Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Mobile, AL

January 6, 2009Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Jan 6, 2009, 4:36 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 24 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
Jan 6, 2009, 4:36 PM CST (22:36 UTC)
Expired
Jan 6, 2009, 5:00 PM CST
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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
Jan 6, 2:03 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 191 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2009-01-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3 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, Jackson, MS at 12:00Z on 2009-01-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 193 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
410 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
82 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
225 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 062236
TORMOB
ALC129-062300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0001.090106T2236Z-090106T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
436 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 500 PM CST

* AT 436 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  LOPER...OR ABOUT 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHATOM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  45 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BIGBEE BY 450 PM CST...
  FRANKVILLE BY 455 PM CST...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING...PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR A ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. IF POSSIBLE...GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER
PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY
AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL OR DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

IF YOU ARE IN MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE IT AND GET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING OR IN AN UNDERGROUND STORM SHELTER. IF NO
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER IS AVAILABLE AND A TORNADO IS FAST APPROACHING...
SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW DEPRESSION AND COVER YOUR
HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3170 8817 3155 8803 3150 8839 3158 8841
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 245DEG 37KT 3156 8835

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 062244
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
444 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

ALC129-062300-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-090106T2300Z/
WASHINGTON AL-
444 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CST FOR NORTHERN
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 444 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS
NEAR LOPER...OR ABOUT 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHATOM...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 45 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BIGBEE BY 450 PM CST...
  FRANKVILLE AND SILVER CROSS BY 455 PM CST...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING...PREFERABLY IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR A ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET OR BATHROOM. IF POSSIBLE...GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER
PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY
AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL OR DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

IF YOU ARE IN MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE IT AND GET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING OR IN AN UNDERGROUND STORM SHELTER. IF NO
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER IS AVAILABLE AND A TORNADO IS FAST APPROACHING...
SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW DEPRESSION AND COVER YOUR
HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3152 8831 3161 8835 3170 8817 3155 8803
TIME...MOT...LOC 2244Z 245DEG 37KT 3159 8826

$$
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 062255
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
455 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

ALC129-062305-
/O.EXP.KMOB.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-090106T2300Z/
WASHINGTON AL-
455 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY EXPIRES AT
500 PM CST...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CST TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3152 8831 3161 8835 3170 8817 3155 8803
TIME...MOT...LOC 2255Z 245DEG 37KT 3164 8814

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 6, 3:30 AM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryMOB42 hr
Jan 6, 9:28 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington12 days
Jan 6, 9:29 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningMOBChoctaw, Clarke, Washington13 days

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.