Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 91, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 19, 2009Jefferson County, Walker County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2009, 7:47 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Walker 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
Apr 19, 2009, 7:47 PM CDT (00:47 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2009, 8:04 PM CDT
In force
17 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Jefferson County, AL, Walker County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:48 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
Apr 19, 2:19 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 00:00Z on 2009-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 225 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2009-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 466 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
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 200047
TORBMX
ALC073-127-200130-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0091.090420T0047Z-090420T0130Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  WALKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...SUMITON...JASPER...DORA...CORDOVA...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 745 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR JASPER...
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CORDOVA AND LYNNS PARK BY 755 PM CDT...
  BELOIT AND ROCKY HOLLOW BY 800 PM CDT...
  BURNWELL...DORA AND GORGAS STEAM PLANT BY 805 PM CDT...
  QUINTON BY 810 PM CDT...
  WEST JEFFERSON BY 815 PM CDT...
  GRAYSVILLE BY 825 PM CDT...

THIS INCLUDES
AND INTERSTATE 59 EXIT NUMBERS 174 THROUGH 188.

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR
ALABAMA.

&&

LAT...LON 3382 8700 3375 8677 3346 8714 3364 8735
      3379 8746 3396 8716
TIME...MOT...LOC 0047Z 317DEG 28KT 3380 8724

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KBMX 200104
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
804 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

ALC073-127-200113-
/O.CAN.KBMX.TO.W.0091.000000T0000Z-090420T0130Z/
JEFFERSON AL-WALKER AL-
804 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WALKER AND NORTHWESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES
IS CANCELLED...

THE STORMS THAT SHOWED ROTATION HAVE WEAKENED. HOWEVER... A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT WITH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN 
EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS STILL POSSIBLE.
 
TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR 
ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3382 8700 3375 8677 3346 8714 3364 8735
      3379 8746 3396 8716
TIME...MOT...LOC 0103Z 317DEG 28KT 3371 8714

$$

STEFKOVICH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXShelby60 min
Apr 19, 7:05 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSt. Clair, Shelby, Talladega55 min
Apr 19, 7:28 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXGreene, Hale47 min
Apr 19, 7:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXClay, Cleburne, Randolph42 min
Apr 19, 7:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXFayette, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker52 min
Apr 19, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore46 min
Apr 19, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega43 min
Apr 19, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Etowah, Jefferson, Walker38 min
Apr 19, 8:10 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBibb, Hale, Perry65 min
Apr 19, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cleburne, Talladega47 min
Apr 19, 8:21 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCoosa, Tallapoosa37 min
Apr 19, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXBlount, Cherokee, Etowah, Jefferson, St. Clair, Tuscaloosa and 1 more52 min
Apr 19, 8:48 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBullock, Macon42 min
Apr 19, 9:01 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount, Calhoun, Etowah, St. Clair29 min
Apr 19, 9:12 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXAutauga, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Perry48 min
Apr 19, 9:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCherokee32 min
Apr 19, 9:21 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee, Macon, Russell54 min
Apr 19, 9:28 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Etowah, St. Clair47 min
Apr 19, 9:51 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXCalhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, Talladega54 min
Apr 19, 9:51 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee, Russell54 min
Apr 19, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah39 min
Apr 19, 10:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXAutauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa44 min
Apr 19, 11:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXElmore, Tallapoosa47 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.