Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Mobile, AL

January 10, 2009Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Jan 10, 2009, 4:17 PM CST for Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 28 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 10, 2009, 4:17 PM CST (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Jan 10, 2009, 4:45 PM CST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:17 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 nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 180 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2009-01-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 859 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 12:00Z on 2009-01-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 213 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
859 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
490 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
234 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
7.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 102217
TORMOB
ALC129-102245-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0003.090110T2217Z-090110T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
417 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 445 PM CST

* AT 417 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES         
  SOUTHWEST OF VINEGAR BEND...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DEER PARK BY 425 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.

LAT...LON 3139 8814 3117 8810 3118 8841 3126 8842
TIME...MOT...LOC 2217Z 258DEG 22KT 3122 8837

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 102233
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
433 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

ALC129-102245-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-090110T2245Z/
WASHINGTON AL-
432 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM CST FOR SOUTH 
WASHINGTON COUNTY...

AT 431 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TOPTON...OR ABOUT 17 MILES SOUTH OF
CHATOM...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  TOPTON BY 445 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.

LAT...LON 3135 8814 3117 8810 3119 8830 3125 8830
TIME...MOT...LOC 2232Z 259DEG 26KT 3122 8826

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 10, 10:25 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMOBMobile70 min
Jan 10, 2:15 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington37 min
Jan 10, 4:45 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBClarke, Washington30 min
Jan 10, 5:13 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBBaldwin, Clarke, Monroe, Washington37 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.