A CHANCE OF
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SUSTAINED WINDS WILL BE AROUND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS...SO
A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY FOR THE WESTERN TIER
OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...THROUGH 6 PM.

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

COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL WORK IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM. ON WEDNESDAY
MORNING...TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER
30S IN THE NORTH AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF CENTRAL ALABAMA. WHILE
FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE NOT FORECASTED AT THIS TIME...AREAS OF
PATCHY FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WINDS WILL BE LIGHT OVERNIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAY BE NEEDED
THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT.

27

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 19, 4:01 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
401 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

ALZ015-017-024-192145-
BLOUNT-JEFFERSON-WALKER-
401 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR BLOUNT...JEFFERSON AND WALKER
COUNTIES UNTIL 445 PM CDT...

AT 401 PM CDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR CORDOVA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE...
  CORDOVA.
  BELOIT.
  LYNNS PARK.
  ROCKY HOLLOW.
  GRAYSVILLE.
  EMPIRE.

THE GUSTY WINDS WILL BE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES...TREE
LIMBS...AND POWERLINES. SEEK SAFE SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR YOUR LOCAL
TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS
CONCERNING THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

10/ARM

Local storm report, Apr 19, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
535 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

0523 PM     HAIL             HAMILTON                34.14N 87.98W
04/19/2009  E0.75 INCH       MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            PENNY SIZE HAIL IN HAMILTON

&&

KLOREK

Local storm report, Apr 19, 5:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
537 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

0530 PM     HAIL             HAMILTON                34.14N 87.98W
04/19/2009  E1.75 INCH       MARION             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            LARGE HAIL REPORTED IN HAMILTON.

&&

KLOREK

Local storm report, Apr 19, 5:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
557 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

0555 PM     TORNADO          5 W NEWBERN             32.59N 87.62W
04/19/2009                   HALE               AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TORNADO REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR CEDARVILLE.

&&

KLOREK

Local storm report, Apr 19, 6:47 PM CDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
647 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

0620 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 NE ALABASTER          33.27N 86.79W
04/19/2009                   SHELBY             AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ALONG HWY 11 NEAR INTERSTATE
            65...SOME TREES DOWN ON MOBILE HOMES AND GAS LEAKS DUE TO
            UPROOTED TREES...POSSIBLE TORNADO.

&&

GOLDEN

Local storm report, Apr 19, 7:05 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
705 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

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

0702 PM     TORNADO          ALABASTER               33.25N 86.82W
04/19/2009                   SHELBY             AL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR THE SHOPPING CENTER AT EXIT
            NUMBER 238 OFF INTERSTATE 65.

&&

GOLDEN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 19, 7:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Shelby	60 min
Apr 19, 7:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Greene, Hale	47 min
Apr 19, 7:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Clay, Cleburne, Randolph	42 min
Apr 19, 7:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Fayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker	52 min
Apr 19, 7:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore	46 min
Apr 19, 7:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega	43 min
Apr 19, 7:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Jefferson, Walker	17 min
Apr 19, 7:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Etowah, Jefferson, Walker	38 min
Apr 19, 8:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bibb, Hale, Perry	65 min
Apr 19, 8:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cleburne, Talladega	47 min
Apr 19, 8:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Coosa, Tallapoosa	37 min
Apr 19, 8:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Blount, Cherokee, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa and 1 more	52 min
Apr 19, 8:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Bullock, Macon	42 min
Apr 19, 9:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Blount, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair	29 min
Apr 19, 9:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry	48 min
Apr 19, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Cherokee	32 min
Apr 19, 9:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lee, Macon, Russell	54 min
Apr 19, 9:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Etowah, St. Clair	47 min
Apr 19, 9:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega	54 min
Apr 19, 9:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	Lee, Russell	54 min
Apr 19, 10:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah	39 min
Apr 19, 10:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa	44 min
Apr 19, 11:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BMX	Elmore, Tallapoosa	47 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.