Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Mobile, AL

April 19, 2009Choctaw County, Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2009, 5:20 PM CDT for Choctaw County, Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 40 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, 5:20 PM CDT (22:20 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2009, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:21 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 19, 2:19 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Jackson, MS (KJAN), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 202 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: 228 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 484 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 260 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 375 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 192220
TORMOB
ALC023-025-129-192300-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0039.090419T2220Z-090419T2300Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN CHOCTAW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  WEST CENTRAL CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 518 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR BIGBEE...OR
  ABOUT 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF CHATOM...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY AT 530 PM CDT
  RURAL WESTERN CLARKE COUNTY AT 540 PM CDT
  RURAL NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY AT 540 PM CDT

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 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI.

LAT...LON 3177 8801 3152 8793 3155 8824 3166 8823
TIME...MOT...LOC 2220Z 268DEG 16KT 3160 8816

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 19, 1:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Washington	37 min
Apr 19, 2:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Washington	39 min
Apr 19, 4:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Monroe	48 min
Apr 19, 5:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke	40 min
Apr 19, 6:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke	15 min
Apr 19, 6:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Clarke	27 min
Apr 19, 6:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MOB	Butler	41 min
Apr 19, 6:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MOB	Clarke, Monroe	46 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.