Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Mobile, AL

February 18, 2009Choctaw County, Clarke County, Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this tornado warning at Feb 18, 2009, 5:11 PM CST for Choctaw County, Clarke County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 min. 1 report 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: Feb 18, 2009, 5:11 PM CST (23:11 UTC)
Expired: Feb 18, 2009, 5:37 PM CST
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 154 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:12 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Feb 18, 5:23 PM CST	HAIL 1	2 Ne Butler, AL

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

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 175 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: 11 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 604 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 698 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS54 KMOB 182311
TORMOB
ALC023-025-190000-
/O.NEW.KMOB.TO.W.0006.090218T2311Z-090219T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
511 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL CHOCTAW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF BUTLER...
  NORTHWESTERN CLARKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...

* UNTIL 600 PM CST

* AT 511 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF
  NEEDHAM...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BUTLER...MOVING EAST AT 60
  MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  INDICATED COUNTIES.

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.

LAT...LON 3216 8800 3214 8804 3209 8804 3207 8806
      3206 8811 3201 8810 3202 8808 3200 8807
      3200 8795 3189 8796 3190 8848 3211 8845
      3221 8800
TIME...MOT...LOC 2311Z 255DEG 54KT 3204 8828

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 182325
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
525 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

ALC025-182335-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-090219T0000Z/
CLARKE AL-
525 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLARKE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3221 8801 3217 8800 3214 8804 3209 8804
      3207 8806 3207 8809 3206 8811 3200 8810
      3197 8828 3212 8834 3216 8824 3219 8808
TIME...MOT...LOC 2325Z 248DEG 49KT 3213 8814

$$

ALC023-190000-
/O.CON.KMOB.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-090219T0000Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
525 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CST FOR CENTRAL
CHOCTAW COUNTY...

AT 525 PM CST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS
NEAR MT STERLING...OR JUST NORTH OF BUTLER...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO LAVACA

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.

LAT...LON 3221 8801 3217 8800 3214 8804 3209 8804
      3207 8806 3207 8809 3206 8811 3200 8810
      3197 8828 3212 8834 3216 8824 3219 8808
TIME...MOT...LOC 2325Z 248DEG 49KT 3213 8814

$$

000 
WWUS54 KMOB 182337
SVSMOB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
537 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

ALC023-182347-
/O.CAN.KMOB.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-090219T0000Z/
CHOCTAW AL-
537 PM CST WED FEB 18 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL CHOCTAW COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3221 8801 3217 8800 3214 8804 3209 8804
      3207 8806 3207 8809 3206 8811 3200 8810
      3197 8828 3212 8834 3216 8824 3219 8808
TIME...MOT...LOC 2337Z 248DEG 49KT 3219 8796

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 18, 2:51 PM CST	Red Flag Warning	MOB	Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw and 4 more	51 hr

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.