Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Mobile, AL

January 10, 2009Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Jan 10, 2009, 4:45 PM CST for Clarke County, Washington County, Alabama. It was in force for 30 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
Jan 10, 2009, 4:45 PM CST (22:45 UTC)
Expired
Jan 10, 2009, 5:15 PM CST
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clarke County, AL, Washington County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jan 10, 5:05 PM CSTTORNADOMcintosh, ALDAMAGE CORRELATING TO EF-1 TORNADO FOUND ALONG 1.6 MILE TRACK FROM BOYKIN BLVD TO CIBA PLANT.
Jan 10, 5:06 PM CSTTORNADOMcintosh, ALLAW ENFORCEMENT DISPATCHER REPORTED A TORNADO IN MCINTOSH ALABAMA.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 200 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 102245
TORMOB
ALC025-129-102315-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0004.090110T2245Z-090110T2315Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...  
  SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 515 PM CST

* AT 440 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF TOPTON...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTH OF CHATOM...MOVING
  EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE  TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MCINTOSH BY 500 PM CST...

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.

LAT...LON 3141 8786 3124 8787 3119 8822 3126 8822
TIME...MOT...LOC 2245Z 252DEG 29KT 3124 8815

$$
3 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 102254
SVSMOB

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

ALC025-129-102315-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090110T2315Z/
WASHINGTON AL-CLARKE AL-
453 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR SOUTHERN 
CLARKE AND SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

AT 452 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS 7 MILES WEST OF MCINTOSH...OR 
ABOUT 17 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHATOM...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MCINTOSH BY 505 PM CST...

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.

LAT...LON 3120 8817 3126 8817 3141 8786 3124 8787
TIME...MOT...LOC 2253Z 258DEG 23KT 3124 8812

$$
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 102303
SVSMOB

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

ALC025-129-102315-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090110T2315Z/
WASHINGTON AL-CLARKE AL-
503 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL CLARKE AND EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

AT 459 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO NEAR MCINTOSH...ABOUT 18 MILES SOUTHEAST OF 
CHATOM...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

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.

LAT...LON 3123 8807 3128 8808 3138 8792 3141 8786
      3124 8787
TIME...MOT...LOC 2303Z 249DEG 29KT 3128 8802

$$
000 
WWUS54 KMOB 102310
SVSMOB

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

ALC025-129-102315-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090110T2315Z/
WASHINGTON AL-CLARKE AL-
509 PM CST SAT JAN 10 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL CLARKE AND SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

AT 509 PM CST.... THIS TORNADO WAS NEAR MCINTOSH...OR ABOUT 19 MILES 
SOUTHEAST OF CHATOM...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.  REPORTS OF TORNADO 
DAMAGE ARE NOW BEING REPORTED BY MCINTOSH POLICE DEPARTMENT.  

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.

LAT...LON 3120 8817 3126 8817 3141 8786 3124 8787
TIME...MOT...LOC 2309Z 248DEG 24KT 3129 8799

$$

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, 4:17 PM CSTTornado WarningMOBWashington28 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.