Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 99, NWS Birmingham, AL

April 19, 2009Lee County, Russell County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2009, 9:51 PM CDT for Lee County, Russell County, Alabama. It was in force for 54 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 19, 2009, 9:51 PM CDT (02:51 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2009, 10:45 PM CDT
In force: 54 min
Issued by: NWS Birmingham, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Lee County, AL, Russell County, AL

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 19, 10:33 PM CDT	TORNADO 2	1 Sw Phenix City, AL	FIVE BUSINESSES SUSTAINED MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE. SEVEN HOMES WITH MINOR TO MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE. 100-200 TRESS SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.
Apr 19, 10:35 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Phenix City, AL	TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN AND DAMAGE TO SEVERAL STRUCTURES WITH SOME MOBILE HOMES TURNED OVER ALONG HWY 280 NEAR THE BOWLING ALLEY. POWERLINES ALSO DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF BROADWAY ST AND DILLINGHAM ST. POSSIBLE TORNADO.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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, 8:45 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 118 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: 182 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1004 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 212 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 200251
TORBMX
ALC081-113-200345-
/O.NEW.KBMX.TO.W.0099.090420T0251Z-090420T0345Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN LEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA...
  NORTHERN RUSSELL COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PHENIX CITY...

* UNTIL 1045 PM CDT

* AT 947 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 14 MILES WEST OF
  RUSSELL COUNTY SPORTS COMPLEX...OR 9 MILES NORTH OF HURTSBORO...
  MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES NORTH OF RUSSELL COUNTY SPORTS COMPLEX BY 1010 PM CDT...
  LADONIA AND 7 MILES SOUTH OF SMITHS STATION BY 1025 PM CDT...
  PHENIX CITY BY 1035 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT MONDAY MORNING FOR
ALABAMA.

&&

LAT...LON 3238 8498 3235 8501 3231 8498 3231 8528
      3247 8536 3260 8507 3253 8500 3247 8500
      3242 8497
TIME...MOT...LOC 0251Z 252DEG 26KT 3237 8535

$$

03

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS54 KBMX 200322
SVSBMX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1022 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

ALC081-113-200345-
/O.CON.KBMX.TO.W.0099.000000T0000Z-090420T0345Z/
RUSSELL AL-LEE AL-
1022 PM CDT SUN APR 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1045 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN LEE AND NORTHEASTERN RUSSELL COUNTIES...

AT 1020 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PHENIX DRAG
STRIP...OR 7 MILES WEST OF PHENIX CITY...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LADONIA...LADONIA SPORTS COMPLEX...MONTEREY HEIGHTS AND 6 MILES
  SOUTH OF SMITHS STATION BY 1030 PM CDT...
  PHENIX CITY BY 1040 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT MONDAY MORNING FOR
EASTERN ALABAMA.

&&

LAT...LON 3242 8497 3240 8505 3239 8515 3248 8519
      3260 8507 3253 8500 3247 8500
TIME...MOT...LOC 0322Z 252DEG 19KT 3244 8512

$$

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, 7:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BMX	St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega	55 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, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.